Rabbit without hay will die??!!

[Kyo]

I'm new with rabbits so I've heard that hay makesup around 70% of a rabbit's meal. So does that mean if a rabbit goeswithout hay, he/she will die?

I'm feeding my Riku hay and pellets. But before I did, she went withouthay for weeks and in turn, became very thin. I brought her to theclinic and the vet told me a rabbit NEEDS hay!! So immediately I gaveher hay and pellets, in hopes of making her fat again.

Riku also starte to poo alot. So I'm thinking does this have anything to do with her lack of hay? Is she having diarrheah(sp)?

 

[Carolyn]

WelcomeKyo,

No, it's not true. A good rabbit pellet has enough of fiber in it (usually 18%+) to provide the rabbit with what it needs.

I'm going to bump up a post by Buck Jones, "To Hay or Not to Hay". There's more detail in there about Hay.



-Carolyn

 

[lizabeth332]

Will rabbits die without hay??? itdepends on the rest of the rabbits diet. hay CAN save lives,but if rabbits are getting enough fiber in their diet without it thenit is not NECESSARY, tho nice. If a rabbit is getting diareahthen it might need hay for extra fiber, therefore can be saved fromdying. Hay does not make up 70% of a rabbits diet.What is the fiber content on your pellet? what brand is it?Are her stools goopy (sorry) or nice and hard and round?

 

[Carolyn]

Kyo,

Also bumped up a post for you by rockstaramez "My bunnies got diarrhea."

It's got suggestions in there as to what you can do if they do get diarrhea.

-Carolyn

 

[pamnock]

Rabbits can receive adequate fiber through otherfoods in their diet. Pellets are designed to provide the RDArequirements for rabbits and fiber can also be provided through fruits,vegetables and greens.

Pam

 

[Kyo]

Thanks pple!

Riku is doing much better now. She's eating hay and pellets and I made sure she drinks plenty of water.

Her stools are round and hard, but there's a bit of wetness which I reckon is normal?

I'm not even sure if she has diarrhea or not, but as long as she don't continue to lose weight, I'm glad.

Thanks for the bumping of threads. I went and take a look at them and find them most useful.

 

[Carolyn]

Could it be cecotropes you're seeing, Kyo?

They're softer than the other poop and look like a bunch of tinygrapes. If she steps on it, it would get mushy.

-Carolyn

 

[lizabeth332]

yep thats ok. the little moisture.

 

[Kyo]

Carolyn, I'm not sure what cecotropes is, butjust now when I went to take a look at her, I saw that her stools werebeing "squashed" ( I think she might have stepped on it). What doesthis mean?

She's still drinking and eating but she's grown incredibly thin, asI've mentioned in the first post. Is she going to be all right? Ibrought her to the vet, thinking she had diarreah, and the vet wasn'texactly sure what was wrong with her. He just asked me what I gave herfor food and I told him I hadn't given her hay for weeks. Then hereprimanded me and told me a rabbit needs hay.

So he said Riku was thin due to the lack of hay (or fibre) in her diet.

Now that you mentioneed cecotropes, I don't really know what's going on with Riku now...I'm kinda worried. :shock:

 

[Carolyn]

Kyo,

If you notice a few, and they look like a tiny group of grapes and seemto be a bit darker in color thanregular poopssometimes. They are filled with nutrients that are necessaryfor the health of your rabbit. They look quite different from a normalstool.An excessive amount of them could be caused by a dietthat's too rich for your rabbit or not enough of fiber.

Soft pudding-like stool could be sign of disruption in the rabbit'sintestinal system. I would continue with alot of Timothy Hay and/oroats. I'd stop all other treats, including all fruits, until yourlittle one's stool returns to normal.


-Carolyn

 

[Carolyn]

P.S. Within the rabbitsintestines,a rabbit produces cecum. Cecum is anindigestible part of the animal's diet. Though it passes through therabbit's body, it is not waste, but must be eaten again in order to getthe nutritional value that the rabbit needs. Cecum helpsrabbits produce vitamins, minerals, fatty and amino acids and that'swhy they have to eat them again. They're called cecotropes.

 

[pamnock]

The cecum is actually a physical part of therabbit's digestive track which produces cecotropes aka cecal pelletsaka night droppings.

Pam

 

[Carolyn]

This isn't my picture, but it's a picture of them so that you can get an idea of what they look like.

-Carolyn

 

[chiquita090]

Rabbits do need hay though! It may not beneccesary for fiber purposes but rabbits teeth grow all their lives,the easiest way to keep this in check is by feeding them hay, whichthey'll graze on all day and will in turn wear down their teethnaturally.

 

[pamnock]

Under normal circumstances, eating pellets willprovide adequate wear for the teeth. (But I do agree thatrabbits certainly enjoymunching on the extra hay.)

Pam

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Chiquita,

Also agree that hay helps to scrub their system clean of any excesshair, etc. Besides most seem to love it and extra fiber can'thurt. That said, some breeders don't give hay to theirrabbits because of the mess and because the rabbits have a sufficientamount of fiber in the pellets given.

Also have heard some vets say that rabbits could live on hayalone. Check out Buck Jones' post "To Hay or Not toHay". It's interesting to read how people do thingsdifferently.

* * * * * * *

Great illustration, Pam, on the digestive system. :dude:

-Carolyn

 

[Kyo]

Mmm I don't think her stools looked likececotropes....>.< I've caught her eating her stoolsbefore so I guess she'd know better! Yep I'm just lettingher eat hay and drink water and I'll see if she improves. I'll keep yapple updated!

 

[Carolyn]

That's the best you can do at this point,Kyo. Look into having some NutriCal on hand. It's adietary supplement (sold for dogs and cats), but it works wonders onrabbits as well. In case your little one goes off her feed,it stimulates their appetite, gives their immune system a boost, givesthem the nutrients they need when they're weak, and helps in case youneed to have the rabbit go to the bathroom.

 

[pamnock]

Carolyn wrote:

Also have heard some vets say that rabbits could live on hay alone.

Hay alone would not provide necessary fats -- especially important inthe winter because hay is deficient in digestible energy. Arabbit can live on hay alone for a period of time, but would eventuallystarve to death.

Pam

 

[Carolyn]

Thanks for the clarification,Pam!

-Carolyn