Help!!! What to feed?

[Sara]

Hi,
I have a 4 month old mini lop.
Had issues with poop a couple of months ago taken him to the vets 3 times but after not having a rabbit for many years I wanted to chech he was ok. Bet said he seemed ok even though he had some looser poo but not liquid. Gave hay for a few days & the vet gave us what she said was burgess excel junior. Bought a bag but it looks a lot fresher than the stuff the vet gave us. She said to reintroduce very slowly. He seemed OK until we got to about 15 pellets then he started to get a slightly messy bottom. Reduced a small amount seemed OK. As we were about to run out of what the vet gave us we started to introduce the bag of junior burgess we bought. Swaped 1 per day. Again now we have gotten to about 15 pellets his bottom is getting messy.
On 2 occasions the vet gave us fibreplex which seemed to ease his tummy.
He’s playful and is always munching on Timothy hay and drinks well.
He seems to have night poops at different times of the day, we give him alfalfa hay so not sure if it’s this or the pellets.
Will remove the alfalfa for a couple of days and see what happens.
Am concerned as he isn’t putting on weight at an important time even though he seems happy & always looking for mischief.
I can hear his tummy gurgling when I get close to him but it doesn’t seem to stop he playing. did mention this to the vet when I last took him.
Don’t want to go back and feel like I’m overreacting like I’ve been made to feel before!
If the alfalfa hay isn’t the problem what other pellets would be good? the vet said some rabbits don’t like pellets so I don’t know if it’s too soon to introduce greens as info I’ve read varies.
Sorry it’s a lot of questions but I want my little boy to be happy & I worry so much as he’s only little

[Bam]

Science selective is a good pellet brand for buns that don’t tolerate Burgess. Another good brand is Oxbow.
Fiber plex has good fiber + brewer’s yeast that acts as a probiotic. There are other probiotics that you can add to a daily diet. Fibers are super-important too, hay is the best source.
We have a member (Redbunbun) whose rabbit has a congenital intestinal disorder (megacolon) and she’s managed to get her bun to gain weight by feeding Science Selective and adding a bit of pumpkin seeds and almonds. Your bun probably doesn’t have megacolon, but it sounds like he has a sensitive tummy. That’s not uncommon in buns, and it is manageable with the proper diet. And the proper diet for your particular bun is sth you have to find out by trial and success/trial and error. It’s very good that you introduce new food very slowly.

[Sara]

Thanks for the advise. As he’s only still 4 months should I use normal science selective? Or should I go for the junior range?

[Sara]

I have also bought some entracare Aqua to put in his water which says it’s supposed to help with digestion, does anyone know if this ok to give to junior rabbits as I don’t want to make him worse.

[Bam]

On Carr’s Entracare-page it says it’s suitable for all ages and breeds. http://www.carrsuk.com/product-rabbit-entracare-aqua.html
Beware though, some buns won’t drink their water if sth is added to it so they don’t recognize the taste. So keep a close eye so you see that he actually drinks.

I’d go with Sience Selective Junior for a bun that young. Young buns need more protein than adult buns.

[Sara]

I’ll put some in tonight & see how much he drinks so I can monitor him over a few hours as he’s quite a big drinker.
I’ve ordered some junior selective so I will gradually swap that over from the burgess junior & see how he gets on with it.
Thanks for your help, just want to make sure I have a happy healthy rabbit without constantly having to go to the vets as he hates that so would like to try myself to rectify whatever isn’t working.

[Bam]

I totally agree, it’s so important to figure out the right diet for your bun. A healthy gut is like the foundation of bunny overall health.

[Author]

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