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Trying to explain why yogurt drops are bad for rabbits....

Sarah1991

Warren Veteran
...is like trying to get blood out of a stone. :?

Lots of people have those advent calendars with the drops in them?

There is an awful lot of ''My rabbits get a small treat once a day, for 25 days, once a year, it won't hurt them'' and ''My rabbits have had these for 5,6,7 years and no problems''

Same old story isn't it? I feel like a lot of the time owners are simply fighting for what gives them satisfaction (i.e. giving the rabbit a treat) rather than what is actually good for the animal. I mean, I've even phrased it as simply as ''its like poison to a rabbit system'' and posted links on how dairy is bad for them and for their teeth, still people refuse to even try and take it in....

Having one of those ''rabbit welfare is a losing battle'' days again.

But I'll keep trying :thumb: :roll: :evil:
 
Why don't they just give them another treat instead, one that's actually healthy for them :? Some people!
 
I think it's very very tricky when people can't see the harm they're doing.

In my experience, putting the information out there is enough for the people who care and might change their minds. Those who won't listen won't listen, doesn't matter what you do. You could try suggesting an alternate, like one of those calendars you fill yourself filled with healthy treats like fenugreek crunchies, hay sticks, and the odd piece of dried fruit. Might not make a difference this year, but they might think about it next year.

Maybe we should write to some of the good bunny companies and ask them to produce a healthy calendar for next year.
 
I think it's very very tricky when people can't see the harm they're doing.

In my experience, putting the information out there is enough for the people who care and might change their minds. Those who won't listen won't listen, doesn't matter what you do. You could try suggesting an alternate, like one of those calendars you fill yourself filled with healthy treats like fenugreek crunchies, hay sticks, and the odd piece of dried fruit. Might not make a difference this year, but they might think about it next year.

Maybe we should write to some of the good bunny companies and ask them to produce a healthy calendar for next year.

That's a good idea, all of what you said is true, its so difficult to get it accross to people. I mean a lot of them just say ''there's nothing wrong with my rabbit tummy'' but then my mind just blows up because how do you know...it could be just that one that tips the scale and makes the rabbit ill. I just don't get it, as I said I think its more about the satisfaction for the person, rather than the animal...
 
Rabbits are lactose intolerant

Exactly...thats what I put in my comments ''Rabbits cannot process dairy'' yet I still got comments like ''well mine have always had them and are fine'' I feel like shaking some people sometimes :roll::evil:
 
But surely the rabbit yoghurt drops don't contain lactose? I've never looked as "sugar" or "sugar beet" is one of the first ingredients I see and therefore I don't buy them. I would have thought - possibly incorrectly - that chocolate (or seemingly chocolate) treats for pets wouldn't contain what would make them sick i.e. lactose. For instance, the horses get Easter eggs. It looks like chocolate we would have, but they're actually made from Locust Beans and taste quite yak to a human (yes, I tried it!) but the horses love them.
 
But surely the rabbit yoghurt drops don't contain lactose? I've never looked as "sugar" or "sugar beet" is one of the first ingredients I see and therefore I don't buy them. I would have thought - possibly incorrectly - that chocolate (or seemingly chocolate) treats for pets wouldn't contain what would make them sick i.e. lactose. For instance, the horses get Easter eggs. It looks like chocolate we would have, but they're actually made from Locust Beans and taste quite yak to a human (yes, I tried it!) but the horses love them.

Nah, the ones in the advent calendars are these. http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/pets-at-home-small-animal-advent-calendar-72g

Ingredients are:
Composition: Oils and Fats, Cereals, Various Sugars, Milk and Milk Derivatives, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Minerals.

Technological Additives: None stated; Sensory Additives: Flavourings (Chocolate, Cream, Vanilla).; Nutritional Additives: Vitamin A 26,000 IU/kg, Vitamin D3 700 IU/kg..

All that oil and the sugars are bad enough anyway, I just think about their poor teeth as well...
 
Some Rabbit treats contain eggs :roll:

41vN4G105uL._SY355_.jpg


Ingredients: whole eggs, wheat flour, sugar, dehydrated mix of forest fruits, natural flavours.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I glare at these accusingly whenever I see them in shops. I mean REALLY.
 
41vN4G105uL._SY355_.jpg


Ingredients: whole eggs, wheat flour, sugar, dehydrated mix of forest fruits, natural flavours.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I glare at these accusingly whenever I see them in shops. I mean REALLY.

So you are a meany then and you probably dont treat your Bunnies to the occasional lightly boiled egg with toast soldiers to dip in it :cry:


;)
 
I used to give Charlie chocolate and yogurt drops. He was fine. I read it was bad and stopped. I don't get why that's so difficult? :? People can do this magical thing called LEARNING.


My birds love egg biscuits. Rabbits have never had them.
 
Maybe we should write to some of the good bunny companies and ask them to produce a healthy calendar for next year.

I emailed the hay experts about this - and their reply was lovely
So please feel free to also contact them so they can see there is a demand
 
They will need to be cheap and widely available to have a chance of competing with pah, etc.
 
You will be pleased to know that PAH won't be marketing any dairy treats after the new year after lots of pushing from one of the vet nurses. I did notice the advent calendar a few weeks ago and made a big uproar about it though and said it was a shame the packaging wasn't changed to not market it for rabbits and g pigs. It's frustrating because people just don't realise its harmful for them...they shouldn't be sold for rabbits at all full stop.
 
When Mimzy first came to live with me my OH got him yogurt drops and he ate one or two a night for a month or so till I first logged on to my US bunny forum and realized it was like giving him a slice of bacon everyday just for the fat content. :(

Needless to say I stopped and after a few days of confusion Mimzy forgot all about them. But I still feel bad for ever feeding them in the first place. :(
 
I bought them for old rabbit Charlie in the late '80s: he wouldn't eat them. I've a feeling he knew what was alright for him and that's how he made it to almost 11 ;P

On an unrelated but still in P@H note, I was looking for 30L bags of Back2Nature last week (no, they still didn't have any) and passed a family looking at the bunnies. The dad said something along the lines of 'you only need one' so I commented that if they were going to get one, it'd need a friend: think about Watership Down and rabbit warrens, and he looked at me, smiled and said something like 'that makes sense' :) I like to think I might've at least helped a teeny bit! :S
 
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