Substitute for Timothy Hay

[Spring]

Lol aww! I readsomethingon a site the other day and it saidrabbits can't handle starch too well? The oats I feedhavestarch in them, should I just watch the quantities?

 

[ruka]

The girls are fed Oxbow Bunny Basics T with acouple handfuls of spring mix salad, and baby carrots. I add othervegetables like broccoli or sprouts, whatever is available in thehouse. They also get the occassional treats like a medallion of bananaor a small slice of apple. And of course, a buffet of hay. (They poop ALOT! :disgust:... but lots of poop is better than none) I'm not surehow much fiber is in their diet, but I'd like for them to have the sameamount when they're off hay and onto something new. They really lovehay, so I'll try to find simliar food like oat grass.

Once again, thank you very much for your help!

 

[bunnyslave]

I am SO allergic to Timothy hay! Ifeed my bunnies Oat hay instead. I think that the oat haymust not be as "dusty" as the timothy. I still sneeze withthe oat hay but its not as bad and goes away much quicker than thetimothy. I figure a couple sneezes are worth it for mybunnies...

 

[sfritzp]

Going back to the suggestion on rinsing off the hay...
Someone somewhere on this forum said that they spray, or'mist' their rabbit's hay with applejuice to make them eatmore of it.
Perhaps doing that will keep down the dust - I just can't picturegiving 'wet' hay to the buns! At least my buns - they are VERY fussy.
But if it's wet with applejuice - they might just go for it!
Timothy hay is VERY dusty. I take a Claratin before I transfer it fromthe shipping box to the hopper, just so I can breathe! When I put it intheir boxes, I hold my breath and wash my hands immediately after.

 

[FlopsnWills]

when i had my first rabbit, (i got her when iwas 12)i didn't know that rabbits supposedly NEEDED hay tosurvive and i fed her alfalfa pellets and lots and lots of veggies. shelived a happy life and was a few months away from being 6 when i losther to uterine cancer (spaying is a MUST with female pet rabbits!) inever had a stasis issue with her and in my opinion, she was a veryhealthy 8 pound mini lop who lived comfortably in our house. i do feedmy boys unlimited timothy now, only because i think it helps theirdigestive systems and now that i know a lot more about buns,iprefer to feed hay. i would try oat or orchard grass, but there is noneed to get rid of them, i think domesticated buns can live withouthay, its just better to feed it.

 

[Spring]

I haven't talked with or read with somebody whohad a bunyn suffer from uterine cancer, just the same informationrepeat and repeat. Do they suffer through it? What is it exactly? Whatare some of the signs? Do you remember much about it? IO'm trying toget as much information as possible, with my year old Nehterland dwarfi'm looking into spaying. If you can, post anything about Uterinecancer that you remembered?

 

[FlopsnWills]

well, it's a slow painful process that iwouldn't wish upon any rabbit. i started looking into spaying her whenshe was 2 and i was 14 and i read that the chances are high, so istarted calling every vet in my town. unfortunately, all the vets italked to didn't understand why i wanted to if i had no other rabbits,or they didn't feel comfortable doing the surgery. so, i just hoped shewouldn't get it.

when she was about 4-5, her privates started to ooze this puss likesubstance and she was in a LOT of pain, i took her to two differentvets and they both told me she had a bladder infection (which i laterlearned was the biggest mis-diagnose for uterine cancer) both vets hadme clean her privates everynight with water and pat it dry with bakingsoda. it was all for nothing and she passed away on memorial weekendwhen i was in chicago visiting family, my dad called and told me shepassed. it was a horrible experience, but i don't blame myself becausei did try to find a vet that would spay her. the chances are WAY toohigh to just wish it away and i wish every female pet rabbit out therewas spayed.

 

[pamnock]

The older the doe is, the more likely she is todevelop uterine tumors. These tumors are not alwayscancerous, nor do they always cause health problem,however,removing the uterus does eliminate the health risksof uterine cancer.

It is very important to find a vet with extensive experience in rabbit surgical procedures.

Pam N.

 

[Spring]

:thanks:for that information. I REALLYappreciate that! I remember seeing on some website the tumors theyremoved from a doe, but I can't remember where I saw it from. When Iwas looking up uterine cancer cases on this forum, it brought up a postand some member said if you breed your doe it does'nt happen (But Ihave read that this doesn't matter?) and that they talked to a vet whosaid it wasn'ta big issue, but she said it probably wasn't arabbit experienced vet. It's just so confusingwithinformation repeated over and over from site to site and I wasn't sureif some of the information was true or not. If the tumors aren'tcancerous, will it lead to any health problems or discomforts?

 

[pamnock]

Spring wrote:

When I was looking up uterine cancercases on this forum, it brought up a post and some member said if youbreed your doe it does'nt happen (But I have read that this doesn'tmatter?)

If the tumors aren'tcancerous, will it lead to any health problems or discomforts?

Does that have been bred can stilldevelop uterinetumors. Even if the tumors are benign, they can grow huge andlead to discomfort or other health problems.

Pam

 

[sfritzp]

My Maggie was found abandoned and starving in avacant house with 3 old dogs (the reason she was found, was because ofneighbor's complaining of the noise the dogs were making.)
The HRS said she most likely had been bred over and over to producebunnies for sale to - most likely - pet shops. They estimated her ageto be 3 or 4 - but I think she's younger then that.
She was spayed before I got her, and they found her uterus to be FILLEDwith fibrous tumors - to the point she would not be able to carry alitter to term, and so why she was left in a cage in an abondoned houseby some remnant of a 'human being' - and I use that term loosely... The vet was 'shocked' by the condition of it.
So - even if they are bred, they can and WILL develop tumors -cancerous or benign - and they most likely will die from themeventually.

 

[Spring]

Thanks for more information. They said she wasaround 3 or 4, but you think she is younger? Did she have any problemswith the surgery? I read it's really risky in older does. Did she haveto get a thorough check over before it?

 

[sfritzp]

She did very well with the surgery, but as Isaid the vet was really shocked by the condition of the uterus. Shesaid it was caused by over breeding - not giving her a chance to evenrest in between, I guess. (I would have loved to see some of thosebabies!)
She may be 3 or 4, but she just acts like a young thing! She jumps allover and is just really energetic. I would put her between 2 and 3. Andif she did have a litter every 30 days or so, even at that age, thatmeans she could have had 24 or more litters!
I'm just glad she's with me, now...

 

[Spring]

Me too! It's a shame actually, that rabbitsbreed so quickly. If they tookmore time, then we would haveless rabbit-overpopulation and less unhappy rabbits. We can't changehow they were made, it's a shame .

 

[Spring]

Found an interesting article with differentfigures besides the ones I saw. It was good information and verydifferent from teh avrrage ones I see

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/1155/UC.html

 

[FlopsnWills]

spring, i honestly think you should put yourlittle girl through surgery. the risks of cancer outweigh the risks ofdying in surgery, especially when you're positive you have a rabbitsavvy vet. if you have a vet you know you can trust, go ahead and gether spayed and make sure they remove the ovaries AND the uterus. flopsywent through a horrible, painful death and i think ifitspreventable, why shouldnt we do it?

 

[Spring]

I know, it's jsut that if something happend toher, I couldn't live with myself, but if she got uterine cancer, i'dfeel worse. The vet I went to twice with Pepsi I thinkknewenough about rabbits, but when he didn't know what to do when after thepresciptions she wasn't improving recommended me to a vet I could goto. Along with her full vet training, she also had an extra trianingwith exotics. I will have to get some good articles for my mom, as Ican't afford the full payment of the spay. I read it's around 150-200$,but I can phone around.

I'm in a tough situation, and I don't know what my hearts trying to tell me:?

 

[edwinf8936]

Orchard grass is not compacted so there is notmuch dust. I get the mix of barley, wheat and oat hay, theylike it, it is compacted.

Ed