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Best diet for rabbits to prevent messy butts

*lily*

*lily*

Wise Old Thumper
Louie was always prone to a messy bum and stasis, whether this was diet related or health related we never found out.

He was never a great hay eater but did eat lots of grass daily. He had a few pellets and lots of variety of greens daily.

Does anyone have any advice on the very best diet for a rabbit? do they actually need greens or are pellets and hay/grass enough?

Is it possible to avoid stasis and/or a mucky bum by diet alone?

Thanks for any input.
 
I feed huge amounts of a variety of good hays; 1 eggcupful of pellets daily; quite a lot of veg (eg spring greens, green pepper, cabbage, small amount of spinach/kale); lots of forage/grass when I can get it. My two are 7 and .... I'm not saying any more as I don't want to jinx them.
 
No real knowledge here, just what happens with my rabbits. They are ok on hay, nuggets, daily veg/herbs, as long as I'm careful what they get. Matthew, for example, can't cope with spinach at all.
 
Thanks both. So, generally, daily greens are good and don't need to be avoided or is it really down to each individual bunny?

I don't remember Simba or Tinkerbell ever having messy bums and they also had the same diet as Louie did.
 
Personally, I don't think greens are necessary, but that some bunnies are just way more sensitive than others.
 
I give a good portion of greens twice daily to all my bunnies and none have had problems with messy butts.

Definitely down to the individual bunny but a good amount of greens should not be a problem for the vast majority of rabbits.
 
*lily* said:
Thanks both. So, generally, daily greens are good and don't need to be avoided or is it really down to each individual bunny?

I don't remember Simba or Tinkerbell ever having messy bums and they also had the same diet as Louie did.
Click to expand...

I think it is probably down to individual rabbits - mine love greens but I know some people avoid them. I think making sure that at least 80% of the diet is good hay is the most important.
 
Thanks everyone.

I think Louie's problems were all related. His blindness, stomach problems, I think he just probably wasn't a very healthy bunny.

That's Pets at Home for you.
 
I was just thinking about this some more, and the difference between guinea pig and rabbit diets. I know everyone always says you must feed greens to piggies because of vitamin C. But I also get the impression that piggies are a lot less sensitive to veg than bunnies (generally speaking), and maybe that ought to tell us something about how to feed the two species.
 
SarahP said:
I was just thinking about this some more, and the difference between guinea pig and rabbit diets. I know everyone always says you must feed greens to piggies because of vitamin C. But I also get the impression that piggies are a lot less sensitive to veg than bunnies (generally speaking), and maybe that ought to tell us something about how to feed the two species.
Click to expand...

Good point. The girlies have a vast selection of fruit/veg/salad stuffs everyday and have never had messy bums.

I suppose that's why rabbits are exotics? maybe just a lot more prone to stomach issues.
 
One of mine was starting to have uneaten cecals. I cut out the nightly handful of readigrass and replaced it with a different type of hay and she hasn't had any since then.

Rabbits are sensitive - it could be pellets or greens causing a messy bun as well as the possibility of an unresolved medical issue. What causes a messy bun in one bun won't in another.
 
Doughnut has trouble with digestion so doesn't have any greens/veg or herbs. She also didn't get on well with pellets so she's on hay and a bit of muesli which suits her. I always try and get grass when I can, this does make her loose though but it's good for her digestion.

You could try cutting everything out then adding in things to see what is making her have a messy bun. Put on her hay for a day then add in a few pellets and if OK then the greens again but they don't actually need greens.
 
it's so much an individual rabbit thing, this diet issue!

According to three rabbit specialists I would trust my rabbits' lives with, it's grass and hay and that's it. It does contain all the nutrients they need - plus a little bit of forage and some green stuff (shop bought) for variety.

That said, with our rabbits on the whole living longer lives than their wild counterparts, teeth and other issues tend to creep in and an all hay/grass diet wouldn't be enough

It's generally a balance between a good diet and keeping their weight constant, whilst feeding 'as natural' as possible and not including food stuffs and additives they were not designed to eat.
 
Mine get greens in the morning and rabbit royale at night mainly cos they adore them so much. They dont have loads but they get so much pleasure from them. That JR range on zooplus looks amazing. They have some for Christmas and will get it again for sure.
 
We feed 6-7 veg every day and never have a problem with messy bottoms.

But yes I think diet is very much an individual bunny thing,, no hard and fast rules except for hay, hay and more hay :)
 
Yes It is an individual thing and also to some extent,down to our individual interpretation of a good rabbit diet.A hay based diet is the main thing of course with afew pellets and veg thrown in for variety and some extra nutrients.

My Brucie has a diet which would be very problematic to some bunnies but with a mouth full of TERRIBLE teeth we have to give him what he can manage.His poos aren't anything to write home about(!)but we muddle through somehow,me and my trusty food blender!Fortunately he doesn't get a messy bum,lose weight or lack energy and his coat is super glossy.
 
Does the majority hay diet still work well with rabbits with terrible teeth? Can it cut down on the amount of dentals needed?

Thanks everyone!
 
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