Becky D
Member
Hello. I've heard that dried papaya is good for rabbits and it might help them from developing GI stasis (hairball). I have a 5 lb. Holland lop (2 yrs. old) and I wonder how much to give him daily? A teaspoon, a tablespoon? Thanks!
Papaya bites
- Thread starter Becky D
- Start date
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Dried papaya may help with hair balls, and it may not. A couple pieces a day (depending on size) would probably suffice.
Holland Lops are usually not 5 pounds unless they're overweight or actually a Mini Lop. Could you post a picture of him?
Holland Lops are usually not 5 pounds unless they're overweight or actually a Mini Lop. Could you post a picture of him?
Becky D
Member
He does appear to be Mini Lop to me, but I could be wrong. Either way, cute.
Below is a picture of my male Holland Lop. You can tell there is a size difference in our buns. Mine is about 3.5 pounds and fully grown.
Below is a picture of my male Holland Lop. You can tell there is a size difference in our buns. Mine is about 3.5 pounds and fully grown.
Becky D
Member
Hello again. First of all, Bugs certainly is a cutie! Secondly, you seem to know alot about rabbits for being only 14 years old! So I checked again, and Widget weighs 4.5 lbs. not 5. He's purebred and his pedigree says Holland Lop. However going back 3 generations, the rabbits weighed around 3 lbs. SO....go figure!
Imbrium
Jennifer
Both Hollands I've had were around 4.5 lbs due to being false dwarves (no dwarf gene, making them too big to be "show" quality). A Holland lop won't be anywhere near 3 lbs without that gene.
The dwarf gene is dominant (only takes one copy to work). If they get a copy from BOTH parents (two dwarf genes), this is a fatal flaw referred to as a "peanut" - the kit will die before weaning age. One copy = dwarf sized, aka a "true dwarf". No copies (meaning two 'normal' copies of the gene) in a dwarf breed (like Hollands) = "false dwarf" (dwarf breed without dwarf size). To avoid peanuts, most breeders breed a false dwarf to a true dwarf - this eliminates any chance of receiving two copies of the dwarf gene. On average, half the offspring will be true dwarves and half will be false dwarves (vs 50% true, 25% false and 25% peanut when crossing two true dwarves). False dwarves are sold as pets or breeding stock, since they don't qualify for showing.
As for the papaya, the limit is 1 tsp per 2 lbs body weight per day for *fresh* fruit. Dehydrated fruit has significantly more sugar for the same volume since so much moisture has been removed. If it's the size I've seen before (approximately 1 cm wide cubes), I recommend about 2 a day for a 4.5 lb Holland.
The dwarf gene is dominant (only takes one copy to work). If they get a copy from BOTH parents (two dwarf genes), this is a fatal flaw referred to as a "peanut" - the kit will die before weaning age. One copy = dwarf sized, aka a "true dwarf". No copies (meaning two 'normal' copies of the gene) in a dwarf breed (like Hollands) = "false dwarf" (dwarf breed without dwarf size). To avoid peanuts, most breeders breed a false dwarf to a true dwarf - this eliminates any chance of receiving two copies of the dwarf gene. On average, half the offspring will be true dwarves and half will be false dwarves (vs 50% true, 25% false and 25% peanut when crossing two true dwarves). False dwarves are sold as pets or breeding stock, since they don't qualify for showing.
As for the papaya, the limit is 1 tsp per 2 lbs body weight per day for *fresh* fruit. Dehydrated fruit has significantly more sugar for the same volume since so much moisture has been removed. If it's the size I've seen before (approximately 1 cm wide cubes), I recommend about 2 a day for a 4.5 lb Holland.
Becky D
Member
Thanks for the info, Jennifer!
