• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

advice needed

Hi - I have 2 female 2 year old rabbits. We are fairly new to rabbits so hoping for some advice.
One seems perfectly healthy all the time - eats hay nonstop, poos perfect. the other is more of a worry - she eats pellets ( eggcupful of excel) but would definitely eat more of these if she got them. She eats any herbs or greens she gets ( just a few bits and pieces every day). She drinks fine and seems to pee ok too. Every day they get time out on grass, and also have a permanent run and a shed so she has exercise opportunities. We have loads of different types of hay to try and get her to eat one as she just picks at it - oxbow timothy, burns meadow hay, vita stuff with herbs, pet shop stuff and have just ordered sample pack from the hay experts. CAn't find a deent farm to sell less quantity than an enormous bale I have no space for. I put the hay in the litter trays, the rack, a hay ball and as bedding. So, she generally has the "string of pearls type poos" and seems generally a bit too skinny round the hip bones.
Not sure what else to do to get her a picture of health - any advice appreciated !
 
Have you ever tried any other dried food? Alot of people feed Science Selective which is a good feed, i feel Allen and Page Natural Rabbit Pellets whch is high fibre also. Is she a particularly longhaired or fluffy rabbit? or is the other one? It may be she is just digesting more hair than the other rabbit which then leads to the stringy poos... are the poos in the strings a decent size or are they tiny? Has she had a vet checkup to ensure no problems with teeth or anything else? Sounds like their diet is good so not sure what else to suggest... something my rabbits go nuts for is Just Grass which is a dried grass that you can get - its made for horses i think.. but you can get a ew different types.. maybe she would eat that? Also i get alfalfa mini bales from P@H in a bag which are like haycakes - hard blocks made from alfalfa hay and my lot love those too.
 
THanks for reply. They're both short haired, but have been moulting ( brushed every day though). Also vet checked ! I will look into different pellets though - thanks for that. I've been worrying as as I've felt I'm doing everything I can , I've read up a lot on rabbits but have had little practical experience, and so been worried in case I'm missing something. You know how it is - you just want to get everything right, and although she doesnt seem ill she's just not in rude health either !
 
I use this hay - it is from a bale and expensive but blimmin' good stuff :D You can get a box size to suit you and your storage needs. We get 2 large boxes but you can get smaller and different multiples of 2.
http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/

It far surpasses any bagged hay in both mine and the bunnies opinions!

Fur being passed in droppings as strings of poops is a good sign that the fur is passing through the digestive tract and not impacting inside causing obstruction, buns are designed to cope with a certain amount of fur from grooming and lots of fibre (hay and grass) will keep the gut motility on top form to allow the fur to pass through. However, I would be wanting to brush bun daily in order to keep on top of the fur amount ingested so ideally you do not see to much passing through, especially at periods of moulting and heavy moulting. Mutual grooming can be an issue so both buns need to be well brushed regularly if you can manage it.

It's good for a rabbit to be slim - far less strain on the heart and other internal organs. However, if you are worried about her weight then I would weigh her regularly and keep a chart, I would also suggest a vet appointment to get her checked over in case you are missing something requiring expert eyes. Dental issues can often mask weight symptoms so this would be the first thing I would want checked. :)
 
back from the vets who said she was definitely too underweight and wormed her. She couldn't see her teeth because she just kept munching the scope - so its to be extra pellets & veg, back in a week and if she's put weight on hopefully all will be fine. If not then its sedation to get a look at the teeth.
However, since she still wont eat much hay I guess we might be in for a stressful week as extra pellets wont help with that I'm sure ! I'm thinking having her out on grass as much as possible because she will eat grass - what do you think ?
 
Back
Top