bunny diet

[blossombunny]

Hi guys! Thought I would get someopinions on our blossoms diet. Blossom just turned 6 monthsold a couple days ago. Right now she eats oxbow hay,unlimited and oxbow rabbit pellets (for the adult rabbit)Ihave started to introduce her to veggies a few weeks ago. Sofar she has tried baby carrots and peapods, and she LOVES themboth. I am really torn on what her daily diet should bethough. I took her to two different vets (both who claim tobe bunny experts, they both even do yearly bunny education) and theyhave different opinions on food. One said only pellets about1/8-1/4 cup and unlimited hay. The other one said plenty offresh green veggies a day, unlimited hay and about 1/8cup of pellets aday. What I really found interesting is they both said thatspaying is unnecessary, which goes against everything I have everread(I am not overly worried about that right now because my son willbe showing her at the fair next summer so she cant be spayed quite yetanyways) Ok, sorry back to my food question. Right nowBlossom gets unlimited hay,about 1/4-1/2 cup pellets, withmaybe three pieces or less of veggies in a 24 hr. period. Inyour opinion is that too much veggies, too many pellets? Sheseems to always be hungry!!! I really want to do whats best forBlossom, but I am confused:?Iam not sure of her currentweight but about 5-6 weeks ago she weighed 2lbs 6oz and she is aholland lop who was 6 months old on Oct. 20. Thanks for anyhelp, opinions, or suggestions!!! Tracy

 

[mygrl2k3]

It's hard when you get conflicting information. Ican only speak for myself but my rabbits diet is mostly pellets. Theyare on a purina brand. The guy who sold it to me said keepall treats and stuff 10% or under or it get mess up the benifets thepellets off. I am sure someone else will have a better thoughts on it.

It's kinda shocking a vet would say spaying isnt needed. Itprolongs their life just like a cat or dog has a better chance andmakes them easier to litter train and sometimes better behaved withoutthe hormones. of course i am just remember what i beleive i have readhere. I have never had a young rabbit and two of my 3 bunnieswere fixed. The one that wasnt died and that was sad but nowi have my two that came from the shelter.

Cristy

 

[Spiced77]

there is a lot of different ideas for bunnydiets.. between my two mini rexes, they get unlimited hay, about 1/2cup pellets, and probably 2 cups of greens a day. romaine andcilantro. i've always heard carrots are too high in sugar togive every day, but everyone does it differently!

 

[*nepo*]

I've heard Carolyn say too much greens aren't good.

 

[lanna21974]

I feed mybunniesan unlimited supply of timothy hay, anounceof pellets per pound of body weight (aprox. 1/3 of acup) a day, and a treat of apple, raisin,grape (cut inhalf),every other day. So, far this system works great forthem. Except for Bossy who seems to need extra care. Hisbowels seem to need extra help so I give him pumpkin any time I seehisdroppings getting small.

Lanna

 

[pamnock]

In general, small breeds require approx. 1 oz. offeed per pound of body weight. (This rule does not apply tolarge breeds, as they require less feed per pound of bodyweight). We feed our 4 lb. Hollands no more than 1/2 cup offeed per day. Since your Holland is small, she'll need lesspellets.

The House Rabbit Society as well as commercial rabbit producers (8thEdition of Rabbit Production) advise limiting pellets for pet rabbitsand feeding more greens and hay.

Info on a diet for a pet rabbit

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html



Pam

 

[Buck Jones]

My own personal research seems to support Pam'spost and I am in the process of adding more green and vegetable matterto our bun's diet. It simply is more natural and I believemore in tune with longevity of the animal when kept as a pet.

People raising rabbits for purposes other than pets often are notconcerned with longevity and a strictly pelleted diet might be more inline with their general purposes and convenience.

Buck

 

[Gabby]

I stick with what works for me, pellets, hay,water, rolled oats, and small amts of fresh stuff as treats.I base it on my results of the rabbits I have had over the years. Ofcourse sometimes you have to tweak the diet a little for each bun, butI think that's to be expected. one thing i would consider adding is ifthey find out heart defects are dependent on any type of mineral orvitimin etc. But there is no clear proof showing what causes heartdefects in rabbits as of yet, but there is a study being done i haveheard, I believe at Angel in boston.

jesse below, He will be 11 in January

 

[pamnock]

There has actually beenextensivebiomedical research done on the circulatory systemin rabbits because they have served extensively as a model for heartdisease in humans, especially in studies of arteriosclerosis.Numerous genetic strains have been identified and bred to producespecific heart and circulatory diseases. The research inrabbits has been very important in proving the genetics related toheart disease.



Pam

 

[bunsforlife]

I give my buns about half a cup of pellets everyother day. They have an unlimited supply of timmothy andorchard grass. I dont give them more pellets, because theydont eat them all that fast. I keep a small bowl just for Girin case he gets hungry but the most part, I used to throw out a lot ofuneaten pellets.

I do slip in a palmful of Quaker oats at morning feeding. Guinevere goes ballistic when I get the tub.

I give them fresh greens as often as I can (whenever I go into thegrocery store I check on the organic produce and see what looks nummy)and they get an Oxbow papaya tab everyday.

 

[Gabby]

pamnock wrote:

There has actually been extensivebiomedicalresearch done on the circulatory system in rabbits because they haveserved extensively as a model for heart disease in humans, especiallyin studies of arteriosclerosis. Numerous genetic strains havebeen identified and bred to produce specific heart and circulatorydiseases. The research in rabbits has been very important inproving the genetics related to heart disease.



Pam

THe particular problem I was thinking of iscardiomyopathy, THey found a defeicency when supplementedincats diets that helps prevent this problem, dogs they have have notfound a link to yet other than parentage, but rabbits is still up inthe air. I was told they are working on researching it.

 

[Fergi]

OHHH!! I am so excited, a chance to practice myschooling! I am currently enrolled in program for MedicalAdministrative Secretary and Med term was just finished! So if anyonewants to know, cardiomyopathy means a diseased condition of the muscleof the heart, and arteriosclerosis means a conditon of hardening of thearteries. Sorry I just had to add that cause I am so excited whenever Ican put my skills to work!!

Fergi's mom

 

[Fergi]

OHHH!! I am so excited, a chance to practice myschooling! I am currently enrolled in program for MedicalAdministrative Secretary and Med term was just finished! So if anyonewants to know, cardiomyopathy means a diseased condition of the muscleof the heart, and arteriosclerosis means a conditon of hardening of thearteries. Sorry I just had to add that cause I am so excited whenever Ican put my skills to work!!

Fergi's mom

 

[Carolyn]

*nepo* wrote:

I've heard Carolyn say too much greens aren't good.

Kathy Smith, the woman that wrote the book Rabbit Health in the 21stCentury recommends that you do feed some greens as straight pelletshave a lot of minerals in it; my own vet tells me that I should givegreens to my rabbits that would make up about 1/4 of their diet; and Iknow that Pamnock suggests greens as well.

I have heard people say only give pellets; what I've come to do for mylittle one's is I give them greens, but in moderation.Haven't built them up to 1/4 of their diets, and as a matter of fact,Tucker doesn't like them.

As to fruits and vegetables, they can be high in sugar and sugar isn'tgood for your rabbit's digestive system, so again, I only give themcarrots and such as a treat - once or twice a week.

-Carolyn


p.s. *Nepo*, your baby Nepo is adorable!

 

[Gabby]

Fergi wrote:

OHHH!! I am so excited, a chance to practice my schooling! Iam currently enrolled in program for Medical Administrative Secretaryand Med term was just finished! So if anyone wants to know,cardiomyopathy means a diseased condition of the muscle of the heart,and arteriosclerosis means a conditon of hardening of the arteries.Sorry I just had to add that cause I am so excited whenever I can putmy skills to work!!

Fergi's mom

it's fun when you can put to use skills and info youhavelearned, I think at that point your like hey there really is a use forall this crap i jut learned.. and WOW i remember what it is too LOL

 

[Gabby]

Carolyn wrote:

*nepo* wrote:

I've heardCarolyn say too much greens aren't good.

Kathy Smith, the woman that wrote the book Rabbit Health in the 21stCentury recommends that you do feed some greens as straight pelletshave a lot of minerals in it; my own vet tells me that I should givegreens to my rabbits that would make up about 1/4 of their diet; and Iknow that Pamnock suggests greens as well.

I have heard people say only give pellets; what I've come to do for mylittle one's is I give them greens, but in moderation.Haven't built them up to 1/4 of their diets, and as a matter of fact,Tucker doesn't like them.

As to fruits and vegetables, they can be high in sugar and sugar isn'tgood for your rabbit's digestive system, so again, I only give themcarrots and such as a treat - once or twice a week.

-Carolyn


p.s. *Nepo*, your baby Nepo is adorable!

2 oppsit examples, I think Martina could live off ofgreens she does well eating green stuff, while piper HATESanything fresh LOL personally i think you find what wors for you andyour fur faces and stick to it reguardess of what anyone else says,what works for one might fail miserable for another.

 

[pamnock]

Gabby wrote:

THe particularproblem I was thinking of is cardiomyopathy, THey found a defeicencywhen supplementedin cats diets that helps prevent thisproblem, dogs they have have not found a link to yet other thanparentage, but rabbits is still up in the air. I was told they areworking on researching it.

Cardiomyopathy is a general term relating to disease of the heartmuscle where the cause is unknown.It the same asusing the term "snuffles" for respiratory illness -- it's just ageneral term for "cold" symptoms.

cardio=heart, myo=muscle, pathy=disease (I teach medicalprefixes, roots, and suffixes for 8th grade health class, and we reviewthese every day LOL).

Earlier in the week, we observed the circulatory system of a live fleaunder the microscope (arthropods have open circulatory systems - noheart - was really neat!)

-- tomorrow, we get to dissect an eye I love biology!



Pam

 

[Gabby]

pamnock wrote:

Gabby wrote:

THe particularproblem I was thinking of is cardiomyopathy, THey found a defeicencywhen supplementedin cats diets that helps prevent thisproblem, dogs they have have not found a link to yet other thanparentage, but rabbits is still up in the air. I was told they areworking on researching it.

Cardiomyopathy is a general term relating to disease of the heartmuscle where the cause is unknown.It the same asusing the term "snuffles" for respiratory illness -- it's just ageneral term for "cold" symptoms.

cardio=heart, myo=muscle, pathy=disease (I teach medicalprefixes, roots, and suffixes for 8th grade health class, and we reviewthese every day LOL).

Earlier in the week, we observed the circulatory system of a live fleaunder the microscope (arthropods have open circulatory systems - noheart - was really neat!)

-- tomorrow, we get to dissect an eye I love biology!



Pam

taken from a human site but still it's info

Cardiomyopathy class=content xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"What is cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy is a serious disease in which the heart muscle becomesinflamed and doesn't work as well as it should. There may be multiplecauses including viral infections.

Cardiomyopathy can be classified as primary or secondary. Primarycardiomyopathy can't be attributed to a specific cause, such as highblood pressure, heart valve disease, artery diseases or congenitalheart defects. Secondary cardiomyopathy is due to specific causes. It'soften associated with diseases involving other organs as well as theheart.

There are threemain types of cardiomyopathy -- dilated,hypertrophic and restrictive. too see the rest of the articlethe link is below

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4468

 

[pamnock]

Here are some good signs with info relating to animals and how to recognize signs of illness.

http://www.mypetspages.com/petinfo/feline/cardiomyopathy.php

Info on Coronavirus resulting in cardiomyopathy in rabbits(mid page)

http://www.afip.org/vetpath/POLA/99/PATHOLOGY_OF_THE_RABBIT-Wilber.htm

Excerpt from "Rabbits as Biomodels"http://www.ahsc.arizona.edu/uac/notes/rabbitbiomod98.htm

VIII. CARDIOVASCULAR

Cardiomyopathy. This disease of the heart muscle has been reported inrabbits due to stress associated with severe overcrowding. Theterm cardiomyopathy is a non-specific term applied toconditions in which the lesions are located in the myocardium ratherthan the other anatomic structures of the heart. Such lesions must notbe secondary to lesions primarily involving other cardiac structures.While not strictly a spontaneously occurring condition, it may beuseful for structural and functional studies of the diseased myocardium.

 

[Gabby]

THere are plenty of articles out there. had to post this one since there have been mentions of her book

I had a heart rabbit who was born with a defective heart, onechamber was thicker than normal, not thick enough to be a problem andthe other chamber was paper thin, itcould not function well.It was thought that the thicker side had tried to comphensate for theweaker thin side. He lived to be 4.5 yrs old, And I have beenlead to believe by both my vet and the echocardiologist, that was agood life span for a bun with his condition.

http://www.lagomorphs.com/heart.pdf

Rabbit Health in the 21st Century (Second Edition) © 2003 by Kathy Smith
Heart Disease
Little has been written about heart disease in rabbits. It is thought that the sudden death of many outdoor
hutch rabbits is the result of a heart attack brought on by fear of danger — either real or perceived.
However, owners who keep their rabbits outdoors rarely have a necropsy (the veterinary equivalent of an
autopsy) done.
With rabbits living to an older age and rabbit caretakers becoming more educated about various diseases
and what to watch for, veterinarians across the country are beginning to see and treat more rabbits with
heart disease. Today we are breaking new ground, but as more cases are treated, more will be learned and
hopefully heart disease in rabbits will become as treatable as it has become in humans.
Types of Heart Disease
Heart disease, in humans as well as animals, is most often thought of as a disease of the elderly,
something that happens when the heart simply begins to “wear out.” However, it is important to
remember that there are congenital heart problems resulting from improper development before birth.
Heart disease can also be caused by infection (bacterial, viral, parasite, or fungal) which can strike at any
age. If you notice the symptoms described in this section, consult your veterinarian immediately. Don’t
assume your rabbit is too young to have heart disease.
The following are some of the heart conditions veterinarians are already seeing and treating with some
success:
• Cardiomyopathy. Any disease that affects the myocardium (muscle of the heart wall), usually
resulting in an enlarged and less efficient heart.
• Pulmonary Congestion. Excessive accumulation of fluid in the lungs.
• Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Abnormal condition that reflects impaired cardiac pumping
caused by an MI, ischemic heart disease, or cardiomyopathy. Symptoms may include pulmonary
congestion or peripheral edema (swelling).
• Tachycardia. Rapid heart beat.
• Arrhythmia. Irregular heart beat.
In a few cases, autopsies have identified heart attack or heart failure as a likely cause of death. Because
rabbits are herbivores, they may be less likely than humans to suffer from some heart ailments such as
high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries, which are thought to be partially related, in humans, to
the amount of fat in our diets (especially meat and dairy products).
Symptoms
The first symptoms of heart disease that will be visible to a rabbit caretaker will probably be decreased
activity, breathing difficulties and changes in eating habits (which may be a result of breathing
difficulties). Initially, there may be subtle, almost unnoticeable, changes in habits that suggest breathing
problems. These may include:
• Changes in activity patterns. A rabbit who usually tears through the house may run less or stop
to rest more frequently.
• Heavier than normal breathing (almost panting) after exercise.