I’ve mushed his food and presented to him, all he will eat is oats and
banana…he won’t touch the food, just a little of it, Somehow I’m gonna
just try and keep looking for a vet to help, I think. He has lots of energy
and even runs and does a binky now and then, but I know he needs help.
I’ve also been chopping up his greens, even grating his carrots and apple
but he doesn’t eat much at all.
Oh yes, the cranberries, I will try that.
Thanks,
Janet
On Sat, Oct 30, 2021 at 1:07 PM Katy <healing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Also, have you tried the in-between diet of mushy foods?
My Lara lived off the mushy diet for ages. Even lived off canned mushy
peas in her final months. I know but it was all she'd eat!!
So mushy foods involved soaked pellet mash in a little pot / tray, with
sprinkles of ground walnut and I think ground pumpkin seeds too. I'd whizz
them up in an "electric chopper". Moo's version of this is not mashed, just
soaked pellets. He needs finer edges to get his teeth round the pellets.
But check to make sure they're all soft. He has walnut and oat ground in a
coffee grinder for finer texture than the electric chopper, and I mix this
with his soft pellets so they all get coated with the sprinkles lol. Too
much water and he hates it though so I have to get the texture just right!
Lara also used to eat veggies and lettuce whizzed up in the electric
chopper. Sometimes separate sometimes a mixture. Moo refuses these
currently.
I only had to syringe feed Lara when she had gas, otherwise she'd eat all
the mushy food happily which saved me syringing.
With Moo I've learnt the importance of stick shapes lol. If he can't get a
food easily in his mouth, he won't bother to try and eat it. I (usually)
chop his apple into thin "apple fries" for him to eat. Yesterday I didn't
and he choked. So back to apple fries!
With leaves I roll them into a tube, like a rolled cigarette lol, and he
can get his teeth around that. I often have to hand feed the rolls of
lettuce as if he drops it he often can't pick it up again himself.
Sometimes can, sometimes can't.
I find any kind of chewing helps reduce the teeth growth, so even if it's
soft abrasive rather than good chunky stalks of hay, it all helps.
A scandalous thing he Loves is bread!! I know I know, no bunny should eat
bread, but when he won't eat anything else himself sometimes he will eat
this and it gets him eating other foods then as it gets his taste buds
going!
Something else is soaked dried cranberries. Just put some in some hot
water. They can be more easily eaten that way and might get him eating
other food by himself.
Have you tried annoying him with handfeeding offerings? Sometimes Moo
decides he can't eat something. Then I annoy him with something and he
tries it
and finds he can!! Obviously only annoy him a few times or that can upset
them. But it can help to get them to try.
Also Variety is key. Moo will eat some things but not others, some things
he loves he'll make himself eat whereas some things he doesn't fancy he
won't bother, even if an old favourite. They can start to fancy different
things. Variety of leaf strengths, sturdiness and floppiness and size of
leaf seem important to ability to eat (Moo will bother with a large leaf
but not bother with a tiny leaf) and thickness/leatheriness also matter as
depends what's too tough to chew and what's easily chewed.
Sometimes I find the "either / or" trick helps. Offer him two different
things, one in each hand. He might be more likely to pick one if it's a
choice!
Sometimes a big cuddle helps them try foods they just decided they won't
eat 🤗
Hope some of this helps
Love Katy xx
On Sat, 30 Oct 2021, 18:45 Janet G, <wildharerescue@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hello katy,--
I have an elder bun who just has a horrible time eating. I believe he has
molar Spurs, I know how to dremel incisors and also have on hares but his
mouth is too small. I am in a real dilemma here as there are no vets that
can see him right away and only one who I don’t even know how really rabbit
savvy she is can’t see him foe 2 months, it’s horrible here. I only have
one vet who will spay, neuter and check for simple problems, but can’t do
surgery. My bunny’s name is Robert. I have been grinding up his sherwood
Saryx recovery food along with b12, probiotics and a multi also I add his
normal greens, dandelions, parsley, cilantro, dill or fennel and add baby
pumpkin food to the mix with water and syringe feed him in the morning and
in the evening, he can only eat soft foods like aa banana, I don’t see
sores in his mouth but I can feel sharp Spurs. Any ideas? I love this
little guy so much and beside myself not being able to get him in to see a
vet.
If I had the equipment, I’d file the molar Spurs myself..😢
Anyone else have any ideas?
Thanks
Janet
--
Janet
"Whoever saves a single life, it is as if he had saved the whole world"
