Supplements?

[Mariah]

Ok, so I posted a previous thread about the oxbow Timothy hay and how my two buns don't seem to love it anymore. I am currently
still feeding the oxbow Timothy hay and I have also bought a bag of the kaytee Timothy hay and mix the two together. Both of my bunnies are not thrilled about either hay but do eat it, just not as quick and as happy as they were before. They have this available 24-7.

They also both get 1/3 cup of pellets twice daily, which is the martins brand of pellets (only available in Canada I believe) mixed with the oxbow adult bunny pellets. My goal was to switch them completly over to the oxbow pellets but... they don't really like the oxbow pellets. They eat all the martins pellets and then later on go back and finish the oxbow pellets.

I'm concerned that maybe because they are not eating a ton
of hay that they may be missing out on vitial
nutrition??

What supplements do you guys have your bunnies on? I have heard some of you say Papaya tablets? And bene bac?

Thanks In advance!

Ps- I did some research on the martins pellets (I had
a thread here on that as well) and I do believe it is a
good quality food- maybe not as good as oxbows food though.

Feel free to comment!

 

[Kipcha]

Papaya tablets aren't a supplement, it's something people use when their rabbits are molting so they do not get hairballs and it aids in the digestive system, and benebac is something that people use when their rabbit goes off their food, it is not something you use regularily as a supplement.

Our buns get the Joint Supplement by Oxbow, but they do make a multi-vitamin as well, have you looked into them?

http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=8425

 

[majorv]

Hay doesn't really provide much nutrition. It provides fiber that helps the rabbit's digestive system. The pellets yourbuns are eating are what's providing theirnutrition. As Amanda said, papaya tablets are usedwhen the rabbit is molting, to help prevent hairballs. Benebac (probiotics) are normally used to replenish the good bacteria in a rabbit's gut. Sometimes meds that the vet prescribes kills that good bacteria and probiotics help to compensate for that.

 

[Mariah]

Has anyone used the digestive support from oxbow?

 

[ldoerr]

Beauty refuses to eat ANY hay. I have bought 2 full sized bales and 2 mini bales for them and she still will not eat any of it. To me it sounds like your rabbits are doing fine. Beauty is a Jersey Wooly so fiber is especially important for her. I have noticed nothing wrong with her.

 

[Mariah]

How long has beauty not been eating any hay for? I'm just a very parnoid mama!

 

[ldoerr]

Over a month now.

 

[holtzchick]

Hmm... I give my rabbit a liquid supplement from 8-in-1 I believe. She gets a couple drops in her water bowl and she's doing just fine. I also had her on Martins Timothy pellets, she seems to love those but I had switched her to Oxbow.

Now I found my bun a few months ago and when I did she was skinny as hell! For that reason, my vet recommended that I free fed her pellets until she put weight back on. Now that she has, I finally reduced the amount of pellets i've been giving her to about 1/6 cup a day and I've been giving her unlimited hay. I'm not sure how much she likes the hay since when she was free fed pellets she didn't really touch much of her hay so I guess I will see.

I got her oxbow Orchard Grass Hay Try playing around with different types of hay too, not all bunnies like certain types/kinds..

 

[mdith4him]

Maybe try giving it to them in a different way. Our Nibbles wasn't a big hay eater until we started putting the hay in a paper bag for him to eat out of. Now he's a hay machine! Same hay, just a different presentation.

 

[woahlookitsme]

We have a bag of orchard grass too. The length is shorter since it is a mixed grass so it is messier but they love it

 

[Mariah]

I ordered the digestive supplement from work today from oxbow and the papaya tablets too. They should be in tomorrow and I'll start kiwi on the digestive one ASAP.

Please see my thread in the infirmary. Kiwi is not eating her pellets tonight and this is very strange for her...