Can anyone recommend a source for dried plantain and/or unsweetened dried papaya?

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Jenk

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, Illinois, USA
I used to be able to purchase unsweetened dried papaya for my rabbit, Emma, from a local produce store. Unfortunately, the store has since started carrying sweetened dried papaya only, which is a big disappointment.

Also, I've had two bun owners--one of them in the U.K.--recommend that I try feeding dried plantain to my stasis-prone bun. I've found a few sources online but am wondering if anyone else orders it from a specific supplier who's good.


Thank you,

Jenk
 
You could always buy plantAin and dry it yourself. we buy plantain at the Mexican store clowns the road from us and fry it like fries and its awesome but never thought of bunny food ....
 
I buy the fiesta died papaya from the pet store-it says the only ingredient is papaya (and it might mention the food die) However it does not say it has sugar..I'm getting the sinking feeling it does though, that it does contain sugar as I can see it on the pieces.
 
We just buy the plain dried papaya from the pet store, too. There are a couple kinds--some with dyes to make them tropical colors. I don't buy that since I don't know why a bunny would care about bright blue papaya pieces! Plus I don't want the extra chemicals in their little bodies. There are totally plain ones, though, and the only added ingredient is sulfur dioxide for preservation. It has a slightly powdery coating that looks like sugar, but it's not.
 
mdith4him wrote:
We just buy the plain dried papaya from the pet store, too. There are a couple kinds--some with dyes to make them tropical colors. I don't buy that since I don't know why a bunny would care about bright blue papaya pieces! Plus I don't want the extra chemicals in their little bodies. There are totally plain ones, though, and the only added ingredient is sulfur dioxide for preservation. It has a slightly powdery coating that looks like sugar, but it's not.
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Pet stores by you offer actual dried papaya pieces? Or do you mean papaya tablets? (I won't feed papaya tablets anymore, since my one bun has coughing spells after eating one; it's just not worth the risk.)

The dried papaya pieces I used to buy from the produce store were definitely unsweetened, as they were labeled as such. And the sugar content of the papaya now being sold--which is not labeled as unsweetened--has 29 g of sugar per serving. (I forget what's considered a serving size.) And I can see the whitish coating on the pieces. Very disappointing...



Thank you,

Jenk
 
fantaysah wrote:
You could always buy plantAin and dry it yourself. we buy plantain at the Mexican store clowns the road from us and fry it like fries and its awesome but never thought of bunny food ....
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The only downside to that option is that I'd have to buy a food dehydrator and can't really spend the money on one--especially for something I'd use to dry only one food item.


Jenk
 
You could keep some in the freezer rather than dry anything. Drying can be done in the oven, though I wouldn't want to do it in this weather. You just use the oven on very low & open the door from time to time to let the evaporated moisture out. Make the things you're drying as thin as possible & put on a baking sheet with parchment paper or the teflon oven liner sheet cut to size. You'll have to turn the pieces over at some point. I'd go the freezer route, myself.

Is plantain any better than banana? Unripened banana is probably less sweet than ripe banana & plantain is either hard to find or too expensive.
 
LakeCondo wrote:
Is plantain any better than banana? Unripened banana is probably less sweet than ripe banana & plantain is either hard to find or too expensive.
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I think I need to clarify. I'm referring to the plantain leaf, not the fruit. :biggrin2:

I've been told that the dried (herbal) form of the plantain leaf is better/safer to feed, as the fresh leaves break into stringy pieces, much like celery. And I think I've decided that I don't have it in me to dry my own plantain leaves. (I don't even know that I can get the leaves; I believe only the plantain fruit is sold at most produce stores.)


Jenk
 
Try your local Hispanic store. My husband is from Mexico and we have a plaza right down the road from us so he's taught me a lot of the stuff. They sell the fruit and leaves at this one. If you don't speak Spanish and aren't sure if they speak English print out a picture and take it with you. I have done this for items i needed but couldn't remember what they were called. The people in the store font mind looking t my pictures and helping me
 
Ps they are called ohja de platano .. said like o-ha de plat-ah-no and they are rather well priced. If you don't see them then ask it may be something your particular store throws away but will save for you next truckload.
 
fantaysah wrote:
Ps they are called ohja de platano .. said like o-ha de plat-ah-no and they are rather well priced. If you don't see them then ask it may be something your particular store throws away but will save for you next truckload.
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Thank you for the information. I'm fairly certain, though, that I don't want to hassle with drying my own plantain leaves.

I have found a few companies that produce bulk dried plantain leaves, which look like many common cooking herbs. I suppose I must choose one of them to try in the near future, or run the risk of Emma's stasis issues continuing. At the very least, I feel the need to try feeding them to Emma to see if they help her digestive system.

Of course, if ordering bulk dried plantain shouldn't work out for some reason, I will consider visiting a local store that may carry the leaves. I took French in jr. high and high school, but there's no reason why I couldn't practice some Spanish. ;)


Jenk
 
Jenk wrote:
mdith4him wrote:
We just buy the plain dried papaya from the pet store, too. There are a couple kinds--some with dyes to make them tropical colors. I don't buy that since I don't know why a bunny would care about bright blue papaya pieces! Plus I don't want the extra chemicals in their little bodies. There are totally plain ones, though, and the only added ingredient is sulfur dioxide for preservation. It has a slightly powdery coating that looks like sugar, but it's not.
Click to expand...
Pet stores by you offer actual dried papaya pieces? Or do you mean papaya tablets? (I won't feed papaya tablets anymore, since my one bun has coughing spells after eating one; it's just not worth the risk.)

The dried papaya pieces I used to buy from the produce store were definitely unsweetened, as they were labeled as such. And the sugar content of the papaya now being sold--which is not labeled as unsweetened--has 29 g of sugar per serving. (I forget what's considered a serving size.) And I can see the whitish coating on the pieces. Very disappointing...



Thank you,

Jenk
Click to expand...
We get both papaya pieces and papaya tablets at PetSmart. It's their store brand, All Living Things. See here: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12293268
They used to sell a different kind, too, but I think they've discontinued it. You can buy it here, though: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002J4UBC2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
According to the description, these Peter's Treats are JUST papaya. No additives of any kind.
 
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I think there's a confusion about the kind of plantain that is the herb. The herb has is a common yard weed whose scientific name is Plantago major. See the list of herbs I posted earlier today in the Infirmary section.

Right now the drought has dried them up, but you can find many pictures etc on the internet. I dug up a number of plants this spring & have them in pots where they're doing nicely. They're weeds, so easy to care for. I even found a source of the seeds, as digging up my yard was getting problematic, from England, but they haven't arrived yet. Let me know by PM if you want any of the seeds.
 
I'm going to look into dried plaintain leaves myself; my buns hate the papaya tablets with a passion. Everything I'd seen around here is sugar coated. Hmm.

I'll share my findings!
 
mdith4him wrote
We get both papaya pieces and papaya tablets at PetSmart. It's their store brand, All Living Things. See here: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12293268
They used to sell a different kind, too, but I think they've discontinued it. You can buy it here, though: http://www.amazon.com/Peters-Nature-Treats-Animals-Papaya/dp/B002J4UBC2
According to the description, these Peter's Treats are JUST papaya. No additives of any kind.
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My problem with those papaya pieces is that they have sulfur dioxide added, which is obvious from their unnaturally dark color. That's what I loved about the dried papaya I used to be able to get: it was unsweetened and unsulfurated.

Even though Amazon.com states that the Peter's product has no additives, the color of the product would suggest that it also contains sulfur dioxide. Maybe I'm just overly worried, and sulfur dioxide wouldn't hurt a bun. Still, I like the idea of having no additives in the papaya fed.

I think I'm going to have to ask my local produce store if they can still get me unsweetened, unsulfurated dried papaya. If that fails--and it might, if I'm the only person who wants it--then I'll see if Trader Joe's has anything. (TJ's is a bit farther from my house, which is why I've not considered that store before now.)

Jenk
 
LakeCondo wrote:
I think there's a confusion about the kind of plantain that is the herb. The herb has is a common yard weed whose scientific name is Plantago major. See the list of herbs I posted earlier today in the Infirmary section.

Right now the drought has dried them up, but you can find many pictures etc on the internet. I dug up a number of plants this spring & have them in pots where they're doing nicely. They're weeds, so easy to care for. I even found a source of the seeds, as digging up my yard was getting problematic, from England, but they haven't arrived yet. Let me know by PM if you want any of the seeds.
Click to expand...
Is it definitely the common weed that bun owners are using to help prevent stasis?


Jenk
 
Do a web search for "plantain leaves benefits". I don't know if it can prevent stasis, but it is supposed to lubricate mucus membranes & for gastrointestinal inflammation.

All I know is that Honey likes it & the leaf of it I tried tasted good, so when the seeds come I'll plant enough for me as well as her. The place I ordered the seeds from [World Seeds ?] were selling them for human consumption, so I know I'm not the only human who thinks they're good. And the fact they're a perennial is a plus.
 
LakeCondo wrote:
Do a web search for "plantain leaves benefits". I don't know if it can prevent stasis, but it is supposed to lubricate mucus membranes & for gastrointestinal inflammation.
Click to expand...
The one thing that bums me out is that for a long while, I've given Emma Phytomucil, which is supposed to soothe the digestive tract. But she still has stasis issues, which seem to come on whenever she takes a nip of baseboard, sheds, or exposed to a temp. higher than 77-deg. F. (You can view Phytomucil on this webpage: http://www.animalessentials.com/#products:71:2.)

Phytomucil is recommended by a holistic exotics-only vet near my area, so I'd had high hopes that keeping Emma on it permanently would prevent this yo-yo of stasis issues. (She's had four bouts since spring of 2011.)


Jenk


 
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