Long haired bunnies!

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Mariah

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 20, 2011
Messages
629
Reaction score
68
Location
Dundas, Ontario, Canada
I have Papaya- a 6 month old neutered fuzzy holland lop!

He is so fuzzy! If I don't brush him about 3 times a week, he gets mats and looks all scruffy.

I'm wondering if I should start giving him Papaya tablets to help with the amount of hair he probably eats when grooming himself?
 
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.
 
I brush Teddy AT LEAST once a week. When she's molting I'll brush her 1-2 times a day. I've heard bad things about rabbits ingesting too much hair and I'm a bit of a worry-wart.
 
I was always under the assumption that Papaya and pineapple help move fur along?

Both my buns have access to plenty of fresh water and Timothy hay at all times.
 
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.






 
I agree with hay as the best "scrub brush" for healthy digestion. Wool breeds are more prone to fur mites, so examine skin regularly and keep on on grooming so mats don't get out of hand.
 
Papaya is a pretty good hay eater. I always see him munching on throughout the day. I have seen hair in his poops though so that's where my concern comes from.

So are you guys saying not to give Papaya tablets to Papaya?

Kiwi grooms him a lot so I was giving her a 1/4 tab a day for the past 2 days to build up to a full tablet a day.

Kiwi also gets pineapple juice which she loves. I have going to give some to Papaya too, but he has a sensitive stomach so I was holding off on that for a bit. Long story, but he had a poopy bum so I didn't want to give him something new just yet.
 
Boy do I know how you feel!!!


14476_270106_280000003.jpg

 
Oddly enough, Faith is really fuzzy, but unless she changes when she gets older, doesn't shed a lot. We brush her a bit every night, but no hair ever comes off.
 
hi, i brush my rabbit once or twice a week and he has plenty of hay and water all he time. i all so give him cucumber every day which helps to keep regular and because it contains alot of water he wees alot and keeps him hydrated. cute bunny by the way. :D
 

Latest posts

Back
Top