I've heard alot about coconut oil being good for rabbits coat and skin. I would like to try it with my show ND's. Does anyone have more information on it? Has anyone tried it? I read to give a pea sized amount every 2 or 3 days.
Coconut Oil?
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CDiana
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i am going to have to try that. I love coconut oil. My and my younger son have it regularly. I also do coconut oil pulling occasionally. (where you swish the oil around in you mouth for 20 mins to help pull toxins out of your system, also freshens breathe). When my dog was constipated and feeling really ill. I gave him a tablespoon of coconut oil. It helped him and he started feeling better. I was wondering what i could do to help my rabbits with coat health. So I am glad to see you mention the subject.
Comet007
Well-known member
You might try rubbing some on your palms, so you have a light coating, then run your hands lightly over their coat. This way the coconut oil can be utilized directly by their hair and skin. I use coconut oil on my face sometimes before bedtime - I put it on without washing my face first (not needed!) and go to bed a little shiny. When I wake up in the morning my face is as soft as a rash-less babies bottom and not the least bit oily, and it purifies and softens my skin incredibly well! I also use it to condition my hair and if I get dry patches on my elbows or wherever. Great stuff. I've recommended this to many of my clients, even ones with oily skin (especially them), and every single one who has tried it raves about the benefits.
Do be aware that given orally, coconut oil can give a slight laxative effect until you get used to it, which is why people have successfully used eating coconut oil right off the spoon to lose weight and clean out the digestive tract. Of course, in a rabbit that could be a problem!
Do be aware that given orally, coconut oil can give a slight laxative effect until you get used to it, which is why people have successfully used eating coconut oil right off the spoon to lose weight and clean out the digestive tract. Of course, in a rabbit that could be a problem!
I was wondering about the laxative effect but with some research I did not find it mentioned on any sites. There does seem to be controversy over the health benefits of ingested coconut oil. Personally I like a sunflower and flax(aka linseed) blend which can be the oils or the whole seeds. Many animals can't digest the flax hulls well though and I wasn't sure about rabbits so I substitute chia seed when I want a whole seed to put in the mix.
Comet007
Well-known member
Hmm, I don't think there's much controversy on coconut oil - maybe you're thinking of canola? Lots of controversy there! Coconut oil and other coconut products (if processed correctly) are pretty much undisputed healthy foods. Not as many people use it for actual weight loss, it's pretty touch to just eat a spoonful of oil! I do think the info is out there if you dig, because there have been studies done - I read them a couple years ago in my research. There are actually a couple books out there written just about the health benefits of organic coconut oil. And the good news now - Costco carries the big organic tub for a pretty cheap price for something that you can use for cooking, beauty and health benefits!
Comet007
Well-known member
akane":2d3n97pt said:
With all due respect - wikipedia is produced and contributed to by pretty much any individual that wants to add to it. There are different kinds of saturated fats - and yes, I think there is an operative word in what you quoted - "consumption of high amounts". I think that people forget that moderation in all things is a necessity - people have died from drinking too much water! As for the kind of saturated fat - LCT vs MCT - there's not much dispute about the health benefits of the latter vs. the former. You can look online and find people who still say margarine is good for you, and all I can say is... what a crock!
One important note - I am only referring to organic cold pressed coconut oil - any other coconut oil products have things done/added that harm the nutritional benefits. Coconut oil has a saturated fat called lauric acid, a type of MCT (medium chain triglycerides - this accounts for 60% of the saturated fats in coconut oil). It has been shown that breaking down these types of healthy fats in the liver leads to efficient burning of energy. Because MCTs are transported directly from the intestinal tract to the liver, they're likely to be directly burned off as fuel and raise the metabolic rate slightly, and that less is available to be circulated throughout the body to be deposited in fat tissues.
It has also been proven in studies that lauric acid increases the good HDL cholesterol in the blood to help improve cholesterol ratio levels. Coconut oil lowers cholesterol by promoting its conversion to pregnenolone, a molecule that is a precursor to many of the hormones our bodies need.
In any case, I would agree that many health claims are based mostly on anecdotal evidence - but some other good reading is to research the limited health issues in societies where they have a high amount of coconut products in their diets, including coconut oil. It's pretty interesting reading.
For the purposes of this post, however, I was primarily recommending the coconut oil to be used externally. It is known for being antimicrobial, antibacterial and antiviral and as such it is really great for external applications. If you look at my original post in this thread, I only cautioned about internal use, because it can have a laxative effect as it cleans out your system. Ask me how I know this... okay, not really! :lol: :lol: :lol: I primarily wanted to alert the OP about this because of issues that rabbits have with things of that effect.
Just because wiki is contributed to by individuals does not make it a bad source of info. I find a group of people, such as on this forum, doing their own research and first hand accounts to be more reliable than questionably funded studies. Wiki does also require where the info came form and to not use opinions in articles. Coconut oil is both a laxative and very high in saturated fat. It may not be as bad as other sources of fat but it's still waaaay over other oils.
Flax or chia and sunflower make a good mix of omega 6 and 3. You want omega 3 to be higher than omega 6 and flax is much higher than coconut. That would be the (w-3) linolenic acid on the wiki chart.
Flax or chia and sunflower make a good mix of omega 6 and 3. You want omega 3 to be higher than omega 6 and flax is much higher than coconut. That would be the (w-3) linolenic acid on the wiki chart.
Comet007
Well-known member
akane":13bxqs4c said:
If you read this forum, you'll find that here and there, incorrect information is posted - or in other cases, different views on ways of doing things. Everything we read needs to be subjected to scrutiny. There is more than one good oil out there, though not many.
However, I think that you're really off topic here - go back and read my first post and you will see (once again, last time) that I was recommending TOPICAL use of coconut oil and cautioning about laxative effect potential. I see no reason for argument or debate on this issue in this thread- perhaps you'd like to start a new thread to debate the topic?
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This is true, though it's probably more different views on ways of doing things than it is incorrect information... especially since members tend to correct one another when something is actually wrong.Comet007":3fqwfwtr said:
I don't see how Akane is off topic. If Akane is, then the whole thread is. The OP asked about coconut oil use in rabbits, yet (save for a couple of sentences) the thread has dealt with coconut and other oil use in humans, because there is very little information on coconut oil use in rabbits. I did a search. I found one study, and it dealt only with measuring triglyceride levels in rabbits given various combinations of coconut or olive oil and dietary cholesterol. Nothing about general health, skin, or fur impacts.Comet007":3fqwfwtr said:
I would figure it would probably be ingested anyway, as the rabbit bathes itself. I imagine some of it would stay in the fur and skin, though. Some give black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) to improve fur, so it wouldn't surprise me if coconut oil, even ingested in small amounts, would do the same thing.MR_ND":3fqwfwtr said:
ckcs
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I've fed boss to my lionheads and felt their coats improved. I give the about tsp a day
Comet007
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I knew there was something else for coats that I just couldn't put my finger on - BOSS. I need to reference it is the medical section of my rabbit book, not just the feed! We are growing some sunflowers this year, but I need to look into growing this kind as well, and check on the nutrition breakdown of the various types of sunflower seeds to see if any can be used as substitutes.
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I'm hoping to grow some this year, too. I know buns can have the striped sunflower seeds, but they are lower in oils.
Comet007
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Good to know, thanks!
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Sorry I missed coming back to this... I remembered something about the striped sunflower seeds. I've seen lots of places that you're not supposed to feed them, and I finally decided to find out why.Comet007":30avuqgg said:
I finally learned that that applies to horses. The hulls of the striped seeds are too thick and tough for them to break down. Since rabbits slice through everything with those front teeth, it isn't an issue for them.
I think it got carried over to rabbits because so many things that apply to horses apply to rabbits. It just isn't the case with striped sunflower seeds.
I just wanted to throw that up there, in case you started looking it up and found all these places saying, "Don't feed striped sunflower seeds to rabbits!"
Comet007
Well-known member
Thanks vey much! I haven't researched it yet, but I do have some sunflowers growing - they're almost a foot tall now, and I was thinking of feeding them to my breeding stock as treats once I finished my research!
Thank you everyone. I have started putting coconut oil on my show rabbits and I have been giving some BOSS. But I am having trouble getting them to eat their BOSS. Isabel got mad this morning once she figured out I hadn't put the pellets in her bowl and it was BOSS, she ran around the pen kicked over her bowl and stomped her feet at me. How do I get them to like their BOSS. I have been mixing it with their pellets but they still aren't to keen on it.
MamaSheepdog
Well-known member
When I was feeding a grain mix rather than pellets, I noticed that some rabbits would ignore the BOSS for a while and then all of a sudden eat all of the leftover BOSS in the bottom of their feeders.
To get them to at least try it, you might try tossing the seeds with a molasses/water blend to put a light coating on the husks. Once they realize that there is yummy stuff inside those boring shells they might start eating it.
To get them to at least try it, you might try tossing the seeds with a molasses/water blend to put a light coating on the husks. Once they realize that there is yummy stuff inside those boring shells they might start eating it.
