Too Thin

[Barley N. Hopps]

Barley has recovered from another round of GI Stasis which I believe was caused by ingesting a lot of hair from a huge molt. I have two questions actually;

1. What's a healthy way to fatten up a skinny bunny who is very picky and simply doesn't eat much? I can feel his ribs, spine and hip bones.

2. Is there a way I can prevent GI Stasis besides having him eat massive amounts of hay? I think I read here that someone gives their bunny pineapple juice regularly. Barley just plain doesn't eat enough, no matter what I've tried.

Any suggestions are gratefully accepted!
- Liz

 

[JBun]

If your bun doesn't have bladder sludge issues, then I've found the best thing for putting on some weight is adding a good green leafy alfalfa hay into the diet(leafy alfalfa will have higher protein). Some people will add a little bit of oats, but if your bun is prone to GI problems, adding in a high carb food probably isn't good. I think a little bit of plain canned pumpkin can sometimes be used too. Any new food should be introduced gradually.

I don't know that pineapple juice really helps at all. Hay and good hydration will be the most helpful, and limiting sugary starchy foods as they slow down a rabbits digestion. If your bun will eat a stalky mature hay, feeding some of that will help as the indigestible fiber is what helps the most to increase a rabbits gut motility. Also brushing well when your bun is molting.

If your bun will chew on tree branches, then giving some pesticide free apple, willow, raspberry branches can be helpful by adding lots of indigestible fiber.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Food/Branch/Branch_en.htm

 

[Barley N. Hopps]

Thank you for your reply, Jenny! I used to give Barley a little bit of rolled oats daily, but stopped when he had his first bout of GI Stasis last summer. All he gets to eat now is fresh green leafy things, 1/3 cup pellets, hay and water, with about 5 blueberries or 3 grapes, or some small piece of fruit daily. He also enjoys some willow twigs that I bought from a reliable source, and tends to munch the kiln-dried pine shavings in his litter box. I'd been avoiding alfalfa hay after one of my daughter's chinchilla's had to have surgery to remove a bladder stone (calcium) and I was afraid of Barley developing one too, and had read that adult rabbits shouldn't be given it anyway. I added plain canned pumpkin to his Critical Care last summer when syringe-feeding and probably ruined that taste for him! I did try offering it to him beforehand to see if he'd eat it on his own, but he refused it. About how much alfalfa hay would you suggest?

 

[JBun]

It would be hard to recommend an amount, as it's a lot of just trial and error. I feed my 3 lb bun a small handful a day. You just kind of have to start with an amount and see how your bun responds to it. If you don't want to use alfalfa hay, an early growth leafy grass hay might be a good alternative. The earlier the growth of grass, the higher the nutrients and protein. A hay that is all leaf and no stems, and is nice and green. Possibly something like this: (just make sure to introduce rich foods like this gradually)
http://shop.smallpetselect.com/5lbs-Third-Cutting-Timothy-Hay-_p_104.html

You still will want to provide branches and hay with stems, so that your bun is also getting enough indigestible fiber for good gut motility.

It can be hard because there are limited ways to help increase weight in a rabbit, and if that rabbit is sensitive to certain foods, it makes it even harder.

 

[Barley N. Hopps]

I think I'm on the right track then, Jenny, because Barley is eating the Oxbow brand timothy hay which looks very much like the stuff in the picture. It's interesting that the hay in the small bags looks green and leafy, and yet the hay in the big bag I bought has more stalks and stems. I put handfuls of that stuff in his litter box to encourage noshing while he's in his "office". (He spends quite a bit of time just sitting in his litter box - thinking, I presume.) I also put handfuls of the green and leafy hay in other spots where he likes to just sit and he's been eating that. I'm monitoring his weight regularly and at least it's holding steady and not going down! He's never been a plump rabbit. Maybe it's just his natural tendency to be a bit lean. Not so appealing to hunters that way!