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Does anyone ever wonder how some peoples buns dont get poorly....

Jojo123

Mama Doe
On a group their are people that feed their buns lots of strange things like toast, chocolate, biscuits and now ive just seen milk? How come I feed my buns what they are suppose to eat, would never feed them human type foods (unless there was a good reason like on the advice for a problem) and yet the other week Buster had poorly belly. There are lots of threads ive seen from others on here who feed their buns rabbit safe foods and are careful of what they give them but still have buns getting belly pains. How do these buns stay healthy? Or is it they don't? Does anyone think that human food is ok now and again or really a big nono?

Just to state I wouldn't feed any human type foods to my buns I just don't see the point as they have plenty of fresh greens, pellets and I feed them 3 different types of hay so think they have enough yummy foods suitable for rabbits to choose from :wave:
 
Very very burnt toast is actually fine as a last resort which I've had to use.

The other stuff - NO!


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I would wonder if it's because they don't know their bunnies as well, and it may be that actually their buns get ill just as much but they aren't vigilant and so miss signs and the bunny somehow recovers or just deteriorates until death or the owner notices.

That might be me being cynical though.

But there will be rabbits who remain healthy no matter what their lifestyle, same as people.
 
I would wonder if it's because they don't know their bunnies as well, and it may be that actually their buns get ill just as much but they aren't vigilant and so miss signs and the bunny somehow recovers or just deteriorates until death or the owner notices.

That might be me being cynical though.

But there will be rabbits who remain healthy no matter what their lifestyle, same as people.

This.


I also think bunnies get used to certain foods. I used to feed Fiver all sorts of ****, he has a cast iron stomach. My other two have only ever been fed excellent diets, yet they are both prone to tummy upsets for no apparent reason.
 
I would wonder if it's because they don't know their bunnies as well, and it may be that actually their buns get ill just as much but they aren't vigilant and so miss signs and the bunny somehow recovers or just deteriorates until death or the owner notices.

That might be me being cynical though.

But there will be rabbits who remain healthy no matter what their lifestyle, same as people.

this.
 
I used to think about this all the time when I had my bunnies with dodgy tummies! Especially since they'd been eating crappy stuff (big bowl of muesli and virtually no hay) before they came to me.

I do think that a lot of bunnies have difficulties with pellets though. It may be the fact that it is very concentrated, or maybe it's the binding agent, or maybe I'm just talking nonsense.
 
I am very careful with what I feed Poppy and do lots of research (more than I ever thought I would) to ensure everything I give her is good for her BUT I also really really hope she is one of these unusual bunnies that stays well!

Quick Q- Why would toast need to be really really burnt to be ok?
 
I have had many buns who have lived to a really good age, only having seen the vets for vaccs and neutering. I don't know what the answer is but their diet is mainly hay based and as natural as possibe. I do feed more pellets/Fibafirst at this time of year.

My neighbours have bunnies which are barely looked at and don't seem to get hay - yet they go on :(
 
I am very careful with what I feed Poppy and do lots of research (more than I ever thought I would) to ensure everything I give her is good for her BUT I also really really hope she is one of these unusual bunnies that stays well!

Quick Q- Why would toast need to be really really burnt to be ok?

I used to feed it to my sludgy bladder bun. I don't know what his diet was before he came to me; I do know I had to reduce pellets to reduce calcium intake. Accordingly, he lost weight. Therefore, I fed some toast. Not burnt, I believe it is very starchy and thus not good for the tummy. Burnt, it's something to chew which is hard so helps with teeth if that's a problem too. :)

That was suggested to me by a savvy-vet in the circumstances. He was poorly with sludge and kidney problems but, tummy-wise FINE!!


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I would wonder if it's because they don't know their bunnies as well, and it may be that actually their buns get ill just as much but they aren't vigilant and so miss signs and the bunny somehow recovers or just deteriorates until death or the owner notices.

That might be me being cynical though.

But there will be rabbits who remain healthy no matter what their lifestyle, same as people.

this and at times it makes me so upset, especially when I think of the one I loved and lost and he had the best care ever, he saw vet soon as possible but still he died :cry:
then theres my buns now why does one have to have kidney problems, he doesn't deserve it, although he is always happy, but why, just why, and how do others get away with not having dentals ever when fed such poor diets, never vaccinated and not neutered/spayed
 
I don't think there is one answer.

Certainly genetics play a part. There are rabbits that's on the best diet will get teeth problems, and others who on a poor diet that don't. On the other hand, there are plenty on a poor diet that do too.

I imagine genetics play a part in digestion to, and possibly early experiences as well. We all know it can be tough to get a rabbit not used to hay to eat it, even if it's better for them.

Genetics are going to play a part in things like kidney/heart/uterine cancer etc. too.

I've had people tell me they don't know what all the fuss is about, there rabbits have always been robust and healthy without expensive diets/neutering etc. but when you dig further, you find out they think 5/6 years is the normal life expectancy of a rabbit.

Partly you can't see the alternates either. You do everything right and lose a bun too early, but it might be not doing everything right you'd have lost them even earlier.
 
When I was younger I'd feed mine cucumber sandwiches :oops: No butter though :lol:

Personally I'm all for giving rabbits a very varied diet from a young age, obviously nothing that's poisonous or really bad for them, but going against some of the conventional rules. I'm a big believer that gradually getting rabbits used to stress is a good thing, there are a lot of people who's rabbits seem to go into stasis with the slightest food change or any kind of stress like a vet trip. I can switch food brands suddenly and have no problems, not give them any fruit/veg for weeks and then give them a massive pile and have no problems, drag them out on a long and stressful trip to the vets and have no problems

I'd like to point out that I don't purposely try mess their diets up, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the rabbits I've had since I was a kid and who were fed the most rubbish also have the toughest stomachs and have had no health problems at all. The only time I've ever had a rabbit go into stasis were due to internal problems (liver problem and ovarian cancer).
 
I don't think there is one answer.

Certainly genetics play a part. There are rabbits that's on the best diet will get teeth problems, and others who on a poor diet that don't. On the other hand, there are plenty on a poor diet that do too.

I imagine genetics play a part in digestion to, and possibly early experiences as well. We all know it can be tough to get a rabbit not used to hay to eat it, even if it's better for them.

Genetics are going to play a part in things like kidney/heart/uterine cancer etc. too.

I've had people tell me they don't know what all the fuss is about, there rabbits have always been robust and healthy without expensive diets/neutering etc. but when you dig further, you find out they think 5/6 years is the normal life expectancy of a rabbit.

Partly you can't see the alternates either. You do everything right and lose a bun too early, but it might be not doing everything right you'd have lost them even earlier.


:thumb:
 
I used to feed it to my sludgy bladder bun. I don't know what his diet was before he came to me; I do know I had to reduce pellets to reduce calcium intake. Accordingly, he lost weight. Therefore, I fed some toast. Not burnt, I believe it is very starchy and thus not good for the tummy. Burnt, it's something to chew which is hard so helps with teeth if that's a problem too. :)

That was suggested to me by a savvy-vet in the circumstances. He was poorly with sludge and kidney problems but, tummy-wise FINE!!


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I didn't know this. :shock: Something I'll have to run past my vet.

I used to feed Mimzy these yogurt drops things that he LOVED but when I realized it was like giving him a slice of bacon as far as his digestive system was concerned I stopped. He missed them for a bit, then forgot about them.

He also used to have blueberries and craisins often. :( Since his tilt I don't dare feed him anything that won't go down easy for fear he'd choke.

It does make me wonder why my other two can't handle even something as innocuous as dandelions. You'd think a nice forage treat from the garden would make them feel good but I get dodgy bunny tums and eliminations every time I try. I've given up, frankly. :(
I guess bunnies can be more resilient than one would expect, but I'm not going to test the theory.
 
I sometimes wonder if people fuss their bunnies too much and then they get ill. I love my bunnies but I'm not obsessive over what they eat (like some!).

They are all healthy. Mine eat carrots every day, chocolate drops etc. I've never had to take any of the 5 to the vet for anything other than neutering/spaying and vaccinations. Ailsa will be 7 this year, Arran 6, Islay and Jura will be 5 and Lewis will be 3.

No dental problems, no stomach troubles. Islay stopped eating twice, and I couldn't get her to a vet. She survived both times and forced herself to start eating again. Obviously not ideal situation, but I just left her to it and she got better.
 
When I was younger I'd feed mine cucumber sandwiches :oops: No butter though :lol:

Personally I'm all for giving rabbits a very varied diet from a young age, obviously nothing that's poisonous or really bad for them, but going against some of the conventional rules. I'm a big believer that gradually getting rabbits used to stress is a good thing, there are a lot of people who's rabbits seem to go into stasis with the slightest food change or any kind of stress like a vet trip. I can switch food brands suddenly and have no problems, not give them any fruit/veg for weeks and then give them a massive pile and have no problems, drag them out on a long and stressful trip to the vets and have no problems

I'd like to point out that I don't purposely try mess their diets up, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the rabbits I've had since I was a kid and who were fed the most rubbish also have the toughest stomachs and have had no health problems at all. The only time I've ever had a rabbit go into stasis were due to internal problems (liver problem and ovarian cancer).

Same here, my rabbits had all sort of stuff (not intentionally) for example Lady managed to jump on the table and gorge herself on chocolate etc but never had a problem. Cant say I was the best owner to start with as they are my first pair of rabbits so I'm still constantly learning. During the six years i've owned then (more like the six years that they owned me :roll:) they did not have a single GI stasis episode except of Minnie who almost had one due to her dental issues, that was before her first dental. They are on a hay diet with pellets only two or three times a week and as said above I can easily switch between brands of pellets, hays, feed veggies in fairly big amounts unexpectedly without any problems either. Therefore I'll have to agree with the idea that sometimes their digestive system needs a little shock not to make them too vulnerable to diet changes although I might just be lucky :p
 
The trouble is, those of you who haven't had problems with stasis etc don't know whether what you've been doing is beneficial, whether you've just been lucky, or whether your bunnies are particularly robust. That's why I don't think anyone really knows the answer to the OP's question.
 
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