Fasting 1 Day A Week?

[Samara]

So I have a rabbit magazine (recently put out) and in one of the articles a rabbit-savvy vet mentions how it's good for a rabbit's digestive tract to "fast" one day a week - but the key to this "fasting" is to provide only HAY. So it isn't truly fasting, but more so taking away pellets and greens one day a week.

Does anyone do this? In one of the other rabbit magazines I have it talks about the Guinness Record holder currently as far as oldest rabbit and the owner talks about how he only gets unlimited hay for food. She mentioned that on rare occasions she'll give him some pellets, but that he's never eaten a veggie in his entire life.

Do any of you feed only hay? Do you vary the hay type?

What does everyone else think of this practice?

I believe I see the benefits of feeding only hay one day a week - it would help clear out the digestive tract and increase their fiber intake...

I have raised goldfish for years and I have always fasted them completely once every 7th day for the same reasons the rabbit-savvy vet gave in the magazine. It's never failed me, I've just never thought about with rabbits....

:?

 

[MiniLopHop]

I fast my fish on Sundays, but I think if I tried just hay one day a week for the buns I would get my toes nibbled off.

 

[Samara]

Right? I think mine would reach their little paws through the bars and attack me as I passed by!

Tuesday is my fasting day for the fishies It's also my routine maintenance day.

 

[LakeCondo]

I don't think it's a good idea for any mammal doesn't hibernate. I know that I wouldn't want to semi-fast one day a week, even if I could eat bran with water that day. Increasing fiber should be an everyday thing, not a feast or famine situation. I'd say to cut back on pellets & veggies rather than eliminate them 1 day a week.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

For me, one issue is that rabbits don't naturally fast. They will graze most of the time. Where as a dog or other carnivore might not eat for a few days if they don't catch any prey.

Personally, I would not feed a diet of just timothy hay. Rabbits need more variety and hay is mostly just one type of grass. It would be the same as only feeding romaine lettuce. Even a variety of hays and fresh grass would be better. Many people don't feed much variety with hay, so they might think that only giving timothy hay would be suitable when it is really not. It might be needed for a few days if there are digestive tract issues, but not really good long term.

I don't really see any need to fast or restrict the food of a healthy rabbit for a day.

 

[slavetoabunny]

I am also of the opinion that fasting shouldn't be done with rabbits.

 

[MyBabyHasPaws]

It would be hard for me. I would feel like I'm depriving them or something!

 

[missyscove]

I agree with the above; there are some animals that naturally fast (like big cats), but rabbits aren't one of them. I wouldn't feel comfortable fasting my rabbit.

 

[gmas rabbit]

I think you could get into some digestive issues. Even before surgery a rabbit savy vet will insist that the bunny has pellets, hay and if they want veggies.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

To me it doesn't sound like a good idea to fast ANY animal. Where humans have that choice, they don't, and I don't think it's fair or humane to make them "fast" for a day.

Feed them just like you would any other day.

Emily

 

[MiniLopHop]

BlueCamasRabbitry wrote:

To me it doesn't sound like a good idea to fast ANY animal. Where humans have that choice, they don't, and I don't think it's fair or humane to make them "fast" for a day.

Feed them just like you would any other day.

Emily

I just want to say that while I do fast my fish one day a week, they are in a naturally planted tank, so they can nibble the plants if they are hungry. There is a lot less bloating and constipation in my guppies this way because they tend to eat until they get sick if left to their own devices. I also do this on the day I clean the tank, so there are little particles that get stirred into the water they can also eat. I don't want people to think they are starving.

My buns think they are fasting if they go a day without treats, spoiled little buns. Good thing they exercise so much to maintain their svelt figures. :wink

 

[RosieBunnie247]

my fish hamster dog and rabbit all fast on monday x

 

[BabyRue]

I don't know if I could do that to Rue. He would not be a happy boy.

However I do know of a horse trainer who will fast the horses in a sense. They will get their hay on Saturday night but no grain. Then Sunday morning they only get hay and no grain then back onto the grain Sunday. It seems to work well for her as she has a bunch of horses in her barn in their late 20's and early 30's that look like they are early teens and are very happy and content. The only horses that don't have their grain pulled are boarders and the hard keepers.

 

[LakeCondo]

I wouldn't do it, definitely not for a non-carnivore. And even then I'd be conserned about the animal gobbling the food after the fast & getting indigestion.

 

[bad kelpie]

My chinchilla only eats loose hay and hay cubes. He's 15 years old and he's healthy as can be. I wouldn't consider feeding just hay for a day as fasting.

 

[LakeCondo]

I guess we'll have to disagree, then. Hay has little nutritional value, after all,