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| Some tips and links about treats here |
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Monday, October 28, 2019
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Friday, November 18, 2016
Hay is a necessity for bunnies
Bunnies should have access to unlimited hay 24/7, along with clean fresh water. Primarily, Bunya and Ethel eat Timothy hay; we get the first and second cut from Small Pet Select. To change things up, we get them a variety of "treat" hays (but not alfalfa - they are way too old for that).
[Disclosure: Rabbit Ramblings, its bunnies and its humans have no ownership or financial interest in Small Pet Select.]
We just got a new cut of hay, Small Pet Select's "third cut". To see if the bunnies liked it, I put it in its own bowl. It was a bedtime treat.
What I found the next morning:
I formed a hypothesis that... just maybe, perhaps, it could be... they liked this new "flavor".
And to test this hypothesis, filled the bowl up again.
Then add bunnies. (Actually, they added themselves as soon as I put it down).
Of course, silly human that I am, I put the best pieces of hay in the bottom of the bowl, so they had to fluff it up to access those. (Will have to develop another study sometime, to see what makes that perfect piece of hay.)
Here's video of bunnies eating hay. Watch as much as you want - it doesn't change much:
select piece of hay, chew it, select another.
For more on bunny diet, see the post What is a treat?
[Disclosure: Rabbit Ramblings, its bunnies and its humans have no ownership or financial interest in Small Pet Select.]
We just got a new cut of hay, Small Pet Select's "third cut". To see if the bunnies liked it, I put it in its own bowl. It was a bedtime treat.
 |
| "Before" |
What I found the next morning:
 |
| "After" |
I formed a hypothesis that... just maybe, perhaps, it could be... they liked this new "flavor".
And to test this hypothesis, filled the bowl up again.
Then add bunnies. (Actually, they added themselves as soon as I put it down).
Of course, silly human that I am, I put the best pieces of hay in the bottom of the bowl, so they had to fluff it up to access those. (Will have to develop another study sometime, to see what makes that perfect piece of hay.)
Here's video of bunnies eating hay. Watch as much as you want - it doesn't change much:
select piece of hay, chew it, select another.
For more on bunny diet, see the post What is a treat?
Monday, October 10, 2016
Monday, April 8, 2013
Bunny Monday Meme*day
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| "Nyahhh ... What's up, Doc?" |
I wish. I could use one of these guys, if my treats weren't worse for them than me.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Iron Bunnies - Battle Hay Cube!
Allez cuisine!
Originally, I think the hay cube in question was Ethel's. Lucy snatched it and ran off. Lucy did not want to share - even if her kinder, gentler sister Ethel was completely willing to share.
Several edits in this clip keep the "action" sequences a little closer together.
At 20 seconds in, Lucy runs off with the hay cube (may actually be the second time).
At 55s, Lucy does it again!
At 1m10s, Ethel rejoins Lucy. Again.
But after Ethel rejoins Lucy, Lucy is giving off a major disapproving bunny stare.
Bonus - edited out of the above video is a close-up clip of Mr. Bunya munching his hay cube, totally unaware, or at least uncaring, about the hay cube battle between the sisters, going on right behind him.
Why should he care? He has his cube and nobody's messing with that one!
Do your bunnies or pets run off with treats?
Or other things?
Originally, I think the hay cube in question was Ethel's. Lucy snatched it and ran off. Lucy did not want to share - even if her kinder, gentler sister Ethel was completely willing to share.
Several edits in this clip keep the "action" sequences a little closer together.
At 20 seconds in, Lucy runs off with the hay cube (may actually be the second time).
At 55s, Lucy does it again!
At 1m10s, Ethel rejoins Lucy. Again.
But after Ethel rejoins Lucy, Lucy is giving off a major disapproving bunny stare.
Bonus - edited out of the above video is a close-up clip of Mr. Bunya munching his hay cube, totally unaware, or at least uncaring, about the hay cube battle between the sisters, going on right behind him.
Why should he care? He has his cube and nobody's messing with that one!
Do your bunnies or pets run off with treats?
Or other things?
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Bunya's hay cube
Well, I suppose the title pretty much says it all ...
Bunya's just bossing it around to get at the most desirable gnawing angle.
At about 18 seconds in, there's 5 seconds of that perfect bunny chewing pose - completely still, focused on chewing, with the mouth and cheeks pumping like the pistons in a well-oiled engine.
All the bunnies love them (see this earlier post). And they love to take them out of the "cube box" and chew them elsewhere. In the background, to the left of Bunya's fuzzy butt, you can see Lucy and Ethel (or at least their ears) bobbing up and down as they demolish another hay cube together. Originally, I think it was Ethel's hay cube - Lucy snatched it and ran off. Lucy did not want to share and did this a few times after Ethel caught up to her, completely willing to share. I will see if I can find that video.
Do your bunnies like hay cubes?
What are your pets' favorite treats?
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Bunya's diet
Mr. Bunya is cranky. And he's taking it out on Lucy and Ethel.
Bunya weighs between 4.5 and 5 pounds, but his ideal fighting weight is 4 pounds. We left them all at the vet for a one-night trip (normally, we'd board them at GHRS, but this one only for one night; the vet's around the corner and GHRS is a much longer trip). Dr. Mike got a chance to check out Bunya and his official report included some concern about Bunya's ... well, Bunya's "moobs".
So, how do you put one of three bonded bunnies that live together on a diet?
Here's what we're trying:
1. Reduction in treats for all.
However, they now ALL follow us as soon as we get up and go anywhere near any container where their treats are stored. Yeah, we cave. Sometimes. How can I deny them when I have papaya on my breath?
2. Reduction in "crumbles" and greens. Of course, we are still supplying unlimited fresh hay and water, as always.
3. More than just a reduction, there's also monitored eating. When breakfast or dinner is set out, the food is removed when Bunya is the last bun standing at "the table". So, there may be some greens and crumbles left, but if at least one of Lucy or Ethel is not eating with him, the dishes are yanked. No more Bunya eating alone, kinda' like they say it's not good to drink alone (reminds me of George Thorogood and the Destroyers, I Drink Alone).
Their snatching food from each other's mouth has risen to new heights, close to a sport.
Here are a couple of articles from GHRS on bunny weight issues:
One Too Fat and Too One Skinny ~ Tips For Feeding Bonded Rabbits
Bunya weighs between 4.5 and 5 pounds, but his ideal fighting weight is 4 pounds. We left them all at the vet for a one-night trip (normally, we'd board them at GHRS, but this one only for one night; the vet's around the corner and GHRS is a much longer trip). Dr. Mike got a chance to check out Bunya and his official report included some concern about Bunya's ... well, Bunya's "moobs".
 |
| Mr. Bunya, in his more svelte youth, before he grew into his ears, and when his sides were concave and not convex. |
So, how do you put one of three bonded bunnies that live together on a diet?
Here's what we're trying:
1. Reduction in treats for all.
However, they now ALL follow us as soon as we get up and go anywhere near any container where their treats are stored. Yeah, we cave. Sometimes. How can I deny them when I have papaya on my breath?
2. Reduction in "crumbles" and greens. Of course, we are still supplying unlimited fresh hay and water, as always.
3. More than just a reduction, there's also monitored eating. When breakfast or dinner is set out, the food is removed when Bunya is the last bun standing at "the table". So, there may be some greens and crumbles left, but if at least one of Lucy or Ethel is not eating with him, the dishes are yanked. No more Bunya eating alone, kinda' like they say it's not good to drink alone (reminds me of George Thorogood and the Destroyers, I Drink Alone).
Their snatching food from each other's mouth has risen to new heights, close to a sport.
Here are a couple of articles from GHRS on bunny weight issues:
One Too Fat and Too One Skinny ~ Tips For Feeding Bonded Rabbits
Now if someone would just snatch food away from me ....
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Breakfast bunnies
If you have bunnies, you know how they love their greens. Bunya, Lucy & Ethel are no exception. Grabbed the camera one morning because I still think it is so amazing and funny how they mow through the long pieces of greens.
This clip starts with Bunya (if you listen closely ... or turn your volume up high enough ... you can hear him chewing). Ethel is about 30 seconds in.
Lucy is behind Ethel, washing her face after breakfast.
They are like little tiny Fargo wood chippers, except with veggies.
(Fargo is a movie reference, in which there was a wood chipper.)
This clip starts with Bunya (if you listen closely ... or turn your volume up high enough ... you can hear him chewing). Ethel is about 30 seconds in.
Lucy is behind Ethel, washing her face after breakfast.
(Fargo is a movie reference, in which there was a wood chipper.)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Bunny care - Binky bunny hay buffet
Bunny care - Your bunnies should have 24/7 access to fresh, clean hay. Timothy hay is good. Or Western Timothy hay. You can vary the hay and add some "treat" hays, but check with your HRS or bunny-wise vet to make sure you do not give them too much of a kind of hay that is not good for them.
So ... thinking about that and how to deliver it to the bunnies, here's what developed ...
They picked up on eating from it very quickly (especially Lucy). At about 20 seconds in, Ethel jumps in to join Lucy. Of course, Ethel wanted to eat from the same opening Lucy was and nudges her out of the way. Sometimes, they snatch the food from each other's mouth - especially when treats are involved.
A few points:
+ The container is plastic, so it can be cleaned.
+ Left several inches before the first eating hole so the hay dust could gather in the bottom and be emptied every so often.
+ The three holes are at different heights (didn't know which they might find they wanted to eat from, where the "good" hay pieces might be at a particular time, and the buns are different sizes).
+ A zip tie anchors the container to the wire of their pen, so it shouldn't fall over.
+ Pushed the litter box close to it, so they have to still sit in litter box to eat. This way, if they are still inclined to poop while eating (and yes, they are), they are already positioned to do so.
Then I put a LOT of hay in it (3 kinds) and it's "Chow Time!"
(The "white noise" you may hear in this and a number of other videos is a room air filter we constantly run to keep down the hay dust and bunny hair.)
So ... thinking about that and how to deliver it to the bunnies, here's what developed ...
They picked up on eating from it very quickly (especially Lucy). At about 20 seconds in, Ethel jumps in to join Lucy. Of course, Ethel wanted to eat from the same opening Lucy was and nudges her out of the way. Sometimes, they snatch the food from each other's mouth - especially when treats are involved.
A few points:
+ The container is plastic, so it can be cleaned.
+ Left several inches before the first eating hole so the hay dust could gather in the bottom and be emptied every so often.
+ The three holes are at different heights (didn't know which they might find they wanted to eat from, where the "good" hay pieces might be at a particular time, and the buns are different sizes).
+ A zip tie anchors the container to the wire of their pen, so it shouldn't fall over.
+ Pushed the litter box close to it, so they have to still sit in litter box to eat. This way, if they are still inclined to poop while eating (and yes, they are), they are already positioned to do so.
Then I put a LOT of hay in it (3 kinds) and it's "Chow Time!"
(The "white noise" you may hear in this and a number of other videos is a room air filter we constantly run to keep down the hay dust and bunny hair.)
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