Pet Chat -> Forums -> Pet Health -> BOO

shadylady

hi has any one got advice for me on what to feed my rabbit Boo i feed all my rabbits exactly the same thing russel rabbbit pet food and fresh hay every day and every now and again they get vegetables and fruit like say once every two days. but boo is the only one who gets diarrhoea i rung my vet who said the only thing that might be makin her have it is the vegatables but i dont think i feed them that much. i dont no what to do very concerned and baffled owner. pic of boo
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honeydlc

Have you tried Bio Lapis? This is a probiotic powder which you sprinkle over the food. It helps restore beneficial gut bacteria in bunnies with diarrhoea, you should be able to get it from your vets. It might be worth reducing the Russell Rabbit and increasing the hay to increase fibre levels, hope Boo is feeling better soon (she's very cute btw)
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Georgia, Honey Bear, Rosie, Obi, Timber, Mia, Oscar and Mango XXXX

shadylady

thank you i will ring the vets in the morning and then tell you if they give it her thank you again
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Twig

Some bunnies can't stomach fresh food at all, what have you tried her with and how old is she? You really need to start small, and with something that isn't too watery like cucumber. Celery leaves are generally a good start, and I'd only give her a mouthful and see how she goes.

How much dry feed do you feed? Is it unlimited?

shadylady

boo is 5 yrs old and i feed her carrot, cauliflower leaves, celery, dandelion leaves, apples, pears, sprouts and broccoli
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Spud

The problem may lie in the type of vegetables that you are feeding. If I were you, I would scrap the cauliflower leaves, sprouts and broccoli and dramatically cut down on carrot, apple and pear. If something is prone to causing a human gas, it is generally recommended that you don't feed it to rabbits which is why I wouldn't feed the cauliflower, sprouts or broccoli. Carrots, apple and pear are very high in sugar so I'd limit carrot to about an inch every day (or a carrot a week, whichever works best) and perhaps just a tablespoon of fruit every couple of days. Note that this would be AFTER weaning the bunny on to regular vegetable meals.

The diet that you are feeding your bunny has an uncanny resemblance to the one that my foster cavies were on when they arrived here. What I did was completely remove vegetables from their diet and feed them on unlimited fresh, green, grass hay while gradually and pellets (they were on unlimited pellets when they got here, but now no more than 1tbsp daily per pig). Once I was sure that they were settled, I gave each pig a small amount of romaine lettuce. I kept them on JUST a leaf of romaine lettuce (along with the hay and pellets) for three or four days, until I was certain that their stomachs had settled down. After this, I introduced a small amount of bell pepper and waited for the same amount of time. I did the same thing over the next few weeks, gradually building up the variety of foods that they were given until eventually they were able to be fed one tablespoon of pellets MAXIMUM, unlimited hay and a full bowl of whichever fresh vegetables happened to be on sale. They get fruit as a treat only, due to the high sugar content, and brocolli/cauliflower/sprouts are a no-go in this house.

Ultimately whether or not you want to change the diet is up to you. Is your vet a small animal specialist, or a cat/dog vet? While of course you should take the advice of a veterinary surgeon over some random kid on the internet, please understand that most vets receive very little training on small animals/exotics, and very few choose to take an extra course in order to learn about them. So just be aware Smile

Good luck!

shadylady

thanks for the advice spud, should i cut her down on those vegetables and fruit gradually wean her off them, or take them off her diet straight away, this is quite an old post now and she has improved alot and she doesnt have diarrhoea now, but i would like to stop her developing this in the future, so i will make sure she doesnt get too much veg and fruit, also as binky her husband lol lives with her will this affect him? thanks
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