Advice on diet in rabbit that is underweight and recently recovered from GI stasis

[BearBear2020]

Hi everyone, I have a 3 years old Holland Lop name Bear. This past Monday he had early signs of GI stasis but he has since recovered. Since Monday, his diet mainly consist of 2-3 tbsp of Oxbow Critical Care, hay and a bit of vegetables. In general, Bear is not a big hay eater. He enjoys his pellets and vegetables the most. But he has eaten a lot more hay since I've cut out his pellets these past few days.

Previously, I was giving him 1.5 tablespoon of Oxbow Essential Adult pellets and 1 cup of fresh vegetables. Moving forward, I am hoping to change his diet so that he eat more hay. The other issue is that he is underweight so I am hoping he can gain more weight and maintain it. I was hoping to change his diet to:

1 tablespoon of Oxbow Essential Adult pellets (Should I switch to Sherwood pellets)
1.5-2 cups of fresh vegetables
unlimited hay (orchard grass, timothy hay)
1 tablespoon of Oxbow Critical Care **Was planning to continue this until his weight is back to normal

I was hoping to get people's opinion on my new diet plan. In particular, I was wondering what people think of continuously giving him some Critical Care every day. Also I would love any advice to prevent more GI stasis in the future. I already ordered Sherwood papaya pellets.

Thank you in advance

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I wouldn't give him Critical Care unless he stops eating. I don't think he needs it.
I think his diet should be:
1 tbs of Oxbow Essentials Adult pellets
1.5-2 cups of fresh vegetables
unlimited hay (orchard grass, timothy hay)
1-2 papaya tablets a week

To prevent stasis, he needs to eat lots of hay, and stay hydrated.

 

[BearBear2020]

Hi thanks for the quick response. Do you think its possible for him to gain weight without the critical care? Do vegetables help rabbits gain weight? I see people who have a pellet-free diet for their rabbits, but I'm surprised the rabbits are able to maintain normal weight.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

My rabbit Theo is on a pellet-free diet and he has a great weight. Rabbits in the wild eat grass and bark and maintain the correct weight, so I see no reason why domestic rabbits have to have pellets. He can gain weight by feeding him pellets, just introduce them to his diet slowly. Vegetables do not help weight gain.

 

[Hermelin]

You can increase the pellets if your bunny don’t go up in weight. I had a bunny that had trouble keeping her weight up. I often just increased the amount of pellets and regulated that way. You can also mix oats in the pellets, it will help your bunny to gain weight faster. After your bunny gained weight you take away the oats when he’s up in a healthy weight.

Don’t know how bad it is for your bunny but I did this to my previous doe when I got her. I could feel all her bones and count the ribs. After a month she was up to a healthy weight but she had trouble holding her weight up without the extra amount of pellets, but she had more energy

I do the oat things when we are heading into winter and I want my outdoor bunnies to build up a little fat before it get too cold. A little bit of fat will help them keep warm during cold winter days and they need the extra energy. Towards summer they go down to normal weight again because I decrease the pellets or take away the oats, depends on what I decided to do.

Be careful with fast food changes and if you can do slow hay changes it can be helpful. If your bunny is prone to gi stasis.

 

[BearBear2020]

You can increase the pellets if your bunny don’t go up in weight. I had a bunny that had trouble keeping her weight up. I often just increased the amount of pellets and regulated that way. You can also mix oats in the pellets, it will help your bunny to gain weight faster. After your bunny gained weight you take away the oats when he’s up in a healthy weight.

Don’t know how bad it is for your bunny but I did this to my previous doe when I got her. I could feel all her bones and count the ribs. After a month she was up to a healthy weight but she had trouble holding her weight up without the extra amount of pellets, but she had more energy

I do the oat things when we are heading into winter and I want my outdoor bunnies to build up a little fat before it get too cold. A little bit of fat will help them keep warm during cold winter days and they need the extra energy. Towards summer they go down to normal weight again because I decrease the pellets or take away the oats, depends on what I decided to do.

Be careful with fast food changes and if you can do slow hay changes it can be helpful. If your bunny is prone to gi stasis.

Hi thanks for the response. When you mention oats, are you talking about Quaker rolled oats? I'm trying not to increase pellets because when I do , I notice that he eats less hay. Hoping to get him to eat more hay since he is prone to GI stasis.

 

[Hermelin]

Hi thanks for the response. When you mention oats, are you talking about Quaker rolled oats? I'm trying not to increase pellets because when I do , I notice that he eats less hay. Hoping to get him to eat more hay since he is prone to GI stasis.

I use normal rolled oats, my bunnies love eating it but you need to keep an eye because it will truly make a bunny gain weight. I can understand the trouble trying to balance the hay eating to pellets.

When I do something yummy my bunnies gets oatmeal with a little fruit mixed in

 

[Diane R]

Hi everyone, I have a 3 years old Holland Lop name Bear. This past Monday he had early signs of GI stasis but he has since recovered. Since Monday, his diet mainly consist of 2-3 tbsp of Oxbow Critical Care, hay and a bit of vegetables. In general, Bear is not a big hay eater. He enjoys his pellets and vegetables the most. But he has eaten a lot more hay since I've cut out his pellets these past few days.

Previously, I was giving him 1.5 tablespoon of Oxbow Essential Adult pellets and 1 cup of fresh vegetables. Moving forward, I am hoping to change his diet so that he eat more hay. The other issue is that he is underweight so I am hoping he can gain more weight and maintain it. I was hoping to change his diet to:

1 tablespoon of Oxbow Essential Adult pellets (Should I switch to Sherwood pellets)
1.5-2 cups of fresh vegetables
unlimited hay (orchard grass, timothy hay)
1 tablespoon of Oxbow Critical Care **Was planning to continue this until his weight is back to normal

I was hoping to get people's opinion on my new diet plan. In particular, I was wondering what people think of continuously giving him some Critical Care every day. Also I would love any advice to prevent more GI stasis in the future. I already ordered Sherwood papaya pellets.

Thank you in advance

This is a good plan but I would drop the critical care. You could add more hay variety and add some forage (plantain, dandelion, coneflower,...). I also would not give papaya tablets. No rabbit vet in the UK would suggest these types of supplements, they don't do anything other than add sugar to the diet which is bad. Getting him to eat lots of hay is a very good idea. He should be able to maintain his weight on this diet. If he doesn't then that indicates a health problem (e.g. dental) which needs investigation.

 

[BearBear2020]

So I gave a Sherwood papaya tablet to my bunny and he took a bite of it. But he didn't like it so he didn't finish the rest. Any suggestions on how to get him to eat it? Also, is there another brand of papaya tablets that rabbit tend to like more?

Thank you

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I give this brand to Theo and he loves them! https://www.amazon.com/American-Hea...d=1587068683&sprefix=papaya+en,aps,237&sr=8-5

 

[Diane R]

So I gave a Sherwood papaya tablet to my bunny and he took a bite of it. But he didn't like it so he didn't finish the rest. Any suggestions on how to get him to eat it? Also, is there another brand of papaya tablets that rabbit tend to like more?

Thank you

Don't bother with papaya tablets, seriously they don't do any good!

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I agree with Diane R, they won't prevent Gi-stasis. I only give them to Theo when he sheds because it is said that it helps dissolve fur. Instead, you can give him these: Oxbow Natural Science Digestive Support Small Animal Supplement, 60 count - Chewy.com. They should help.

 

[JBun]

Papaya definitely does not dissolve fur. That takes chemicals that would never be safe for ingestion. At the most, papaya may help break up mucous in the poop, but that's about it.

Hay, hay, hay! A good quality grass hay is the best prevention for stasis or pretty much most digest issues in rabbits. Good quality means absolutely no mold or noxious weeds, very little dust, and a green color and not sunbleached. I prefer a medium coarse hay. Too leafy and it doesn't have enough stems with indigestible fiber for good gut movement, and too coarse is too low on nutrients and protein.

Most rabbits can maintain a healthy weight on a medium coarse grass hay. I've had several rabbits over the years that had to be on a hay only diet due to different digestive issues, and they always were able to maintain a good weight. Though on a pellet free diet they have to have a salt lick to provide the necessary dietary sodium, and it's important to monitor weight, especially at the beginning while you are getting the diet sorted out.

For a rabbit prone to stasis, I would highly suggest not feeding oats or any other high carb/sugary food. These will just slow down the digestive tract, which is opposite of what you want. You want increased gut motility which is what the indigestible fiber in coarse hay accomplishes. Then the leafy part of the hay provides the needed nutrients and protein. If you are finding your bun isn't gaining enough weight on a high hay diet to maintain a healthy weight, there are other options for weight gain that would be better suited for a stasis prone bun.

 

[BearBear2020]

Papaya definitely does not dissolve fur. That takes chemicals that would never be safe for ingestion. At the most, papaya may help break up mucous in the poop, but that's about it.

Hay, hay, hay! A good quality grass hay is the best prevention for stasis or pretty much most digest issues in rabbits. Good quality means absolutely no mold or noxious weeds, very little dust, and a green color and not sunbleached. I prefer a medium coarse hay. Too leafy and it doesn't have enough stems with indigestible fiber for good gut movement, and too coarse is too low on nutrients and protein.

Most rabbits can maintain a healthy weight on a medium coarse grass hay. I've had several rabbits over the years that had to be on a hay only diet due to different digestive issues, and they always were able to maintain a good weight. Though on a pellet free diet they have to have a salt lick to provide the necessary dietary sodium, and it's important to monitor weight, especially at the beginning while you are getting the diet sorted out.

For a rabbit prone to stasis, I would highly suggest not feeding oats or any other high carb/sugary food. These will just slow down the digestive tract, which is opposite of what you want. You want increased gut motility which is what the indigestible fiber in coarse hay accomplishes. Then the leafy part of the hay provides the needed nutrients and protein. If you are finding your bun isn't gaining enough weight on a high hay diet to maintain a healthy weight, there are other options for weight gain that would be better suited for a stasis prone bun.

Thanks for the detailed response!! I currently feed Bear only Oxbow hay ( he mostly gets orchard grass and timothy hay but occasionally will get some oat hay, botanical and meadow hay). Do you think Oxbow is a good brand of hay? Is there another brand of hay that you think is better that I could get online?