Fed my bunny corn, very worried!

[Apollolyptic]

I’m a first time bunny owner, but long time pet owner and I should definitely know better than this. I typically am wary of ‘cute’ pet products but I saw the Vitakraft ‘mini pop’ corn treats and thought it would be a great fun treat for Cricket (it never occurred to me that corn could be bad for bunnies until tonight when I looke it up). I gave her one of the little cobs a couple days ago and she’s been working on it, she probably finished like 75% of it.
I’m so terrified of GI stasis and blockages, rabbits are just so fragile it’s freaking me out and after seeing that even one corn kernel can cause blockages I’m basically thinking ‘I’ve doomed my rabbit’. I took out her pellets and gave her extra hay, but I’m not sure what else to do. How long until I’m ‘in the clear’ so to speak, in terms of a blockage? I’m not sure if I’m looking for advice or reassurance, I just feel horrible for not doing more research before giving her something like that..

 

[Preitler]

Well, no cause for panic, that blockage risk might be there but is overrated a lot, but keep an eye on her. When I started raising rabbits I fed quite a lot of corn (cooked on the cob) for some time without immidiate problems, before I learned more.
I wouldn't change her diet and give her her normal dose of pellets and other foods - everything she eats keeps things going. Just cut out the corn.

Corn isn't good rabbit food because of it's composition, but it isn't toxic or so. Just junkfood. Then there is the problem that dry kernels are very hard and big - there's nothing in nature that would have prepared rabbits for that, it can damage their teeth. More of a long term issue than teeth breaking, the immense force needed can make the roots grow where they don't belong.

Pet rabbits don't need those calories anyway, it makes them fat. It made even growing meat rabbits fat, which was somewhat surprising and utterly pointless.
There are more healthy treats. Most stuff you can buy in colourful little plastic bags in pet shops is about marketing, not about your rabbits health, no matter what the label says.

 

[Apollolyptic]

Well, no cause for panic, that blockage risk might be there but is overrated a lot, but keep an eye on her. When I started raising rabbits I fed quite a lot of corn (cooked on the cob) for some time without immidiate problems, before I learned more.
I wouldn't change her diet and give her her normal dose of pellets and other foods - everything she eats keeps things going. Just cut out the corn.

Corn isn't good rabbit food because of it's composition, but it isn't toxic or so. Just junkfood. Then there is the problem that dry kernels are very hard and big - there's nothing in nature that would have prepared rabbits for that, it can damage their teeth. More of a long term issue than teeth breaking, the immense force needed can make the roots grow where they don't belong.

Pet rabbits don't need those calories anyway, it makes them fat. It made even growing meat rabbits fat, which was somewhat surprising and utterly pointless.
There are more healthy treats. Most stuff you can buy in colourful little plastic bags in pet shops is about marketing, not about your rabbits health, no matter what the label says.

Thank you so much for your reply, it helped me a lot. She seems to be doing fine which is a huge relief. Like you said, I’m very quickly learning that all the cute bunny products are just junk. I’m currently looking into much better treats for my girl. Thank you!

 

[Blue eyes]

I don't see how one corn kernel can cause a blockage. It is the hull on the kernels that are indigestible so it would take a bunch of them to cause a blockage. You did the right thing by taking it away and offering hay.

If you are looking for better treats, the following may be helpful:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/treats.html