I have a problem

[SweetPeasMom]

Well My girls is over 2 yrs now, and she is a little heavy...by 1.5pounds over what she should be. She is a mini Rex female...never fixed.

When I give her hay she has 2 boxes to eat from at her whim, one alpha and the other orchard grass.

I give her once a day treat of a treat that I get a the pet store

But what I have been see in the pas few months is something I believe should not be happening...

When I give her fresh food, herbs,kale, lettuce..etc she get the very soft stool and I am not sure why...other then that she is healthy runs around and loves everyone. When she get the soft stool she gets sad as I cant take her out of her cage until it run its course. I have to through all the carpet out and buy her new one because it stinks so bad.

Have any of you heard that fresh food gives soft stool? I dont want to not give fresh but....not sure what to do


Ps....this summer when the fresh grass started I gave her some and she had the soft stool then too.:bawl:

 

[SweetPeasMom]

Oh before you all ask I do give pellets from Ox...about a 1/4 cup per day...



Ps..sorry for any spelling mistake :bunny24

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our Mini Rex is only given a small amount of veggies and we go with the drier herbs like parsley--we had the same problem with her and our big Checkered Giant. The Giant had a different reason though--we took her off pellets and she gets unlimited orchard grass and plenty of veggies. No pellets now and no need of cleanup. Our vet says that rabbits don't need the pellet as long as they have all the hay they can eat and a correct amount of veggies.

 

[Imbrium]

Rabbits are "supposed" to get 2+ cups of packed leafy greens per 6 lbs body weight per day... but some just don't tolerate the veggies well. We've got members who don't feed veggies or don't feed pellets because their bunny's got a delicate system and has digestive troubles if they eat something specific.

However, you mentioned that she's only been having diarrhea after eating veggies for the last few months... if she used to do fine with veggies and then that suddenly changed, I recommend getting her a vet check-up just to make sure there's not an underlying cause that needs to be dealt with. If there's not, then the solution may be to limit veggies very strictly or even cut them out of her diet completely.

As for her weight, does she look or feel "fat" to you, and has she always been heavy for her breed (since reaching adulthood) or did she gain weight recently?

I'm fairly certain that Mini Rex is a "dwarf" breed. Dwarf breeds are "dwarf" because of the dwarf gene, which is dominant. All adult dwarf rabbits that are the "proper" weight for their breed carry ONE copy of the dwarf gene and one normal copy of that gene. If you breed two dwarves, their offspring have a 25% of getting two copies of the dwarf gene (which is a lethal combination and the baby will die within a few weeks), a 50% chance of getting one dwarf copy/one normal copy (making them dwarves) and a 25% chance of getting two normal copies.

If a dwarf breed rabbit gets two normal copies of the gene, that doesn't change their breed but it *does* mean they won't be "dwarf" size - they will be much bigger than the standard for their breed because of genetics, not because of a weight issue.

I have a Holland Lop that weighs 4 lbs, 12 oz. The "standard" for that breed is 2-3 lbs, but she's much heavier because she didn't get a copy of the dwarf gene. It's very likely that your mini rex also didn't get a copy of the dwarf gene, hence her bigger size.

By the way, you should *really* look into getting her spayed (assuming she's not used in a breeding program, of course) - the average lifespan for unspayed females is HALF that of spayed females because they're so prone to cancers of the reproductive system.

 

[FreezeNkody]

She's over 2 she shouldn't be getting alfalfa. It's high in fat and protein.

 

[Imbrium]

She's over 2 she shouldn't be getting alfalfa. It's high in fat and protein.

Very valid point - I totally missed that bit of information. Alfalfa is also much higher in calcium than grass hays, which can cause health problems in some rabbits (as can the extra protein and calories). A *small* handful once every week or two wouldn't hurt, but it definitely shouldn't be free-fed.

Also, I forgot to mention this, but pet store treats should really be avoided! They're pretty much all unhealthy for rabbits (unless they're wood chews) due to the high sugar content and low nutritional value. If you wish to feed a treat, rabbits can be given up to 1 tsp of fruit per 2 lbs body weight each day, assuming they tolerate it well (in some, digestive problems can result from the sugar content). Keep in mind that dried fruit is more condensed than fresh, so lower amounts should be given if you offer dry fruit (I used to think that pomegranate-infused craisins were bunny crack... until we discovered cherry-infused craisins last week - my girls FIEND for them!).

 

[FreezeNkody]

My rabbits barely get veggies, just because they don't do well on them, maybe once and awhile I'll give them some fresh veggies, my 3 adult rabbits are on kaytee all Timothy pellets 1/4 cup daily and do very well on them, they are also on Timothy hay unlimited, Gunner is on oxbow young rabbit and Timothy hay. He won't eat Timothy pellets I found that out today lol

 

[SweetPeasMom]

I stopped give her alfalfa as her age I was to stop, and the little bugger stopped eating all together...No pellets not orchard grass either, not veggies no nothing. With the Alfalfa in her cage she will eat from it and from the orchard grass.

I really thought at that time she was dying on me, little did I know it was her way of blackmailing me. :lookaround

I only have the problem when I feed the fresh so after reading I think giving fresh is not best for her.

Thanks all for the help
Merry Christmas
Happy Holidays :hbunnysmell:

 

[Imbrium]

I stopped give her alfalfa as her age I was to stop, and the little bugger stopped eating all together...No pellets not orchard grass either, not veggies no nothing. With the Alfalfa in her cage she will eat from it and from the orchard grass.

I really thought at that time she was dying on me, little did I know it was her way of blackmailing me. :lookaround

When the time came to switch my girls off of alfalfa, they threw a fit too. They'd at least eat pellets and veggies, but they wouldn't eat grass hay. I tried SO many different cuts/brands/types (over a dozen) and the only thing they'd eat was an 80/20% orchard/alfalfa blend from Sierra Valley Pet Hay (I think it's grown together in the field). I eventually gave up and let them have it because I figured some alfalfa was better than no hay at all and they proceeded to pig out on that for the next 6-7 months.

When they got to be a year old (I weaned them onto the orchard/alfalfa mix by the time they were 7-8 mos), I started thinking about how much I wished they'd eat something without alfalfa in it due to the potential health issues so the next time I ordered hay (when they were 14 mos old or so), I got a 20 lb box of the orchard/alfalfa mix and a 20 lb box of pure orchard (the most economical way to order from that company is to get two 20 lb boxes, which come with an extra 5 lbs free). I started diluting the orchard/alfalfa blend with small amounts of the pure orchard and slowly increased the amount of pure orchard. They've finally reached the point where they'll still eat hay if I put out the plain orchard grass, so I can ecstatically say that I won't be ordering any more of the 80/20 mix .

In your situation, you absolutely did the right thing - even 12 hours without eating can cause GI stasis, which is a medical emergency. Blackmail or not, you had to do what you had to do to get her eating again!

Still, I wouldn't give free-choice alfalfa as an option - it's much better to limit it as much as she'll let you and possibly attempt to very slowly wean her off of it entirely. Given that she's 2 years old now, it may be worth trying again - after all, I had NO luck trying to take away alfalfa entirely at 7 mos old but at 17 months my girls will eat plain orchard. Sometimes their tastes change or they forget that they had their mind set on being stubborn about something .

 

[selbert]

When you introduce new food to a rabbit you should do it gradually. Slowly take away the alfalfa hay whilst introducing a new hay. This should be done with any type of food, be it veggies, treats, pellets, the change over should be slow and gradual. I hope your bun is eating better soon!