Thoughts on black oil sunflower seeds

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rebeccalyn7

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As most of you know my rabbit is going through a bit of a molt at the moment and i am looking for alternatives to help move her gut along, she is not a fan of hay, doesnt matter what type, i have cut down her pellets to 1 cup per day, broken into halfs, in the morning and arvo.

I have been looking at the black oil sunflower seeds and am not 100% on them. any advice or tips are most appreciated

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I find them great for health & conditioning, I us a small sprinkle on my disabled bunny Coco Puff's day feed & she nibbles a few a day but doesn't go crazy for them. They are great for putting a little fat on your bun & giving a nice soft & lustrous coat as they provide essential fatty acids.
 
I've seen some advice against feeding sunflower seeds, because of a possibility of impaction from the seed hulls. I can't say how large a risk that is, to be honest, given the number of people who regularly feed sunflower seeds without incident.

However, you can buy hulled sunflower hearts at the bulk food store which eliminates that concern, so I'd go that route. In fact, I do - Scone MacBunny received a few hulled sunflower seeds with breakfast every day all his life, and Natasha Rabbitova does now.
 
Sunflower seeds are not for fiber, which is what you want for molting rabbits. If she won't eat hay, even if that's all she has to eat, fresh, CHEMICAL FREE grass, clover and dandelions are good. (sometimes the grocery store has dandelion greens.) Leaf lettuce, spinach, kale. All good sources of fiber that a rabbit can eat.

If those shreds in the picture are your hay, that explains it, that is dry, brown hay Find some that is greener and she may like it. Timothy or grass horse quality, not alfalfa, even if you go to the feed store to get a bale. Some brown hay is fine but there should be some green to it as well. (and no black spots, white fuzz, or white or pale gray dust at all - those are all molds that can get into hay and, are very bad for rabbits.)
 
The black oil sunflower seeds are not really given for fibre. The oil helps keep the coat shiny. They do have more protein, which can help get a rabbit out of a moult a bit faster (or can trigger a moult as well).
 

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