I'm sorry I haven't been around recently.
The truth is, that I've recently lost my own bunny to a very rare illness of his gastrointestinal system. Obviously it was a tremendous spur to helping me understand a little about rabbit tummy problems in general, but is a bit painful for me at this time. Also he couldn't digest hay or grass for the last 4 years. I had to find other ways round the problem, which had a big spin off for other rabbits with both dysbiosis & stasis.
Yes, rabbits can live quite healthily on a diet of a good quality hay - sweet smelling and a good variety of grasses & wild plants. Many owners get bales of hay from farms (cheaper in bulk) & horse hay is the best, or try out samples from "The Hay Experts".
House rabbits need supplementing with vit D3 for proper bone growth - only 1-2 egg cupfuls of pellets a day. However a few rabbits may lose weight on this diet very long term - 3-4 months.
As long as bunny is drinking well & eats hay it's perfectly safe to feed them a hay only diet for several weeks.
When the poops are back to normal for a few days, you can start to add in some fresh foods only a little at a time & 1 at a time. Remember the herbs we use for cooking can be used as veges & often don't give such mucky bum problems (not chives, garlic, or onion family or bay leaves) They grow really easily in a very big pot or in he garden, but sadly not in winter.
Some people find that Allen & Page pellets are better for buns prone to mucky bum.
It takes a long time to get it right but it comes right eventually.
I resorted to a very old fashioned way of feeding my own bun in desperation, when he couldn't digest grass or hay 5 years ago. I collected & dried specific common hedgerow plants (weeds) & specific tree/shrub leaves all of which can be even found in cities, (again spring, summer, until leaf fall in autumn.) I mention this because of financial constraints.
It's hard work, but if you like going out for a walk, make sure there's no contamination by traffic fumes, dog pooh, or wild warrens & know what a blackberry (bramble) leaf, hawthorn leaf looks like, it's helped a lot of rabbits who had ongoing problems despite dietary change to get normal digestive systems.
There's another aspect that "stress" can predispose bunnies to tummy trouble. This is where the neutering & bonding will help. "Stress" is a massive subject in bunnies. We do what we can to reduce it but at the end of the day it's often a case of keeping their gut moving as well as poss. with plenty of fiber.
The truth is, that I've recently lost my own bunny to a very rare illness of his gastrointestinal system. Obviously it was a tremendous spur to helping me understand a little about rabbit tummy problems in general, but is a bit painful for me at this time. Also he couldn't digest hay or grass for the last 4 years. I had to find other ways round the problem, which had a big spin off for other rabbits with both dysbiosis & stasis.
Yes, rabbits can live quite healthily on a diet of a good quality hay - sweet smelling and a good variety of grasses & wild plants. Many owners get bales of hay from farms (cheaper in bulk) & horse hay is the best, or try out samples from "The Hay Experts".
House rabbits need supplementing with vit D3 for proper bone growth - only 1-2 egg cupfuls of pellets a day. However a few rabbits may lose weight on this diet very long term - 3-4 months.
As long as bunny is drinking well & eats hay it's perfectly safe to feed them a hay only diet for several weeks.
When the poops are back to normal for a few days, you can start to add in some fresh foods only a little at a time & 1 at a time. Remember the herbs we use for cooking can be used as veges & often don't give such mucky bum problems (not chives, garlic, or onion family or bay leaves) They grow really easily in a very big pot or in he garden, but sadly not in winter.
Some people find that Allen & Page pellets are better for buns prone to mucky bum.
It takes a long time to get it right but it comes right eventually.
I resorted to a very old fashioned way of feeding my own bun in desperation, when he couldn't digest grass or hay 5 years ago. I collected & dried specific common hedgerow plants (weeds) & specific tree/shrub leaves all of which can be even found in cities, (again spring, summer, until leaf fall in autumn.) I mention this because of financial constraints.
It's hard work, but if you like going out for a walk, make sure there's no contamination by traffic fumes, dog pooh, or wild warrens & know what a blackberry (bramble) leaf, hawthorn leaf looks like, it's helped a lot of rabbits who had ongoing problems despite dietary change to get normal digestive systems.
There's another aspect that "stress" can predispose bunnies to tummy trouble. This is where the neutering & bonding will help. "Stress" is a massive subject in bunnies. We do what we can to reduce it but at the end of the day it's often a case of keeping their gut moving as well as poss. with plenty of fiber.
