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My conclusion from summer and fall observations is that the first symptom is increased respiration rate, still shallow. It is not a reason for immediate concern but an early indication of discomfort.

Actually, the Standlee hay cubes are not recommended for rabbits. I assume it has to do with the clay filler. Every rabbit I have ever fed liked Kaytee timothy blend cubes because they like the feel of chewing them. The fiber length seems long enough to replace hay but they don't eat that much...

I bought a bag of Standlee timothy pellets but my rabbits which love the much more expensive and much greener Viking Farmer timothy pellets would only eat tiny amounts when very hungry. How does the compressed bale compare with the "pellets" (actually extrusion)?

I think it varies a lot with the individual rabbit and the hay. Journey pulls it from wherever it is but only to eat it (but she rejects some for reasons not known to me and it ends up on the floor) but eats more from a box on the floor and the rejects stay in the box. Midnight won't eat from a...

My aluminum plate 1/4" thick does not make any noise but the slickness in interesting. First I had a rug that she wadded up to sit on the slick vinyl floor. Then I got a ground rubber mat for both rabbits to use. They show no preference over the slick floor. (I was also concerned about the...

What is the first symptom to look for to be concerned that a rabbit is too hot? I was looking at respiration rate but I have a caged rabbit that is in a temperature of about 78 degrees F that started breathing about 3X faster but still shallow and tried a couple things: I gave her a large...

Fans cool dry surfaces by mooing the heated air away and exposing the surface to cool air. Improvements in heat transfer can exceed 3X but when I have given my 2 rabbits a mild breeze from a fan when they were only mildly over their desired temperature, they moved away from it.

I had water and food in stainless boles in the original cage and she drank enough water for several months. She established her pee spot infront of the water and occasionally contaminated the water which I would change when I noticed it but she continued to drink water. Eventually I noticed that...

There is a big difference between making cheap hay for horses and good hay for rabbits! I am making small quantities as I find good quality grass but have a question about storage. I often see a curing period mentioned but once it is dry, what more is to be done other than keeping it dry? I dry...

According to the Standlee web site, the cubes are not recommended for rabbits. My guess is because they are afraid that a clump of bentonite (used as binder) could choke the rabbit. Standlee does have 1/4" Timothy extrusions (they call pellets) without binder and reconnended for rabbits but the...

Journey eats fresh grass with delight when it is available. At the end of the season, when there was more brown than green, she would eat every spec of green but she has not adapted well to hay. She eats the first 28% without hesitation then nibbles on the rest, leaving 42% for times of famine...

There is a lot of discussion of excess calcium causing bladder sludge. Some of this indicates that this is a pasty material settling in the bladder which interferes with urination while other discussion seems to refer to a white particulate suspended in the urine. How can I tell if I am feeding...

Some alfalfa based formulas have added calcium, other where alfalfa is the first ingredient have much less. For example the first 2 ingredients in kmshayloft are alfalfa and orchard grass and the calcium is .41% to .54%. Are there other reasons for an adult rabbit, not pregnant or nursing, to...

I think the key to the rabbit not wanting too many pellets is to find other good food that he likes. My rabbit ( 5 lb) hates timothy hay and in the winter eats orchard grass hay plus various greens and is fairly satisfied with 30 grams pellet but in prime grass growing season (spring and fall)...

I started adding mulberry leaves free choice to Journey’s (18 months old) diet as soon as full size leaves became available this spring. Hay and fresh grass are also provided free choice. I would not make mulberry leaves the only free choice food. She is free range and lets me know when she is...

The behavior stopped as suddenly as it started. The only thing I have changed is giving her much more dandelion and clover while changing to a lower calcium manufactured formula about 2 weeks before then. It may have nothing to do with the behavior change but she was getting tired of grass and...

I blocked the easy access to the spot on the floor but she sees making deposits there so important that she found another way to get there, so I put a yellow vinyl sheet on the floor and she makes daily deposits of pellets and urine there (less than 5% of her output) without attempting to dig up...

golden rabbitry wrote “you can litter box train her. She is probably just hormonal now that she is growing up and training her is a simple solution”. By contrast Preitler wrote ‘"Litter training" isn't the right word, I would say, we just take advantage of a natural behaviour by arranging their...

I have a Dutch doe 15 months old not spayed, first had her when she was 6 months old because her former caretaker would not care for her well. He r toiletry habits had been as good as a rabbit ever gets. She has regular access to 3 rooms but sometimes gets into others and is very adventurous...

I have tried apple and pear branches this spring. She eats the leaves and fine twigs quickly and chews on the larger branches a little but when I restrict food, she is very restless, eats more paper and chews on non food items more. I give her 225 g fresh grass, 1/8 cup “rabbit pellets” 5 g...