I'm so sorry. It was really starting to sound like she was going to pull through.
GI Stasis / Bloat HELP!
- Thread starter mshill90
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mshill90
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I thought she was going to pull through too. She was really starting to come around.
What makes me more mad was that my Critical Care arrived yesterday morning in the mail..
I think if I would have gotten her and started treating her when the bloat first happened she would have made it, but I think those few days prior to me having her and being really stressed, along with my friend constantly moving her (carrying her from place to place on her back etc..) probably took a toll on her body and could have really messed something up internally.
So here's another question.. Can over feeding also cause bloat/GI? The reason I am asking is because until she mentioned transition feeding, I had never heard of doing it.. but note, I am fairly new to rabbits.. But I got my 4 adults when they were less than 12 weeks old, and I brought them home and just fed the food I had bought with no issues at all, but they only got fed once a day. And with my kits, I've changed their feed without transition, but again only fed once a day. By feeding once a day, I mean their bowl gets filled and that's all they get for the day. They ALWAYS have fresh water no matter how many times I have to fill that daily. And they always have hay. She said she feeds with the J feeders that hold like 2 cups, and she was filling it 3 times a day for this rabbit..
So, am I right in thinking it may not have been the transition, but maybe just an over feeding? I feed Manna, and she feeds Blue Seal... This is like the third Flemish kit that she has had die from bloat even when she has done a transition.
What makes me more mad was that my Critical Care arrived yesterday morning in the mail..
I think if I would have gotten her and started treating her when the bloat first happened she would have made it, but I think those few days prior to me having her and being really stressed, along with my friend constantly moving her (carrying her from place to place on her back etc..) probably took a toll on her body and could have really messed something up internally.
So here's another question.. Can over feeding also cause bloat/GI? The reason I am asking is because until she mentioned transition feeding, I had never heard of doing it.. but note, I am fairly new to rabbits.. But I got my 4 adults when they were less than 12 weeks old, and I brought them home and just fed the food I had bought with no issues at all, but they only got fed once a day. And with my kits, I've changed their feed without transition, but again only fed once a day. By feeding once a day, I mean their bowl gets filled and that's all they get for the day. They ALWAYS have fresh water no matter how many times I have to fill that daily. And they always have hay. She said she feeds with the J feeders that hold like 2 cups, and she was filling it 3 times a day for this rabbit..
So, am I right in thinking it may not have been the transition, but maybe just an over feeding? I feed Manna, and she feeds Blue Seal... This is like the third Flemish kit that she has had die from bloat even when she has done a transition.
whitelop
Morgan
They're babies so they should technically be able to have unlimited pellets, but that seems like a bit much. If she is feeding that much pelleted food, then she isn't feeding any hay. She should been feeding them more hay than anything. My baby bunny, who is like 8 weeks old and weaned much to young, gets between 1/4 and 1/2 a cup a day of pellets and as much hay as she can hold. While my bun is a dutch and your's are Flemmies, she should still only be feeling like a cup and half a day, or somewhere around there; plus all the hay that the buns can eat, plus some.
I would suggest not selling or giving this woman any more of the kits you have. She's obviously doing something wrong and needs to read up on rabbit nutrition. Its not fair for the buns to go through so much pain for nothing. I know you did all you could to help that poor baby, but its still not fair.
Even with the sudden transition from food to food, three rabbits with bloat is weird.
I would suggest not selling or giving this woman any more of the kits you have. She's obviously doing something wrong and needs to read up on rabbit nutrition. Its not fair for the buns to go through so much pain for nothing. I know you did all you could to help that poor baby, but its still not fair.
Even with the sudden transition from food to food, three rabbits with bloat is weird.
wendymac
Well-Known Member
Actually, the large breeds should have unlimited pellets (Flems, Flops, etc.). The pellet is a complete feed...containing the fiber, minerals, nutrients, protein etc. that a bunny needs. Especially those under 6 months old, because they are growing by leaps and bounds and need the feed.
I think that it can really depend on the individual rabbit, on how pellets are going to affect them. I have some adult rabbits that at one time I was free feeding and the only effect was that they gained weight, no GI issues. Then I have other rabbits that if I were to free feed them pellets, they would get sick. I have one baby bunny that I was free feeding like the rest of her siblings, but she kept getting soft poops, so I reduced the pellets and it cleared up, but as soon as I tried increasing the pellet amount with her, the soft poops came back. Then I have that one rabbit that I can't feed pellets to at all because he gets stasis if I do. And some rabbits are going to handle a pellet change better than others, and some rabbits are going to get sick. I think it may also depend on how drastic a change it is from one pellet to another. Like if you are feeding one kind of pellet and change to another brand, but the ingredients are basically the same, then I would think that it would be less disruptive, digestion wise, to the rabbit. As opposed to changing to a feed with different ingredients in it than what the rabbit is currently being fed. I think that in doing a transition, it's not that every rabbit needs that adjustment period, but that you do it just in case you do get a rabbit that would get sick if you didn't transition. And then it might be that some brands of feed cause more problems putting a new rabbit onto it suddenly, than others.
So with your friend, I think it could be over feeding, transitioning to the new feed too quickly, or some other factor like feeding treats or other things that might be causing the bloat. It could be one of these things, or a variety of factors. To be loosing so many rabbits to bloat, would mean that something she is doing is causing the problem. Could also be a problem with her feed. Hopefully she'll be open to suggestions and willing to make some changes to see if it helps her rabbits have less problems.
So with your friend, I think it could be over feeding, transitioning to the new feed too quickly, or some other factor like feeding treats or other things that might be causing the bloat. It could be one of these things, or a variety of factors. To be loosing so many rabbits to bloat, would mean that something she is doing is causing the problem. Could also be a problem with her feed. Hopefully she'll be open to suggestions and willing to make some changes to see if it helps her rabbits have less problems.
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