yaretzi
Wise Old Thumper
My buns were originally P@H buns (I got them from the rescue bit there, as they were 'too old' and there were like 5 of them shoved in that tiny little space...anyway...!) so I'm concerned about dental problems appearing at some point.
My buns weren't good hay eaters when they lived inside with me. Since moving them outside I've found it easier to resist their little faces and now have them on a diet of:
*unlimited, fresh lovely hay which I've figured out how they prefer it fed (in baskets in their litter trays, and they love their box of it outside) I put a new handful in about 3-4 times a day so it's always nice and fresh
*around an eggcupful of SS pellets each mixed with P@H (got loads of both and trying to wean over to SS so I give them a mixed handful to use em up). I give them this in about 2/3 'doses' throughout the day
*about 1 handful each of veg in the morning and 1 at night. I'm careful to vary the veg as much as possible - giving almost exclusively green leafy veg and herbs but with the odd bit of parsnip of carrot! I try to vary between cabbage (they've never had gas from it but I don't give a lot anymore just to be careful), spring greens, spinach, curly cale, parsley, coriander
*they also have their run on the grass and have access to it between 9am and 9pm ish. the grass isn't in great condition at the moment though!
*they also get either 2 or 3 fenugreek crunchies each per day
try to limit it to 2 though which I feel is okay, 3 is a little much I feel
As I said I've noticed their hay intake increase and they do spend a good amount of time plopped in their hay box eating. I do notice a good amount gone the next morning.
I feel I'm doing all that I can to ensure they're wearing both sets of teeth down, just wondering if there's anything else anyone can suggest?
They pretty much ignore chewwy/willow/wooden toys (unless I roll it in pellets first so it smells like them, then they devour it :roll. They always have a cardboard box or two and a cardboard tube which they tend to destroy so they have the extra wear from that too.
I'll get some pics later or tomorrow of what they'd eat in an average day pellet and veg-wise, and show you approx how much hay they eat too (although since they dig it all out and flatten it it's hard to get an estimate!)
It's also difficult to know who's eaten the hay and who hasn't, since I can only see their hay eating during the day in the run (where they have their big box). I know they do eat it at night when locked in the shed but since I can't see in it's difficult knowing if one is eating it all and the other isn't. I do have 2 distinct poops in their trays, one is big n plump n light brown from hay - the other is smaller, harder and not as hay-filled. I suspect Nena is the one with the healthier poops since she tends to dive headfirst into the hay basket :roll: but I'm not sure.
Anyway sorry for the essay, suggestions would be great
My buns weren't good hay eaters when they lived inside with me. Since moving them outside I've found it easier to resist their little faces and now have them on a diet of:
*unlimited, fresh lovely hay which I've figured out how they prefer it fed (in baskets in their litter trays, and they love their box of it outside) I put a new handful in about 3-4 times a day so it's always nice and fresh
*around an eggcupful of SS pellets each mixed with P@H (got loads of both and trying to wean over to SS so I give them a mixed handful to use em up). I give them this in about 2/3 'doses' throughout the day
*about 1 handful each of veg in the morning and 1 at night. I'm careful to vary the veg as much as possible - giving almost exclusively green leafy veg and herbs but with the odd bit of parsnip of carrot! I try to vary between cabbage (they've never had gas from it but I don't give a lot anymore just to be careful), spring greens, spinach, curly cale, parsley, coriander
*they also have their run on the grass and have access to it between 9am and 9pm ish. the grass isn't in great condition at the moment though!
*they also get either 2 or 3 fenugreek crunchies each per day
try to limit it to 2 though which I feel is okay, 3 is a little much I feel As I said I've noticed their hay intake increase and they do spend a good amount of time plopped in their hay box eating. I do notice a good amount gone the next morning.
I feel I'm doing all that I can to ensure they're wearing both sets of teeth down, just wondering if there's anything else anyone can suggest?
They pretty much ignore chewwy/willow/wooden toys (unless I roll it in pellets first so it smells like them, then they devour it :roll
. They always have a cardboard box or two and a cardboard tube which they tend to destroy so they have the extra wear from that too.I'll get some pics later or tomorrow of what they'd eat in an average day pellet and veg-wise, and show you approx how much hay they eat too (although since they dig it all out and flatten it it's hard to get an estimate!)
It's also difficult to know who's eaten the hay and who hasn't, since I can only see their hay eating during the day in the run (where they have their big box). I know they do eat it at night when locked in the shed but since I can't see in it's difficult knowing if one is eating it all and the other isn't. I do have 2 distinct poops in their trays, one is big n plump n light brown from hay - the other is smaller, harder and not as hay-filled. I suspect Nena is the one with the healthier poops since she tends to dive headfirst into the hay basket :roll: but I'm not sure.
Anyway sorry for the essay, suggestions would be great
