Shelley
member
Joined: 29 Oct 2006
Posts: 19
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
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 Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 4:29 am Post subject: hair balls |
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Was just watching an episode of Emergency Vets. A rabbit was brought in with a distended belly, had not eaten or pooped for two days. An xray revealed a mass in the bunny tummy. The operation found the mass to be a large hair ball.
We certainly can't stop rabbits from grooming but we can control what they eat. According the vets on the show the reason this bunny had a hair ball that did not pass was the low fiber pellet diet. A rabbit with a high fiber diet avoid this problem, a diet of Timothy Hay, the hay not the pellets. Our vet has always recommended using timothy hay, not alfalfa, which as a legume has to much protein for an adult bunny.
Timothy har can be bought at pet store but if you have the room or know of other bunny keepers nearby buying timothy hay from a feed and tack store at a much lower price. Here, in Phoenix, a three ring bale (120 pounds) of timothy sells for $16.00 dollars.
We feed our guys all the timothy hay they can eat, along with once a day treats such as carots, broccoli, grapes, apples or bananas. they thrive on this diet, all are healthy and happy and we have never had a problem with hair balls.
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Shelley R Booth |
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