What else can I feed her?

[stina3246]

I gave my bunny just a tiny bit of alfalfa...HUGE mistake!! My poor little girl had an upset tummy and had the runs for 2 days. She's well on the way to recovery but now she doesn't want her pellets OR timothy hay. She is chewing on EVERYTHING else. Cardboard, millet that my bird tossed out of his cage, leather, shoes, my hair. She is drinking well. I spoke to my friend who was a vet tech and another who is a bunny breeder and they both told me to go ahead and give her the Bene-Bak (Sp?) and the timothy. Her poops are almost back to normal, she's active and curious again but has decided she doesn't want her pellets. She nibbles the timothy but really doesn't like it much and she seems hungry. What else can I give her that won't upset her tummy again? She LOVES the millet but I'm afraid it's not good for her.

 

[aurora369]

You are right, the millet is really not good for her, and something I would try to avoid when she's got an upset stomach.

Bene-bac is very good for an upset bunny tummy. It is a pro-biotic that will help re-acidify the gut and help the good bacteria grow. Definitely get that as soon as possible.

If she is used to veggies, you can feed her a couple of her favourite veggies soaked in water. Really, the most important thing is to get her really well hydrated. A dehydrated bunny won't want to eat.

Try offering fresh hay. If the hay has been sitting for a bit (even just a couple of hours), my bunnies will get bored with it. They love fresh hay. I give my hay in small handfuls multiple times a day.

-Dawn

 

[tonyshuman]

I think she may have gotten sick, actually, not just an upset stomach from the food. Young bunnies are prone to overgrowth of bad bacteria in the intestines. Bene-Bac will help, but it may be good to get her into see a vet if the diarrhea continues. You can give her some veggies if she tolerates them well. Hydration is key in recovery from diarrhea, and so is hay. Fresh hay is always appreciated by bunnies. In any case, if the diarrhea continues tomorrow, she should see a vet ASAP because they can go downhill very quickly when diarrhea is involved. Offer her some pedialyte if you can, and/or syringe feed her some.

 

[stina3246]

She is already getting the bene-bac and is drinking plenty of water. No worry there. The diarrhea is just about gone. Her poops were still a little soft yesterday and today they are looking pretty normal. She has NEVER had veggies before. The people who raised her didn't feed her any and the first attempt at introducing something new to her was the alfalfa which was a mistake. The hay is fresh, I give her small amounts frequently. She seems to be eating it a little better now.
What about cucumbers, bell peppers, zuccini...stuff like that that is mostly water.

 

[tonyshuman]

That's good that the diarrhea is almost gone. How old is she? If she hasn't had veggies before, you have to go very slowly. Those veggies you listed are safe, but they're not the most gentle, ie I would start with something that's a bit simpler in composition. My guys also won't eat zucchini (a big pain! you know how big those things get sometimes so I have way more than I can handle!). I would start her on things like spring mix lettuce, dandelion greens, parsley, romaine, curly endive. These are all pretty well tolerated among most bunnies. Spring mix is probably the best of these. I also wouldn't give more than 1/4c a day to start out. How old is she?

 

[stina3246]

I'm just guessing but she must be about 3-4 months old? I got her when she was fairly recently weaned and had her for about a month and 1/2 (she was just a tiny little puff ball when I got her, she's pratically a RABBIT already)

 

[tonyshuman]

I see. Yeah, no more than 1/4c of veggies to start. I wouldn't give her more than 1/2c of veggies daily until she's a bit older. She should still be eating unlimited alfalfa pellets at this age, if she'll eat them.