Hi please help I have got 17 rescue rabbits nearly all of them have to have their teeth rasped about every 2 months today I have just got a vet bill for another 200 pounds I am feeding them half science selective half burgess excel at an amount of 30 grams netherland dwarf 40g lop and 50g english spot unlimited hay and tiny bit of carrot tiny bit of spring green and tiny bit of willow branch each day were am i going wrong should i change to oxbow t have any of you that have got there rabbits on oxbow t got constant back teeth problems with your bunnies please help. plus do not really understand how to get my replies on here any advice please
back molar problems
- Thread starter nora123
- Start date
Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:
DUSTBUNNY-CLYDE
Well-Known Member
mine are on oxbow and havent had any teeth isssues! I give mine lots of cardboard and apple branches to keep teeth done low! so sorry I cant help!!
missyscove
Christina - Moderator
Are they actually eating their hay? Did they have bad teeth when you adopted them or have they developed the problem while under your care? Are they genetically related?
I'm surprised that you have so many rabbits with teeth problems! Between eating pellets and hay it's normally enough to keep teeth worn down, unless they were born with bad teeth or had an injury that caused the teeth to not grow right.
Hi no when i first get them I take them to the vet for a teeth check and they all seem to be ok and most of them have come to me on the muesli food i suppose the different size and shapes must have kept their teeth worn down but the vet advises me to put them all on the nuggets which i do and then they seem to develop teeth problems im not sure if the pellets are too filling and they dont eat enough hay but im really stressed about it if i put them on oxbow t its lower in fat than excel or science selective so im hoping they will be still hungry enough to eat their hay any advice when i do how much to give my netherland dwarfs my lops and my english spots i need to get the amount given right my bunnies are well looked after and some of them 8 now but its just the teeth problems im up on their other health issues and treatments but i just cant seem to get the feeding bit right most grateful for your replies.
If my conversion is correct (30g = 1.07 ounces) then that seems a little low. Dwarfs are a little smaller than my Polish and I feed 1/4 cup of pellets (2 ounces). English Spots would be like 1/2 cup (4 ounces). Spots are larger and they're an active breed. The lops would be in between the other two. What type of hay are you feeding? We have quite a few rabbits that we show and their staple diet is pellets, with hay thrown in 1-2 times/week. We have several rabbits going on 3-4 years old and noone has teeth problems.
hI Majorv thanks for the reply maybe i have not been feeding enough pellets then I get bales of hay from a farm shop its called wilkinsons hay it is sold in bags to pet shops but the farmer lets me buy mine in bales straight from them its barn dried I also buy bags of burns green oat hay also for a change they get alfalfa company timothy hay for a treat when I can afford it as its so expensive to buy in england but they get the size of their body in hay every day plus their daily amount of pellets do you feed oxbow t bunny basics and do you feed any veg do they need veg mine get small amount of spring green small piece of carrot and small amount of willow green each day but i am wondering if the tasty veg is stopping them eating as much hay also every so often they will get a gassy stomach not diaroea but gassy stomach bloat do you think it could be the veg thats causing this do you think i should not feed the veg for a while up the pellets to 2oz per 21b in weight and see if the teeth problem improves really appreciate your advice.
I don't feed mine any greens or veggies, but many of the pet owners here do. Your rabbits will get their nutritional needs from the pellets and hay...you can give the greens as a supplement, and to add a little variety to their diet. Carrots are high in sugar so if you want, you could stop giving them for a while and see if that helps with the gas. YIf not then you would basically just need to remove one thing at a time to see what might be causing it. I don't use oxbox pellets but many of the others on this site do and like it.
Thanks first thing im going to remove all the veg and just give pellets and hay which pellets do you use as the pellets seem to be keeping your rabbits teeth down can i get them in england. as the pellets you use seem to be keeping your rabbits teeth down.
Any good quality plain pellet should work. That, along with long fiber hay, is what helps keep the teeth worn down. Once in a while we'll give them wooden blocks to chew on, too. We use the Purina brand of pellets, but they only come in 50 pound bags (we show our rabbits) and I'm not sure it's available outside the U.S. I know there are other posters from the U.K. here and they might be able to offer suggestions on a local brand. You might try posting in the Nutrition & Behavior section with your question.
Thanks I use science selective which are 25 percent fibre 14 percent protein 4 percent fat they are made of alfalfa meal soybean hulls wheat flaked peas linseed beet pulp and soybean meal and soya oil they contain vit a vitd and other minerals the bunnies have no upset tummies on them their poo is fine do you think I should change pellets onto oxbow or just up the amount a bit and leave out the veg and hope they eat more hay sorry to be a pain but grateful for your replies.
ps they only have 0.6 calcium and only 185 calories per 70 gram serving so although they are alfalfa based they are balanced do you think its worth changing them all onto something else as all the bunnies are the right weight its just the teeth problems.
Given they are alfalfa based, then if you increase the pellets you need to watch that they don't start gaining weight. You really aren't feeding them all that much as far as pellets are concerned though. First choice for me would be to get them to eat more hay. Feed the hay they like the best. Providing some wood they can chew on should help also.
If you feed an early cut softer hay, switching to a mature hay with thicker stems and more fiber, may help. Provided your rabbits will eat it.
Thanks yes ive decided to just feed them pellets and hay for a while until they are eating more hay its been a bad year in England last year the hay this year is much better so I am hoping they will eat it many thanks for your help do you know of anyone having any gut problems feeding green oat hay or is this ok to feed ?
We don't have oat hay around this area so I've never used it. Hopefully someone else can answer though.
ps because they are all rescue buns they dont eat a lot of hay ive tried all kinds burgess excel timothy, alfalfa king timothy, farm meadow hay, oxbow timothy hay they are a night mare because they were not brought up on hay its hard to get them to eat it but from now on its the tough love treatment few pellets hay hay and more hay no veg until they eat their hay and like ive said its a lot nicer the hay this year so heres hoping, This site is great as everyone understands I ask my friends and family for advice they listen to me but im sure i must bore them to death ha ha thanks for your reply.
Hi Majorv ive asked about, and I have heard redi grass can sometimes cause upset tummies maybe the oat hay was too rich for her were do you live ? I wish I lived in America were there seems to be plenty of Timothy hay the only Timothy we can get our hands on in England is baged up transported and costs a forturne. if anyone knows of any in England please let me know.
I don't use timothy hay because it's too expensive to buy at a pet store and since it isn't grown around here it's too expensive to buy by the bale. We use another grass hay called Coastal.
I looked up redi grass and some are concerned it has too much calcium in it, but others say their rabbits do fine on it. Someone mentioned that they use Graze-on.
I looked up redi grass and some are concerned it has too much calcium in it, but others say their rabbits do fine on it. Someone mentioned that they use Graze-on.
