Korr_and_Sophie wrote:
Papaya and pineapple really don't do anything and aren't effective with regards to fur.
The best thing it hay and water. Hay will help push out any fur and water keeps him hydrated which is also needed for proper gut function.
Keeping him brushed out also helps to prevent him from ingesting too much fur and also from getting matted. Shaving him can help with matting as well, but you still have to brush him when the fur gets longer.
Just a thought:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html
"D. Enzymatic digestive aids can be helpful in loosening and softening an impacted mass of food and hair (which, we remind you, is usually a symptom, not the cause of the problem!). Proteolytic (protein-dissolving) enzymes may be of either plant or animal origin. Papain (found in papaya) and bromelain (found in pineapple) may help to break down mucus binding an obstruction, thus allowing it to slowly break up and pass."
She has experience with this, so I think we should at least look into it before posting opinions! She doesn't recommend tablets, though. She recommends buying the enzyme powder from a health food store or whatever, putting it in water and giving it to them that way:
"Both papain and bromelain are available in powdered form at most health food stores, and should be reconstituted in water or Pedialyte shortly before use to ensure maximum potency. Papaya tablets are little more than a sugary treat: they contain very little active enzyme. Canned pineapple juice is useless, as it has been cooked, and its enzymes denatured and inactivated. Even fresh pineapple juice is not as desirable as powdered bromelain, since it is high in sugar, which is just about the last thing you want to add to a compromised rabbit's intestine!"
She definately recommends hay and water, of course, but the enzymes in these fruit aren't useless, according to her and many other studies.