Jules and Daisy came home tonight!

[kaosu]

Daisy (otter) and Jules came home today!

All the cats are curious and polite.
We are trying to leave them alone to settle in...so hard I want to pet and hold them!
We fed them some treats...and got stomped at by Jules trying to be to lovey ahah.
Cant wait for them to be settled in!

 

[Azerane]

Hooray! Congrats, I'm sure they'll settle in well. How exciting

 

[kaosu]

We are trying to love yhem up with treats..jules makes little grinding noises at us..and Daisy just nibbles the treats.
We get a few head scratches from both but they still go away and hide.
I want to cuddle them!....more treats are in order.

 

[Blue eyes]

Careful on the treats! With the stress of the new move, their GI tract is more susceptible to problems. Too many treats could add to that.

Other than that, congratulations!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Sooooooooooooooo Cuuuuuuuuuuuuute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kaosu]

Careful on the treats! With the stress of the new move, their GI tract is more susceptible to problems. Too many treats could add to that.

Other than that, congratulations!

I guess i should of been more spacific about treats aha. We are giving them small slices of carrot..less than 1/2 inch round and long when we sit in front of the cage maybe two at a time if they want to come out to us, also some dandelion greens.

 

[Blue eyes]

Yeah. Carrots are real high in sugar. No more than a 1" slice total per day is considered allowable under normal circumstances. But any sugar can increase the likelihood of GI stasis in a stressed rabbit. It's best to avoid all sugars for the first few days when a rabbit is naturally stressed.

 

[kaosu]

Yeah. Carrots are real high in sugar. No more than a 1" slice total per day is considered allowable under normal circumstances. But any sugar can increase the likelihood of GI stasis in a stressed rabbit. It's best to avoid all sugars for the first few days when a rabbit is naturally stressed.

Ah yes I should of known this, no more carrot for a little while.

 

[Klelia_Jerry]

They are so adorable, congratulations!!!

 

[kaosu]

We got lots of pets and cuddles today in the bigger pen, while cleaning the smaller cage!

They are settling in well and we set up a larger temp cage.

 

[Ivythelionhead]

Omg baby buns.

 

[Azerane]

Omg baby buns.

They're not babies, they're full-grown Netherland Dwarf rabbits

 

[flemishwhite]

About feeding rabbits as this was a subject in some posts...we feed out rabbits just about everything and they decide what and how much they want to eat. They have unlimited oat hay, green leafy vegetables, pellets, to eat. We also feed them treats of banana, apple, guava, carrot. When you give them ample amounts of all this stuff, I think they will naturally eat the correct amounts of each.

Rabbits need to eat pellets, hay, and green leafy foods to nourish the bacteria in their Cecum stomach. It's interesting that a rabbit will turn down a tasty sweet treat sometimes to eat very plain tasting hay, pellets, etc. They have an instinctive knowledge that they have to eat things to feed the bacteria in their Cecum stomach!!!
.........
Bunnies have two stomachs. One is like ours. The other is at the juncture of the small intestine and large intestine. It's called the Cecum. It's a major stomach for bunnies. For humans, it's a vestigal organ know as the appendix.

 

[Blue eyes]

About feeding rabbits as this was a subject in some posts...we feed out rabbits just about everything and they decide what and how much they want to eat. They have unlimited oat hay, green leafy vegetables, pellets, to eat. We also feed them treats of banana, apple, guava, carrot. When you give them ample amounts of all this stuff, I think they will naturally eat the correct amounts of each.
.

I'd have to respectfully disagree based on my experience. I've seen rabbits refuse hay in favor of pellets, refuse pellets in favor of sugary fruits, refuse greens over those fruits too.

I've also seen numerous people here on RO dealing with picky rabbits that must have their diet closely regulated otherwise they either eat too much of the wrong foods or not enough of the right foods... and then end up with digestive issues.

The following article from the House Rabbit Society advocates a diet of unlimited grass hay, 2-4 cups of leafy greens, severely limited plain pellets and only the occasional small amount of fruit for treat.
http://rabbit.org/natural-nutrition-part-ii-pellets-and-veggies-2/

As for the idea that rabbits naturally eat the correct amounts of what they need, I do know that rabbits will happily munch down on toxic plants without knowing better. And one rabbit we had liked to raid the kitchen pantry for potato chips if the door was left open (his first choice was the sweet maui onion flavored chips!). So I don't believe they naturally eat what is good for them or what their body needs. It is up to us to regulate a reasonable diet.

 

[flemishwhite]

I'd have to respectfully disagree based on my experience. I've seen rabbits refuse hay in favor of pellets, refuse pellets in favor of sugary fruits, refuse greens over those fruits too.

I've also seen numerous people here on RO dealing with picky rabbits that must have their diet closely regulated otherwise they either eat too much of the wrong foods or not enough of the right foods... and then end up with digestive issues.

The following article from the House Rabbit Society advocates a diet of unlimited grass hay, 2-4 cups of leafy greens, severely limited plain pellets and only the occasional small amount of fruit for treat.
http://rabbit.org/natural-nutrition-part-ii-pellets-and-veggies-2/

As for the idea that rabbits naturally eat the correct amounts of what they need, I do know that rabbits will happily munch down on toxic plants without knowing better. And one rabbit we had liked to raid the kitchen pantry for potato chips if the door was left open (his first choice was the sweet maui onion flavored chips!). So I don't believe they naturally eat what is good for them or what their body needs. It is up to us to regulate a reasonable diet.

Thank for this reply. I'm always interested in reading about feeding my bunnies. I really want to do what is best for them.

About pellets. My vet has cautioned providing liberal amounts of pellets. Most are very high in calories because they have added molasses, etc. When I buy pellets, I try to get pellets that have no added sugar; i.e pellets that don't have that much of a good taste! Feeding my previous adult bun, I found that she didn't not eat pellets that much when offered oat hay, ample green vegetables, and some treats. With my now 3 and 1/2 month old Flemish babies (babies!! they are already big) they have hearty appetites. They have unlimited oat hay (and some timothy), unlimited dark green veggies, and they still chomp down noticeable amounts of pellets. And treats..

Treats: They love sweet stuff and it's hard to turn them down because that's when all my bunnies have become pro-actively friendly. When I reach down to pet them, they start searching my hand hoping to find a treat. They'll stand up on their hind feet stretching out for a treat...and run around my feet in expecting a treat. It's hard to turn them down. Bunny treats here are banana, apple, and guava. When in season, bing cherries will be on the list. But, as I did write in my original post, I do believe bunnies have an instinctive urge to feed their bacteria in their Cecum. The Cecum bacteria need cellulose to live and the bunny needs these bacteria to live. I have seen many times my previous rabbit would ignore her sweet treat and instead start feeding on green vegetables or hay, as if somehow she instinctively knew she had to feed her Cecum bacteria!