Crazybunlady
Member
Long story short, will my bun be full from eating hay to give critical care, i need to get him back on track with his system, just seems like he doesn't want it
Critical care and hay?
- Thread starter Crazybunlady
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John Wick
Well-Known Member
Hay is a food, so yes, it will be filling -- that being said, unless the purpose of the critical care diet supplement is weight gain or to help a nutrient-deficient rabbit, it is generally preferable to allow a rabbit to eat as much hay as he/she wants because it is hay that best helps normalize a rabbit's GI tract.
Is your rabbit eating a lot of hay(at least a pile the size of his body or more)? And why does your rabbit need critical care if he's eating lots of hay? Critical care is a recovery food that is usually for when a rabbit can't or won't eat.
Crazybunlady
Member
He stopped eating Sunday morning so I took him to the emergency vet to prevent stasis got back home 7hrs later and he started eating again but his poo was still very small as of yesterday. Took him to his regular vet and he said to give him critical care 2-4 times a day to regulate him and to motivate him to eat more since he still wasn't eating as much as he normally would.
Critical care feedings are only needed to supplement if a rabbit isn't eating or isn't eating very much of their normal food on their own. If your rabbit is eating some hay but not a lot, then I would gauge how much critical care feedings would be needed to supplement to get to near normal amounts of food per day for your rabbit. If your rabbit is eating 2 piles of hay the size of his body each day or more(and no pellets yet), that would be a normal amount and I wouldn't feel the need to do any supplemental critical care feedings. Good hay will get a rabbits digestive tract back to functioning normally better than any other food, provided the rabbit is eating the hay really well and drinking well. If you have concerns or are unsure about what to do with the critical care feedings, it's always best to call up your knowledgeable rabbit vet with your questions.
John Wick
Well-Known Member
Also be mindful that "over-feeding" Critical Care can dissuade hay appetite, since CC is very filling. If the goal is to increase hay consumption, you want to be intentional with how much and when you're feeding CC to allow your rabbit ample opportunity to eat hay.
