Trying to make my underweight bunny gain weight - looking at incorporating oats and black oil sunflower seeds

[gelliebean]

So first off, I bought quick oats. Oats are the only ingredient, so if I feed her this will it be dangerous?

Also, where do you recommend getting black oil sunflower seeds? I tried looking at some local feed stores, but the only bags they have is a huuuge 50 pounds. I only have one tiny bun, she doesn't need that much. Can I get it at a regular grocery store or even pet store?

 

[JBun]

Regular rolled oats would be the ones to use. But they should be introduced gradually, and some rabbits don't do well with adding all those extra carbs into the diet. It can lead to gut imbalance and mushy poop. If this happens then oats shouldn't be used.

You can probably buy a smaller bag of BOSS on amazon. Some pets stores may sell small bags for birds. If you feed these though, pick through them before feeding them to your bun. Some of the seeds when you open them up, can be rotted, and this could potentially make your bun sick.

 

[majorv]

Don’t use the quick oats. Use the old fashioned oats and do feed sparingly...maybe a tablespoon. We got black oil sunflower seeds at Tractor Supply or ACE. You can also try a feed store. Again, those should be fed sparingly.

 

[gelliebean]

Regular rolled oats would be the ones to use. But they should be introduced gradually, and some rabbits don't do well with adding all those extra carbs into the diet. It can lead to gut imbalance and mushy poop. If this happens then oats shouldn't be used.

You can probably buy a smaller bag of BOSS on amazon. Some pets stores may sell small bags for birds. If you feed these though, pick through them before feeding them to your bun. Some of the seeds when you open them up, can be rotted, and this could potentially make your bun sick.

How do I know which ones are rotten inside? I read this (may be false) that all the oil is stored in the shell. But should I open each one up to see whats inside?

 

[JBun]

With BOSS, you would have to open them up to completely rule out them being bad. It's a pain, but only a few are typically fed each day, so doesn't take long. Or risk it and don't open them up. You can check the shell for being cracked though. If it was already cracked, I presumed those ones were bad and either didn't feed them or opened them and checked them. I usually just checked for cracked shells instead of opening all of them.

Usually with seeds, the oil is in the seed itself and the shell is indigestible fiber, but the shell may have some, haven't really researched it. I would still feed the shell, if your bun will eat it. It just adds fiber to the diet.

 

[gelliebean]

With BOSS, you would have to open them up to completely rule out them being bad. It's a pain, but only a few are typically fed each day, so doesn't take long. Or risk it and don't open them up. You can check the shell for being cracked though. If it was already cracked, I presumed those ones were bad and either didn't feed them or opened them and checked them. I usually just checked for cracked shells instead of opening all of them.

Usually with seeds, the oil is in the seed itself and the shell is indigestible fiber, but the shell may have some, haven't really researched it. I would still feed the shell, if your bun will eat it. It just adds fiber to the diet.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to try the BOSS first. Seems that the benefits of those outweighs the benefits of feeding a bit of oats.

 

[gelliebean]

With BOSS, you would have to open them up to completely rule out them being bad. It's a pain, but only a few are typically fed each day, so doesn't take long. Or risk it and don't open them up. You can check the shell for being cracked though. If it was already cracked, I presumed those ones were bad and either didn't feed them or opened them and checked them. I usually just checked for cracked shells instead of opening all of them.

Usually with seeds, the oil is in the seed itself and the shell is indigestible fiber, but the shell may have some, haven't really researched it. I would still feed the shell, if your bun will eat it. It just adds fiber to the diet.

I'm seeing that you should only feed 6 seeds a day. Would you recommend keeping the dose the same, even if she's underweight? She's going back to the vet after her spay is healed but I could not get her in for another couple weeks.

 

[JBun]

I picked boss over oats for my underweight elderly rabbit, because the oats caused mushy poop. I think the boss worked well, and she certainly liked them. Her slightly overweight companion would always try and steal some.

I transitioned my doe gradually onto them and ended up feeding her at least 6 twice a day, but I had a hard time keeping weight on her(1.7kg rabbit). I guess it depends on how hard it is to keep weight on your bun, to determine how much to feed.

 

[gelliebean]

I picked boss over oats for my underweight elderly rabbit, because the oats caused mushy poop. I think the boss worked well, and she certainly liked them. Her slightly overweight companion would always try and steal some.

I transitioned my doe gradually onto them and ended up feeding her at least 6 twice a day, but I had a hard time keeping weight on her(1.7kg rabbit). I guess it depends on how hard it is to keep weight on your bun, to determine how much to feed.

I'll play around with it. I just heard it could trigger them to molt if fed too much, wouldn't want that.