Rabbit Wasting Hay

[Nyboy]

I can not eat some thing that greets me . Apple branches good idea I need to do some pruning.

 

[ninnymary]

I can not eat some thing that greets me . Apple branches good idea I need to do some pruning.

Fortunately we don't have to eat our pets if we don't want to. There's nothing wrong with that. Now, go do some pruning.

Mary

 

[ducks4you]

Good plan. I COULD eviscerate a rabbit, but I kept them as pets when I was a kid, so I'm sure that I couldn't kill one for food. I had a hard enough time with the rabbit that we had been given that lived to be a 10yo and lost the use of her back legs. I should have snapped her neck and put her out of her misery.
We DID shoot one of our horses. My Vet won't put horses down--concerned about US getting in trouble if a bird or prey consumed the drug--so, when my 27yo QH kept getting sicker and sicker, my DH and I used a .38 and shot him. I had learned where to do this, which isn't where most people would think to shoot. Even with today's vet medicine and care, a broken leg is still a death sentence for a horse, so we always carried a weapon that could do it on trail riding vacations that were out in the middle of nowhere, no way to "medivac" there.
It was really heart wrenching.
Sorry for the hijack!!!!

 

[Nyboy]

Ducks sorry must have been very hard for your husband. Head telling you your doing right thing, but heart is heavy.

 

[ninnymary]

Ducks, how did you dispose of the body?

Mary

 

[journey11]

Try hay cubes... http://www.amazon.com/Kaytee-100032126-Timothy-Cubes-1-Pound/dp/B0002DK8OI#Ask That's what the breeder we bought our bunny from used. Vet told me not to give alfalfa to bunnies over 6 months. Too much calcium, gives them kidney problems.

 

[bobm]

Try hay cubes... http://www.amazon.com/Kaytee-100032126-Timothy-Cubes-1-Pound/dp/B0002DK8OI#Ask That's what the breeder we bought our bunny from used. Vet told me not to give alfalfa to bunnies over 6 months. Too much calcium, gives them kidney problems.

Interesting !!! Why do the Animal Science Dept, the Veteriary Teaching Hospital, etc at the University feed their long term breeding rabbits and long term experiment rabbits only alfalfa pellets. I raised hundreds of rabbits from kindling to fully adult for antibody serum production on a diet of alfalfa pellets . No kidney problems with any of them .

 

[journey11]

Interesting !!! Why do the Animal Science Dept, the Veteriary Teaching Hospital, etc at the University feed their long term breeding rabbits and long term experiment rabbits only alfalfa pellets. I raised hundreds of rabbits from kindling to fully adult for antibody serum production on a diet of alfalfa pellets . No kidney problems with any of them .

I dunno. I just do what I'm told! LOL.

Here, anyway, consider this explanation as given on Purina's website:

Alfalfa hay and timothy hay are different nutritionally
Alfalfa hay and timothy hay are both forage sources commonly used in rabbit and guinea pig diets. Nutritionally speaking, however, they are very different. Alfalfa contains higher concentrations of protein and calcium compared to timothy hay (Table 1). When alfalfa or timothy is used in a complete rabbit feed, the nutrients of the hay source used is taken into account and mixed with other appropriate ingredients to obtain a final diet formula that meets the needs of rabbits or guinea pigs. For example, while calcium is much higher in alfalfa than in timothy, in a complete feed, the amount of additional calcium sources (such as calcium carbonate) would be lower in an alfalfa-based diet compared to a timothy-based formula.

Rabbits and calcium
Calcium metabolism in rabbits is unique compared to other species. Rabbits are efficient calcium absorbers and excrete excess calcium in their urine. For this reason, rabbit urine may leave a white, chalky residue. Because of this unique metabolic system, rabbits are prone to urinary stones if fed too much calcium. Therefore, when feeding an adult rabbit supplemental hay in addition to a complete diet, it is preferable to provide timothy hay to minimize excess calcium.

 

[baymule]

Rabbits teeth never stop growing. They need something to chew to keep their teeth worn down. If one tooth breaks the opposing tooth will overgrow and cause problems. I have taken wire cutter pliers and cut teeth that grew out of control. Crunch.

Willow branches are also good. The inner white bark of willow has salicylic acid in it, commonly known as aspirin. Blackberry leaves will help diarrhea and rabbits like them.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I read no leaves or branches from a fruit tree where the fruit has a pit. Like cherry, plum, but fruit with seeds is good, like apples or berries.