Bloat symptoms?

[Zeroshero]

Yes it was an Exotics Vet and I wasn't impressed, two weeks later the vet at the emergency clinic kept referring to him as a "wild bunny" also. Anyway I won't burn that bridge though because he is the only guy open Saturday and Sunday and the emergency clinics are worthless! I bought bagged alfalfa and put a small pinch of alfalfa flakes in with his orchard grass, the same vet suggested that I go outside and just pick handfuls up from outside (I have 1000lb rabbits too) because the bacteria would be good for him.

 

[JBun]

I tried feeding a little fresh alfalfa to a little bunny I got that wouldn't eat rabbit pellets. It upset her stomach til the next day. But dried alfalfa hay I haven't had problems when I introduce it in small amounts. I'm not sure why fresh causes more problems than feeding dried.

 

[Zeroshero]

I believe alfalfa is the culprit, Zero's tummy felt fine until he ate a TBSP of pellets now his tummy is round and spongy. He just got done eating some Critical Care he will get a dose of Simethicone and spend a few hours playing in the bathroom. What do you guys think of Mazuri it is a Timothy based pellet that is labeled for "all life stages"?

 

[JBun]

That's probably nice to know that maybe you've found what's causing the upset. If you stop feeding the pellets, try and see how he does after feeding the critical care. If he seems ok after having it, it's a good indication that timothy based pellets will probably be ok for him. I looked at the Mazuri pellets and they seem pretty good. I'm not sure about the beet pulp, but everything else looked good. Oxbows ingredients are pretty similar too, with just a few differences, so either one may work out ok for your bun.

 

[Zeroshero]

After I posted about Mazuri I asked myself why I would change brands. He's an Oxbow bunny down to the litter in his cage. Is it just his size that will be compromised by getting less protein? He never has an adverse reaction to Critical Care and is eating more timothy hay over the orchard grass. I am worried, will his GI always be so sensitive or will it eventually get better as he ages?

He was pooping, playing, eating, and drinking. His tummy seems to have gone down. I just reorganized his cage, he is well traveled, and nothing stays the same. He was rolling his big block around and running through his tunnel. I love it when my bunny is happy and I especially love the sound of little nibbles on his hay before I fall asleep then I know the little Mr is okay for today.

 

[JBun]

It's hard to know if he'll continue to be sensitive to certain foods or not. I guess it depends on any permanent damage done. But I would think that the sooner you can sort out the digestive troubles, and get him feeling good, the better chance he may have of maybe healing.

Really the oxbow adult basics and mazuri timothy both have 14% protein, which is only 2 % lower than the alfalfa based pellets. Plus you are limited in what you can feed him, and if timothy pellets will get rid of the bloating problems, then that seems to be your best choice. Feeding a little less protein and maybe stunting his growth a little, is better than more protein and risking bloating and possible death. So the timothy pellets seem like a good choice to me.