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Change in diet to help sticky bottom problem

vanessa

Warren Scout
I am trying to sort out my 5 year old bunny's diet to help with his sticky bottom problem. He hasn't eaten hay for a long time, he seems unable to since having dental work, but I have bought him chopped hay which I was advised on here to try. I was also advised to cut down his dry food, he is on Science Selective. How many grams a day should I cut this down to (he weighs about 5lbs), the packet says 50g a day for an average rabbit, is this what I should cut him down to or even less to encourage him to eat the hay? What about veg, should I carry on giving him small amounts or cut it out altogether to start with until his sticky bottom improves? Also, is some veg better for delicate tummies than others, at the moment he has about an inch of carrot and a broccoli floret a day, plus basil and about a hand sized piece of greens every so often because he goes off it after a while. Think I'm going to have a moody rabbit on my hands for a while with the new diet! Out of interest, has anyone else managed to get their bunny successfully eating hay again after a long period where they wouldn't touch it? Sorry for all the questions!
 
Hi Vanessa,

I know exactly where you are coming from! I had a lop with bad teeth who refused to eat hay and endured dentals every 3 months. He also suffered with sticky bottom which I managed to cure by switching from Burgess Supa Excel to Supa Excel Lite which meant he could still have the same amoutn 50-60gms. It helped greatly. I can't give any comment on Science Selective except to say that no bun I've had has ever taken to it!
I know its worrying to think he's not eating enough if you cut his pellets down but if you increase his veg, as you say it could make the problem worse. In my experience, cutting greens out but leaving carrot (room temprature not fridge temp!) helped greatly. Aslo, in our case brocolli only made it worse. Why not try no veg for a few days to see if that's the problem before cutting pellets down even more? Take things one step at a time to lessen the impact on bun and help you solve whats causing it.

About the hay issue...the only way we got ours to try it was by him actually seeing his girlfriend eating it! He then cottoned on and had a go but never ate more than a few pieces a day. We tried mixing herbs into hay but he just dug them out and left the hay and we also tried all different types. I guess some just won't every take to it. If yours has access to grass, that is just as good for teeth and diet which may be worth a try as he may take to it.

Good luck and I feel for you having been there myself. X
 
Hi Vanessa, from my experience of the same problem, I would say increase his hay and make sure it is really nice quality so he finds it appealing! 3 of my buns have overgrown teeth, my vet suggested feeding Timothy Hay because it is very good quality. It is expensive but they love it.

Cut out the carrots altogether from his diet, they are high in carbs and are likely to be making his sticky bottom worse.

Continue feeding some veg but only in small amounts per meal and stick to leafy greens and small amounts of calcium-rich foods like kale and broccoli, eg I feed two dwarf lops (the ones with teeth problems) one 5" rabbit bowl of greens twice a day - no more otherwise they won't fill up on hay, which is good for grinding down their teeth! You will probably find that if you increase the amount of low carb, low calcium veggies in his diet, and reduce the pellets, his sticky bottom will improve.

I have tried 3 or 4 different pellet brands, and found that SS is the best for eliminating sticky bottom. Oli used to have this quite badly. I feed half an oz per 5lb body weight twice a day, so he (being 5lbs) and my Frenchie (being 10lbs) get 1.5oz SS per meal, plus veggies (slightly more than the other two). My two dwarf lops get 1oz SS per meal.

I have considered cutting out the pellets but can't make a decision on it. I would be slightly worried that they were not getting all the nutrients they need, and I feed such a small amount anyway. It is really a personal choice, one of my vets says yes do it, and the other is more cautious!

I hope that helps, b-m
 
Thanks to you both for the tips, hopefully bunny will improve soon by making some changes. He does make me feel guilty though, every time I go in the kitchen a little furry head will appear without fail at the doorway expecting food to come out! :lol:
 
For years now, we have fed our buns exclusivley on greens plus unlimited hay & readigrass. I was becoming increasingly concerned about Millie though, as she wont eat hay or redigrass, and she had a mixture of REALLY small droppings, and a messy bum. As Supreme Science Selective is the pelleted feed highest in fibre (at least as far as I know!), We cut down the greens, and introduced it to Millies diet. She still doesn't have the worlds biggest droppings, but they are better, and the messy bum has all but disapeared.
 
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