Diamond isn't going back to her pellets?

[treasuresandstuff]

I am not sure what to do. During her bout with poopy butt we followed advice and took her off pellets and put her on just hay and rolled oats. Now we are trying to get her back on her pellets and she only eats around them to get the oats and leaves the pellets? Will she go back to the pellets after a while or is there something we should do? Should I not worry or?? She eats the hay and oats just fine, but leaves the pellets. . .

 

[aurora369]

I would stop mixing the oats in the pellets now. If she's just picking them out, then she is just eating what she enjoys the most. You can give the oats as a treat if you want her to continue to enjoy them.

-Dawn

 

[treasuresandstuff]

Ok but what if she just won't eat the pellets? What do I do then? Its going to be hard since I premix oats and calf mana with the pellets for my longhair rabbits. I find it keeps their coats prime. She hasn't gotten calf mana yet though as I add that when they are 6 months.

 

[aurora369]

If she just won't eat them, then I guess she'll have a diet of hay. She should start eating them once the oats are gone. It may take a week or so as she pouts over the loss of oats, but she should start eating the pellets once she realizes that is all she is going to get. I would also change out the pellets every couple of days for some fresh ones so they don't get too stale by the time she decides to eat them.

-Dawn

 

[LV426]

I would just offer pellets with no oats and see if she will eat them. I'm not sure why you would remove all pellets anyway to prevent loose stools. Did the vet advise you to do so? If so have you consulted the vet about putting her back on them?

What else is in her diet at this time and what kind of pellets are you feeding?

 

[aurora369]

Putting a rabbit on a hay and water diet for a couple of days if they have loose stools is very common. It helps the gut to stabalize if it is a slight bacterial imbalance, and won't hurt if it is another cause like parasites.

-Dawn

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

No it is not a common practice to take away everything but hay to treat runny stools. You shouldn't put a rabbit on just hay for a few days unless there is a severe GI illness/disease, or muciod enteritis type of blockage going on. That is the only time the pellets should be taken away and the rabbit should be given only hay. Good way to make the rabbit really sick, or kill it. Taking away the pellets and giving only hay to a rabbit with runny stools does not fix the problem. The problem could come from the amount of vegetables and greens the rabbits on here are fed, or it could be bacteria related. That is if the rabbit was getting any at all.

OP what brand of pellets are you offering her? Its possible she may not like the brand at all. She could also be picking the goodies over the pellets too.

I would add pellets to her diet slowly. No more then a handful at a time. Go ahead and mix some calf manna with them. If she eats that, then she should start eating the pellets soon. if all else fails take everything else but the pellets away until she gets hungry enough to eat them. use that as a last resort only, since she is no longer used to eating them. Don't want to trigger her into going into some massive GI stasis.

Rabbits can not get all their nutrition just from eating a hay only diet. If its parasites, they need to be treated with antibiotics. If its food related a complete pellet diet with everything else taken away will cure the problem.

 

[aurora369]

Putting a rabbit on a hay only diet for a couple of days WILL NOT KILL THEM or be harmful. Rabbits can and will get the nutrients they need from hay for a few days. It is not a recommended long term diet, but I have had my vet suggest it as well as many other knowledgeable members.

I have run out of pellets before and had to feed my buns a hay only diet for a couple of days until I was able to get to a place that sold my pellets. Non of my rabbits got sick or had any side affects besides being upset about not getting their daily pellets.

Putting a rabbit on a hay and water diet is the same as putting a dog on a rice and cooked chicken diet (granted, I don't know much about dog diets, and I don't even know if this is recommended for dogs or not anymore). It offers a bland diet that allows the body to work it self out. If it was caused by too much veg, then the hay only diet will allow the body to sort itself out.

If the problem is parasites, then a dewormer needs to be used, antibiotics will do nothing for parasites. Antibiotics are only appropriate for a bacterial infection.

I agree that if the problem is muciod enteritis, then more aggressive treatment is needed. But the symptoms of mucoid enteritis is much more severe than a few loose poops, it generally involves some mucous and large amounts watery diarrhea. However, the hay only diet will not make mucoid enteritis worse, but it will need more treatment than just a diet change.

I think that pellets should be offered plain, or with whatever it was mixed with before just with out the oats. Offer her the usual amount each day, and make sure they are fresh.

I would not take away the hay. She can, and will survive on hay. If she still refused to eat pellets, and you take her hay away, she could go into GI stasis from lack of food before she decides to eat her pellets, some bunnies are stubborn like that. Again, she will not die or starve on hay only. I think with the continued offering of plain pellets she should start eating them soon enough.

And if she doesn't within a week or so, then you can try a different brand or a fresh brand. And if she refuses all pellets, then you may need to figure out how to provide a pellet free diet (which is pretty hard to get all the proper nutrients a rabbit needs long term this way). First choice is to get her eating pellets again, as they are one of the best ways to provide the vitamins and minerals a rabbit needs for long term health.

-Dawn

 

[treasuresandstuff]

Ok wow, I am guessing no one replying here saw when I needed help with her having no normal droppings and the soft ones sticking to her bum. With consultation of my vet it was advised to put her on just hay and oats.

Now my vet has cleared her to go back onto pellets too. WITH the oats. But she is not eating the pellets, just oats. My vet's office is closed today so I came on here to ask advice not to have it insinuated that I was sickening and killing my rabbit.

We are feeding the only pellets we could find that did not have mold or bugs coming out of it or both. It is the Small World pellets from Walmart. Usually I would get Purina the blue bag, but the feed shop was out and had no idea when they'd get more. (lack of communication I imagine) The only kind they had there was a couple of brands I never heard of before and had no experience with but they smelled bad and had several kinds of bugs all over and in them. Nasty!

I did not just jump to using the Small World pellets either. They are slowly being mixed into what is left of my last bag of Purina blue bag. I mean so far I blended about 6 cups of the purina with 1/4 cup of the new so its mostly the old pellets she is getting.

Last but not least this rabbit was tested for internal and external parasites and all came up clear. I do not appreciate the insinuation that I am not properly caring for my animals, thank you.

And if it makes any difference she is between 10 and 11 weeks old. Not old enough to be on veggies or anything beyond what she is being fed.

 

[aurora369]

She should be fine with a mainly hay diet until you can find some fresh Purina food.

The different pellets or the fact that the Purina pellets are on the old side may be putting her off them. I would keep offering them to her, and try to find a fresh bag of Purina as soon as you can. You may find that as soon as you find a fresh bag of Purina, that she will dig right in and eat them up. In the mean time, she should be fine with the hay.

-Dawn

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

If its coccidia causing loose stools it is a parasite that needs to be treated with antibiotics. The op has cleared that the bunny is parasite free. parasites and any other infection that is causing problems should be treated with antibiotics. I have had to use them before. They do work.

OP nobody said you were killing your rabbit. Anything brought into question over it wasn't to you. Sorry about that.

I wouldn't trust that vets advice though. Most vets aren't very knowledgeable when it comes to rabbit nutrition. If I had a vet tell me that, I would be looking for a new one.

I wouldn't feed small world either. That stuff sits on the shelves for months at a time. Are there any other feed stores in your area that carry rabbit pellets. I would go ahead with the calf manna though. it won't hurt the rabbit.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

Also what kind of hay is she getting? If its alfalfa that would explain the loose stools.

 

[treasuresandstuff]

Thank you. I did not mean to get snippy, I actually deleted and rewrote what I posted to be sure it came across as non-confrontational as possible. Our other rescued rabbit Burnie is not having issues with the switch at all. And actually the Purina was bought when we got them so its only about 3 weeks old. I'm not sure that they are "old" really. Do you think I should give her her pellet ration in the AM, all of it that way she has the whole day to eat them rather than roughly 12 hours before new are given? I never give them so much that there is any left at the next feed, she just hasn't decided to go back to her pellets like I had hoped. I got the clearance to put her back on pellets yesterday in time for her "dinner". She ate all of that feed, but her "breakfast" today, she only ate the oats. I got worried. "dinner" is usually offered at about 8pm as "breakfast" is given at about 8 am. I have no problem giving her one "meal" of pellets a day. Both rabbits get fresh hay when they run out. I'm a stay at home mom and check them regularly, they also get play time out of cage in the safe room. Only reason they do not have free run is A) they need to be altered and B) Burnie is a big time chewer. I am looking into a playpen for Burnie to have more room and play time.

 

[treasuresandstuff]

Hmm, nope never gave them Alfalfa. Originally had Orchard, ran out, was out for about 4-6 days, not really sure. Then got a small batch of Timothy. The loose stools occurred while out of hay totally. Hay is VERY hard to find right now. Just got a bale of Brome, but its one from the last cut from last year. So not the best, but is what is available. New hay is supposed to come in sometime mid July. No mold in the Brome, no pests either so other than being a little old its fine.

 

[treasuresandstuff]

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=58653&forum_id=16

That is the link to the original issue I had with her. I think the background info might help.

Please don't mind the last post over there as I was upset when I posted it.

 

[treasuresandstuff]

Sorry, I guess I jumped the gun. Little pain in the butt ate her pellets and when I gave her the evening ration she ate those right up. Sigh, the lil buggers just love to drive ya crazy don't they? Again, I'm very sorry.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

thats a good sign then. I feed mine once a day in the evening.

 

[treasuresandstuff]

The reason I feed twice is because Burnie our other rabbit was on a split schedule. If it seems she is happier with just evening feeds I can do that for her. Thanks for the tip! She gobbled her evening pellets in the few moments I spent getting the hay ration. Odd lil bunny!