Am I Overfeeding The Bunns

[b] Once again with only having a single house bunn before we have just put food for them which they have eaten what they want then come back when they are ready. With the two it seems that they eat everything not realising it would still be there later (I think thats what i mean). I am giving them Sciance selective twice a day and yummy salad twice a day with masses of hay for them to munch in between. Is that to mutch if so please advise.

i guess it depends o the amount of each really, mine have pretty much the same as yours but only a handful of nuggets at night time, and a little bit of this and that salad wise twice a day, my vet has always told me nuggets are a supplement more than anything, and to try and feed more hay and veg

Well because mine are outside buns, in winter-time they get a mug of pellets between them in the morning and then some veg at night. In the summer, the pellet ration is halved to a teacup between them.

Few handfuls of pellets in the morning for mine and then hay and veg rest of the day! Lots n lots of hay

Ruffin, I guess the big question is whether your buns are overweight? If not, then you are feeding them the right amount. Also, if they're young then they need more food to grow.

One of mine is overweight and I feed them a bunch of vegies in the morning and oaten hay for the rest of the day, getting them to lose weight is the biggest pain.

NSD wrote:Ruffin, I guess the big question is whether your buns are overweight? If not, then you are feeding them the right amount. Also, if they're young then they need more food to grow...

This is the best indicator. Do you know what their weight should be? There's a weight guide for most breeds here. How old are your newbies?

Mine are out on grass all day, so all mine get is pellets in the morning along with justgrass, and hay. In the winter they get extra bran and alfalfa.

I was worried about the same thing. My bunny gets a small dish of bunny brunch and veg in the morning and night plus the odd carrott piece in between, he has burgess excell hay all the time. Basil seems to make a lot of cecotrope poos and doesn't eat them all so he makes a mess of his cage even though he is litter trained, is this because he's eating too much?

bobtails wrote:I was worried about the same thing. My bunny gets a small dish of bunny brunch and veg in the morning and night plus the odd carrott piece in between, he has burgess excell hay all the time. Basil seems to make a lot of cecotrope poos and doesn't eat them all so he makes a mess of his cage even though he is litter trained, is this because he's eating too much?

I dont know if this would be because he is eating to much (im no expert), its more likely that something is disagreeing with him just a little bit.

What veggi's does he have? What is bunny brunch?

Daisy gets a single layer of nuggies in a small bowl in the morning and eve (very very few). He also has unlimited hay, a reasonable sized cup in the morning and evening of veg, a small amout of dried plantain/pear leaves or dandilion, and a small slither of apple in the evening (very small).

He is a funny little guy with food....very very fussy!

bobtails wrote:I was worried about the same thing. My bunny gets a small dish of bunny brunch and veg in the morning and night plus the odd carrott piece in between, he has burgess excell hay all the time. Basil seems to make a lot of cecotrope poos and doesn't eat them all so he makes a mess of his cage even though he is litter trained, is this because he's eating too much?

It can be a few things, too much veg, not enough fibre and/or too much digestable starch (pellets/certain greens/lettuce/fruit), all of which can disturb the gut flora. If he was mine, I'd cut back on the veg for now, stop the carrots and increase the hay for a start and see if it's that. It may be an idea to put him on hay only for a couple of days which may get his guts working properly. He may be sensitive to a particular food he's having - by going 'hay only' for a couple of days, you can re-introduce veg individually and see which one is causing the problem. He'll probably hate you for it, but excess ceacatropes can become problematic. Is he overweight and/or stressed?

You could also give him some probiotics (Biolapis from vet or Pro-C from P@H) which will help his gut flora. If the problem is persistent, he may need to see a vet, I think, but don't know for sure, that parasites can cause it too.

Bobtails - one of my trio were doing cecotrope poos around the place and it was because i was feeding them too many pellets, so I reduced the pellets and increased the hay and within 2 days it had stopped.

I wonder if Hazel is over weight as she is rather squidgy.

Thanks for all the help, in his little bowl which is used for hamsters and mice so its very small he has Wagg bunny brunch for healthy teath and bones, he's always had this from being a baby. I give him sprouts 3 a day one in the morning, evening and and one in between, I don't give him lettuce but I do try him with different veg if i have it in. I don't think he's fat or stressed he does a poo eats a bit then leaves the rest of it then i clean it up because he stands in it. I will just try him with the hay as suggested but its so hard not to give in because he comes to me asking for treats, when I feed him in the morning and night u'd think he'd never eaten for days.

Let us know how he gets on hun.

I know that when I gave daisy sprouts he had a similar reaction. He has a lot of spring greens now and hasnt had any problems since.

Good Luck, K x x

[b] They are good at making you feel like that Ruffin can hear the biscuit tin at 200m I think

[b] Katieb why only a small piece of apple is it bad for them or dosn' Daisy like it

Ruffin wrote:[b] Katieb why only a small piece of apple is it bad for them or dosn' Daisy like it

Apple is high in sugar and anything with to much sugar is not good for them......

Mind you he has outwitted me!

His whole mission in life was to get into the living room.....so as soon as the door was open he'd be in like a shot. I loved this cos I got to spend all evening with him. Because I felt bad that he was evicted to his extension at night I started giving him the apple....... Then the last couple of weeks he has stopped coming into the living room at night. I couldnt think why. The only thing I noticed was that every time I went to the kitchen he would binky and run round in excited circles......just like he does when his apple is on the way. The little monster is not coming in cos he thinks his apple will come quicker!

So I thought, I know i'll grab him, bring him into the living room (cos I want him in here with us in the eve) and ill give him a little piece of apple to make him want to start coming in here again. So I was feeling like a little victory was won, until I thought about it..

So now..........................................................he gets two pieces of apple! Hmmm I wonder who is training who?????????

[b] That brilliant he is a right little scamp just as a bunn should be. Jaz and Fiz have started jumping about all exited when I go into the office so I am assuming they are settling in now. Fiz still goes mad though if Ruffin gets in the room.

Oooh Jay that weight guide is good. Bella came in at 9kg on Sat! No wonder I put my back put everytime we go to vets!

Oh bella, I love her so much.

Bruce is only 4.5 kilos, with Josephine's 1.5 I struggle to carry them to the vets... I can't imagine how hard it is to take bella!

Katie, I thought you always knew who was really in charge? Josephine always figures out my treat routines far two quickly, she's a little but too intelligent for comfort my girl

Katie did you honestly think you could outwit a nethie!!!!!

bobtails wrote:Thanks for all the help, in his little bowl which is used for hamsters and mice so its very small he has Wagg bunny brunch for healthy teath and bones, he's always had this from being a baby. I give him sprouts 3 a day one in the morning, evening and and one in between, I don't give him lettuce but I do try him with different veg if i have it in. I don't think he's fat or stressed he does a poo eats a bit then leaves the rest of it then i clean it up because he stands in it. I will just try him with the hay as suggested but its so hard not to give in because he comes to me asking for treats, when I feed him in the morning and night u'd think he'd never eaten for days.

They are terrible at emotional blackmail, I think we can all relate to that 'feed me' look I'd think about moving him onto a complete pellet food and use the Wagg bunny brunch as treats. The fibre content is only 10%, and fibre is one of the most important things for a healthy gut. Science Selective is 19%, I think the recommended amount in solid food is 15%, and Burgess excel is 17%. You can do this by introducing pellets in his brunch, and over the course of a week or two, gradually replace the brunch with pellets. I'd cut out the sprouts, as Katie said. Hope it all goes ok, and keep us posted

Thanks Jay, no sprouts or carrots last night he's not made a mess so far, i'l try those pellets you suggested i'l have to get some in tho. Is that Burgess Hay ok? I found he eats that one best because it's got dandilions and other grasses in it, it's not cheap tho am i wasting my money. How do you keep your greens fresh mine soon go off and because I don't give him a lot it gets wasted, I'l be soon adopting two other bunnies soon so that might not be the case then.

bobtails wrote:Thanks Jay, no sprouts or carrots last night he's not made a mess so far, i'l try those pellets you suggested i'l have to get some in tho. Is that Burgess Hay ok? I found he eats that one best because it's got dandilions and other grasses in it, it's not cheap tho am i wasting my money. How do you keep your greens fresh mine soon go off and because I don't give him a lot it gets wasted, I'l be soon adopting two other bunnies soon so that might not be the case then.

Oh brilliant, new additions The Burgess herbage is fine - it's Timothy hay, which is good because it's very brittle, and is indigestible fibre, it's the only hay mine will eat too! I feed Stewie Spring greens, Corrainder, parsley, mint (good for tummy) grass, Blackberry leaves (there's loads out at the mo- they have something in them that's good for guts- they can have unlimited amount of these) . From spring onwards you can get Dandelion leaves and plantain leaves from outside too. There's a lot of free food if you're prepared to go foraging, and have the time.
I keep the greens in the fridge, he and get fresh every week. If you go to a greengrocers, you can just get exactly the amount you need. I sometimes get him a bit of Kale too, but use it sparingly as It's quite high in Calcium. If he runs out, or the veg goes off, he just gets hay and blackberry leaves for a couple of days, the poos get bigger too!

ETA: You may find this useful - taken from here

The rabbit is an herbivore that has evolved in the harsh conditions of the Iberian Peninsular where the herbage is of low quality. It is a selective feeder that spends around 70% of its active time feeding. It has an efficient digestive system that includes the production of 2 types of faeces, soft ceacal faecal balls and hard faecal droppings. The former are caught from the anus and redigested in a process known as refection. This proper functioning of the gut relies of a high fibre diet. The teeth grow continuously throughout the rabbit’s life. They are designed to slice and grind thin strips of vegetation, such as grass and hay. Unlike those of rodents, they are not designed to gnaw hard foodstuffs. The provision of such feeds can lead to the mis-alignment of the teeth, formation of sharp spikes, abscesses, and consequently death. The need for high fibre content provided in thin strips which take up a substantial portion of the animal’s day to eat is why it is strongly recommended that hay and fresh herbage forms the bulk of the diet, and commercial pellets are provided as a supplement.

Oh brilliant advice thanks Jay, Blackberry leaves I never knew that, we get blackberries in our garden which I just cut down because I don't like them. Ive tried Parsley and Corriander and he does like it. He's been better today not made a mess at all.