Skinny Bunny, complicated diet and health.. help with fattening up?

Hey everyone,

So Queen Bea has been with us a while now and were under a vet dealing with her watery cecatrope issue (she has watery muck residue with her cecatropes)

We took pellets out of her diet, we put her on a hay only diet to try get to grips with her health issues

That is going no where... no matter what we have no success and its ongoing issue that were trying to resolve..

In the meantime I am finding she has lost a lot of weight, she was obesly overweight when we got her so weight loss was good.. but shes lost too much i think and her hay only diet is not enough

Ive tried giving grass and dried forage mix, she does have a few types of hay

Ive starting offering the odd pellet


My question is more.. does anyone have any thoughts on how I can fatten up a rabbit with hay? would alfalfa help? Idk the types well..

Shes very sensitive to pellet or veg and fruit etc

She could be fine.. but i can feel all her bones under her fur tooo easily

I don't know much but just a suggestion, would porridge or just the porridge oats be any good? They're quite fattening for bunnies but I'm not sure if this would unsettle her stomach

Hi, I'm sorry that Queen Bea is still experiencing problems. Has the vet come up with any suggestions other than to cut pellets out of her diet?

This website gives some information regarding the nutritional qualities of different types of hay :
http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/grass-hay.asp

It confirms that Alfalfa does has a higher protein/calorific value. It might also be worth considering the so-called dried grass mentioned in the website. I have been buying both Timothy Hay and Oat Hay from https://www.timothyhay.co.uk/collections/2016-crop-quality-uk-grown-oat-hay Both are excellent quality and all my rabbits are very keen on both. They are coming to the end of their 2016 crop, but the new 2017 will be available very soon. Both might be worth considering as firstly they are a higher protein level and secondly my rabbits eat more of them.

I presume you have tried Queen Bea with Fibafirst to see if she can tolerate them?

Alicia

I don't know much but just a suggestion, would porridge or just the porridge oats be any good? They're quite fattening for bunnies but I'm not sure if this would unsettle her stomach

I have no idea honestly.. Seems anything I give her unsettles her stomach

Omi

Hi, I'm sorry that Queen Bea is still experiencing problems. Has the vet come up with any suggestions other than to cut pellets out of her diet?

Tried a few things and did tests but come up no answers, weve been told we could end up with her just living with this problem all her life. Other than the cecatrope residue issue she is perfectly healthy, normal droppings, eats her cecas, eats tonnes of hay, active, not in pain.. its frustrating really. I'm starting a job soon and hopefully in a few months can afford to take her to more of a specialist, not that our vet isnt savvy.. but there must be an answer..?

This website gives some information regarding the nutritional qualities of different types of hay :
http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/grass-hay.asp

It confirms that Alfalfa does has a higher protein/calorific value. It might also be worth considering the so-called dried grass mentioned in the website. I have been buying both Timothy Hay and Oat Hay from https://www.timothyhay.co.uk/collect...-grown-oat-hay Both are excellent quality and all my rabbits are very keen on both. They are coming to the end of their 2016 crop, but the new 2017 will be available very soon. Both might be worth considering as firstly they are a higher protein level and secondly my rabbits eat more of them.

I have dried grass as well as timothy and meadow hays, (I love that site, already use it) I was wondering if adding alfalfa or readigrass would benefit.. think worth trying.

I presume you have tried Queen Bea with Fibafirst to see if she can tolerate them?

She loves pellets, excel and SS, also likes fibafirst.. but her problem didnt change.. only her droppings did.. right now her dropppings have gone black, smaller etc so.. the pellets not working and she only had 3

Yes, I think I would try some Alfalfa. Possibly just a small amount to start with mixed with other hay. Readigrass is also worth a try, but I have seen that this is not tolerated so well by some rabbits, so again I would just get a small bag and try a little and observe her for any effects.

Alicia's suggestion of oats is also worth trying. I've never used them for rabbits, but others seem to have done with success. I think it's worth a try.

With any of the new foods obviously just try one at a time so that you will know definitely what's responsible for any issues.