Another Sick one...... :'(

[tailwagging]

Do you have any blackberry canes? they leaves are good for loose stools.

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

I unfortunately do not.
MSD do you use shreds with molasses or without?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

MSD do you use shreds with molasses or without?

I have used both- the plain ones are sometimes hard to find though. The beet pulp makes up such a small portion of the mix that I don't worry about the molasses.

 

[fuzzy9]

MSD, I've been wanting to ask you if you have alot of scratching with this mix? How much waste do you have?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Actually, no. The does and the bucks in the BunnyBarn don't scratch at all, but their J-feeders are only 4" wide. Some feed falls through the mesh, but I just gather that up along with the hay and feed it to the goats. My growout cages were another story- about 4 out of the 10 had rabbits that scratched feed, so I modified the feeders with a rod to prevent digging. There is still a little loss, but I'd say it is down to 1/8 to 1/4 cup per pen where it had been an issue. To say the goats are disappointed is a gross understatement. :roll:

There was one instance when the BunnyBarn rabbits scratched the feed out. I had been feeding bermuda and a 3-way hay blend (no alfalfa) because alfalfa was running $18 a bale at the time and the other was cheaper. I had the bright idea of buying alfalfa horse pellets and pelleted beet pulp instead of shreds, and added them to the blend. The next morning all of the feed had been scratched out! I don't know if it was the alfalfa they were after or the BP pellets... so now I offer some plain pellets in the feeders once or twice a week when I think of it. They are back on alfalfa hay so don't really need it.

 

[MaggieJ]

Blackberry, raspberry and strawberry leaves are all good to fight diarrhea. Shepherd's Purse is another good one.
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/weedguid/shepherd.htm

Incidentally, shepherd's purse would also be a good plant to feed if a doe is bleeding after kindling. Among its many traditional uses, it was used to stop postpartem hemorrhage in women.


Ladysown feeds prickly lettuce to rabbits with digestive problems. She has had excellent results with it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactuca_serriola

 

[Piper]

I would have to know more, to use some of these effectively, but I found a page that, I would be interested in comments about.
http://crossroadsrabbitry.com/health-remedies/

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

Unfortunately I don't seem to have either of those on my property but I will be keeping an eye out. I will dry it as I find it if need be.
The stuff I fed today is all over my yard and seems to have worked miracles for my sweet little Salty. I will be drying a bunch of that for winter use and feeding it to any rabbits that seem to be a bit off.

She is being really quiet yet but other than that she is fully recovered. And really she is always really quiet so its hard to say on that part if its normal or not. I am so happy. And my DH is bringing more rolled oats home with him from work tonight. Everyone is getting rolled oats and alfalfa hay and some really awesome greens for the next couple of days till I decide what to switch too and during the switching process as well. I believe we are going to be just fine here now that I have figured out the cause. Thanks so much for all of your help. And thank goodness for this forum or I would have lost a hole lot more to this. You are the best ever!!!!!!<br /><br />__________ Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:54 pm __________<br /><br />

I would have to know more, to use some of these effectively, but I found a page that, I would be interested in comments about.
http://crossroadsrabbitry.com/health-remedies/

Thanks. This list may come in handy too. There are some interesting remedies on there for sure.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

:clap: :happy2: :hooray: Another victory for RabbitTalk against the forces of bunny evil! :hooray: :happy2: :clap:

Good detective work, MaggieJ, asking about the feed change! :detective:

I'm so happy for you, TM!

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

Strange that list says don't give oats to young rabbits and dont give much. That is weird as I do believe the oats I gave today played a huge roll in stopping the diarrhea. I am so confused!

 

[MaggieJ]

Strange that list says don't give oats to young rabbits and dont give much. That is weird as I do believe the oats I gave today played a huge roll in stopping the diarrhea. I am so confused!

I found that list interesting, but I would want to research some of those ideas. I am assuming that they are feeding a pelleted diet and using the oats and greens as supplements and medicinals only. For instance, they recommend only three leaves of dandelion per rabbit and one to two leaves of other plants. And only a small handful of hay once or twice a week?

The picture changes when you go to a hay-based natural diet. The rabbits are getting ample fibre from the hay and can handle larger quantities of greens, grain etc.

In the case of your rabbits with diarrhea, the oats are a better choice than pellets. Easier to digest, especially when fed with high fibre hay.

I suggest you stick with what you are doing for the present. It seems to be working well and there is plenty of time in the future to try out other ideas.

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

Thanks. Yeah. They are surely not going back on the other feed. I have plenty of ideas on what to feed in the future but for a few days we are sticking with oats and hay. And what ever I decide on will be a gradual change for sure. I would like to do pellets but im a little nervous now.

 

[Piper]

from what I understand, a rabbit can live on just 3 items 1) Hay, 2) Oats 3) mineral / salt lick
- When I bring a new animal in, it only gets hay for about the first 12 to 24 hours. If there is a problem with the rabbit or guinea pig changing to my water, this allows me to know. After it has been here long enough for me to see that there is no diarrhea, I start adding oats.
- I had not checked out what they were saying about oats. I was interested in how they were getting rid of worms, and that they do talk about garlic.
- They also use Dramamine – for Wry neck, I use ginger in place of Dramamine. So, I wonder if ginger would work, for some rabbits.
- Going by their amounts of oats and hay, they may err on the side of caution, on their other remedies. This list does give me a reason to make sure that I keep some meat mutts around. The meat rabbits would be the 'remedy' first...
- Congratulations, "tm_bunnyloft", I hope the rabbits get to and, continue to be in 'robust' health.
- Is a completely natural grain mix an option for you?
trinity-oaks-grain-feed-mix-t6809.html

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

It is an option. I am really considering it for my future feed.

Everyone is doing great today.<br /><br />__________ Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:15 pm __________<br /><br />Would alfalfa cubes be an option for the bunnies? would I soak them or just give them in a hard cube? Or is regular hay gonna be better?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Would alfalfa cubes be an option for the bunnies? Or is regular hay gonna be better?

I give hay cubes as an occasional treat- I think their density is good for the rabbits teeth. Personally, I believe that flaked hay is better, and the rabbits seem to enjoy it more. However, they do waste quite a bit of it, which doesn't happen with the cubes unless you use water crocks and have rabbits that enjoy making "hay cube soup".

I feed the majority of the waste hay to my goats, so very little is actually "wasted", and that gets composted anyway.

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

Your goats dont refuse to eat the hay after it has been pottied on by the rabbits? Interesting. My goats are in for a rude awakening tomorrow.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Your goats dont refuse to eat the hay after it has been pottied on by the rabbits?

Most of it is pretty clean, believe it or not! They just pick around the bunny berries. Plus they get the spilled grains as well, so they are pretty happy with it overall. Goats are just about as bad as rabbits with wasting hay (eating all the leaves and flowers and leaving the stems), so now they get the rabbit leftovers! :twisted:

I rake everything up and put it into feed sacks, and feed a sack morning and evening. I have 6 goats, and that seems to be the right amount for them- they don't leave the stems behind anymore.

 

[Dreamerz]

I would like to do pellets but im a little nervous now.

I am so glad your rabbits are doing better off of their old feed.

It is hard to deside what to feed your rabbits. When I first got mine (a lil over a yr ago) I fed them pellets (had to switch a few times as some gave them D.), then I read some posts about natural feeding. I think I just about drove Maggie crazy with asking her to ID tons of plant pics from my yard. So I started the swich over to good hay, foraged plants & oats ... it seemed to be going well with the group (1/2 my rabbits) that I switched. Then I had a health issue (stroke) & the people that were caring for my buns wouldn't harvest plants for them so back on pellets they went. I have now kept them on pellets & really don't see a difference from when I fed natural ... maybe it is just me or maybe because I do still forage for them as an extra a few times a week.

Basicly in my long winded way I'm trying to say feed your rabbits in whatever way makes you feel more comfortable, there really is no right or wrong way as long as you meet their nutritional needs.

If you do try pellets again may I recommend Manna Pro Select Pro formula, it has no corn & seems to work well with my herd. Also the company is great with info & help.

Jane

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

I noticed that Manna Pro Select Pro doesn't have corn. I am just so torn on what to feed them now. I know one thing for certain, I will be keeping rolled oats on hand in quantity for my bunnies just in case and for the young ones. I am also picking some broadleaf plantain to dry for winter use. I believe that played a major roll in saving Salts life and I want to be sure and have it readily available for future use. You can make a tea out of it. So in winter if someone gets sick with Diarrhea I can syringe feed the tea to the bunny if need be.
I will be getting them alfalfa cubes to nibble on. I am really amazed at just how much they waste. I wasnt bothered by it at first but then I bought another horse. OOOPS!!! Now the hay has to go farther. I went from having more than I need to cutting it close.

 

[3mina]

Would alfalfa cubes be an option for the bunnies? would I soak them or just give them in a hard cube? Or is regular hay gonna be better?

I give mine cubes and they love 'em, I have very little waste as well. I have a choice of mix alfalfa/timothy or all alfalfa. I like the all alfalfa ones myself.
I don't soak them, I don't give mine anything wet, just a quirk of mine