Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Anyone Have A Bunny Rabbit?

dandelionmom

Recommended Posts

dandelionmom Enthusiast
dandelionmom
Posted

I'm trying to find out if there is such a thing as gluten-free bunny pellets. Thanks for your help and for not laughing at me! :)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Generic Apprentice
Generic
Posted

It has been years since I had bunnies. However I do know they will eat oats, carrots, blackberry briers and most veggies. Just don't feed them lettuce it rots in their guts.

Ivanna44 Apprentice
Ivanna44
Posted
I'm trying to find out if there is such a thing as gluten-free bunny pellets. Thanks for your help and for not laughing at me! :)

Hi dandelionmom,

I would think there might be rice-based rabbit food pellets. I know they do rice food for dogs and cats so on. Iams brand comes to mind. Like us, pets can be sensitive to gluten and wheat based foods.

Your best bet, I think would be check out a vet. Some vet offices sell those high end pet foods, again most are based on 'rice" formulas. Even, if your local vet does not carry pet food, they could direct you to a pet store that does carry those brands.

Also, read the labels. Like you read labels for your own food, after a while you get to know what 'words" are really derivatives of gluten. Most pet foods list ingredients, and the ingredient listings, would not differ all that much from human food.

Scratch bunny, behind the ear for me. :)

() ()

* *

=*=

2kids4me Contributor
2kids4me
Posted

This is a good site about feeding rabbits. Rabbits actually do better if hay is a substantial part of their diet.

Open Original Shared Link

Perhaps the single most important item in the rabbit diet is grass HAY, and it should be fed in unlimited quantities to both adults and baby rabbits. A rabbit fed only commercial rabbit pellets does not get enough long fiber to keep the intestines in good working order. The long fibers in the hay push things through the gut and keep the intestinal muscles in good tone. In addition to keeping the intestinal contents moving at the rate at which nature intended, hay may also help prevent intestinal impactions caused by ingested hair or other indigestible items.

Alfalfa or clover hays, although tasty for the rabbit, are too rich in protein and calcium to be fed ad libitum. Instead, offer fresh grass hays such as timothy, oat, coastal, brome, Bahia or wheat.

I realize that wheat and oats are listed - but see some of the other choices - they are not gluten.

Rabbits are herbivores, and they require more than carrots and other veggies. Iceberg lettuce ) light green) is considered a poor choice for most rabbits and reptiles for that matter - they do better with dark green veggies like broccoli, carrot tops and dark lettuce.

A good-quality commercial rabbit pellet provides trace nutrients, vitamins and minerals that a rabbit might not get if fed only hay and fresh foods. However, very little pelleted food is required for good health. Many experienced rabbit veterinarians are now recommending no more than 1/8 cup of quality pellets per 5 lbs. of rabbit per day, and some even consider commercial pellets a "treat food" that can promote obesity in spayed/neutered adult rabbits. A rabbit fed too many pellets will often ignore his hay, to the detriment of his intestinal system!

They dont need gluten but rice is NOT part of a rabbits natural diet. Grass hays - as listed above - are gluten free and part of a healthy rabbit diet...

Sandy (AHT)

missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

We were foster parents for a bunny for a short time and the vet recommended, as 2kids4me said, only a little pellets and timothy hay, which was easy to find in the stores.

  • 6 years later...
Peaceflower Apprentice
Peaceflower
Posted

I know this was written a long time ago, but I have 7 rabbits, all of whom are on a strict gluten free diet, including no oats.  This is not for them but for me!  The have cheap but tasty Grass Hay and Sherwood Forest Rabbit Pellets Open Original Shared Link. Some of my rabbits took a couple of weeks to get used to it, some took a couple of seconds!  They all love it now.  I am breeding rabbits and selling them as suitable for a gluten allergy sufferer.  I ship the food and when I once ran out, I bought vitamin pellets and mini alfalfa bales and Timothy hay to see me through until the pellets order came.  It's very expensive for me because I am breeding and have quite a few, but I am well now, so for me it is worth it!

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

I actually appreciate the info. I have a bunny and am very careful about what food I give her because I want her to have the best. Since this company does a free sample and it has almost identical nutrition info to the food I'm already feeding my princess I ordered a sample to give it a try. If she can be gluten free, I'll be very happy. :D

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


BlessedMommy Rising Star
BlessedMommy
Posted

Is bunny raising complicated? My daughter loves bunnies and would love to have one as a pet.

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

It isn't something to be taken lightly, just like getting a dog or cat. They can be complicated pets at times, and you need to be ready to handle them. They need room to exercise properly and a house, if they will be indoors needs to be appropriately bunny-proofed for when they are allowed out for free time. Your daughter would also have to accept that they frequently are not cuddle pets. They are insanely rewarding, beyond words, but one of those rewards will almost certainly not be cuddling with it. If she's old enough for a dog or cat, and you're ready for the vet bills and care associated with one then go for it. I recommend a lop, downy eared bunnies are the best. (Totally an unbiased opinion. :P)

mommida Enthusiast
mommida
Posted

I will disagree to my dear Addy,  Rabbits are cuddles!.  I do agree with the Lops being the BEST of the breeds. 

There is a huge difference about the cuddles, depending on the first human encounters the bunny has had.  Handled daily as youngsters, the rabbits still crave human touch.  Rabbits have hormones.  A male can be given a stuffed animal to be romantic with, a female needs time to calm down her hormones.  (A female may need two home bases.  She can become too territorial of home space and you need to keep her a little humble.)

 

That being said.  Every rabbit has it's own personality.  There are like a 2 year old.  They have a mind of their own, can be trained, have imaginations (will invent games to play with you), and will always seek out trouble given to much freedom.

 

Diet is important.  They need to constantly eat (hay and clean water are the most important).  Some tushy cleaning may be needed.  (Especially creases in the crotch area)  Nail clipping. 

 

Incredibly rewarding to bond with a bun bun.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      128,311
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    SWilson
    Newest Member
    SWilson
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.1k
    • Total Posts
      70.8k
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      SkinSafe

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, Linda! Many on this forum can sympathize with you. It can be extremely difficult to get reliable information about gluten when it comes to meds, supplements and oral hygiene products. This is especially true since so much of this stuff is generic and comes from over seas. I will deflect with regard to your question about meds and oral products but take you in another direction. Have you tried a low iodine diet. Iodine is known to exacerbate dermatitis herpetiformis and some find that a low iodine diet helps reduce the number of outbreaks. By the way, have you had your celiac antibodies retested recently? If they are elevated that might be a clue that you are getting gluten in your oral hygiene products or meds.
    • Itsabit
      SkinSafe

      By Itsabit · Posted

      Hi. I’m 70 years old, and a 22 year survivor of head and neck cancer treated with chemo-radiation, which resulted in non-existent submandibular salivary glands and extreme dry mouth and altered oral mucosa. I have been using dry mouth toothpaste, Rx oral dentrifices and moisturizers for years.  I’ve recently been diagnosed with severe celiac dermatitis herpetiformis. I was being treated with oral Dapsone, but it was not effective and I developed some serious side effects. So, the medication was stopped and I was started on Doxycycline (another antibiotic) for inflammation. I’ve been using Rx Betamethasone steroid ointment with little to no effect. I have tried every oral and topical antihistamine treatment available OTC. None have touched this horrible relentless itching. That is my history.  Now to my question. Does anybody know about gluten free toothpastes and mouth moisturizers? I ask because a very common dry mouth brand stated to me that they were indeed gluten free. But as I am not getting any better with my dermatitis herpetiformis, I was wondering if I was getting glutenized some way other than diet as  I have been following a strict clean gluten free diet, but I am not seeing any improvement at all. So, I started looking up the toothpastes and moisturizer ingredients individually and nine (9) of the eleven (11) or so listed showed up as   containing gluten or that may have gluten! Am I getting glutenized orally by these products?  As an aside, I checked on my favorite lavender scented baby lotion which is supposed to be gluten free, but many of those ingredients when investigated separately, show they  do contain or may contain gluten as well. I stopped using the lotion. But I cannot forgo my dental care. I was unable to get any information from the manufacturer of my current brand of chewable multivitamins either. They told me to check with my doctor. If THEY don’t know what’s in their product, how do they think a PCP will?  In light of all this, I am confused and angry that I might keep getting contaminated with gluten through products I am using that are supposedly gluten safe. *I should also state that I have a nickel allergy since I was about 12-13 years old. And I developed a contact allergy to latex (gloves) when I was a student nurse at 19 years old.  I know and I’m sorry that this is so lengthy. I’m trying to do everything I can to combat this condition, and I’m feeling very confused, anxious and angry about not getting adequate information as I try to educate and advocate for myself. I’m hoping someone here is more knowledgeable than me of how to navigate through all of this. Can anyone offer any advice?  Thank you for your time.  Respectfully,  Linda
    • trents
      I’m terrified it’s too late for me😭

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @Cathijean90! I went 13 years from the first laboratory evidence of celiac disease onset before I was diagnosed. But there were symptoms of celiac disease many years before that like a lot of gas. The first laboratory evidence was a rejected Red Cross blood donation because of elevated liver enzymes. They assume you have hepatitis if your liver enzymes are elevated. But I was checked for all varieties of hepatitis and that wasn't it. Liver enzymes continued to slowly creep up for another 13 years and my PCP tested me for a lot of stuff and it was all negative. He ran out of ideas. By that time, iron stores were dropping as was albumin and total protein. Finally, I took it upon myself to schedule an appointment with a GI doc and the first thing he did was test me for celiac disease. I was positive of course. After three months of gluten free eating the liver enzymes were back in normal range. That was back in about 1992. Your story and mine are more typical than not. I think the average time to diagnosis from the onset of symptoms and initial investigation into causes for symptom is about 10 years. Things are improving as there is more general awareness in the medical community about celiac disease than there used to be years ago. The risk of small bowel lymphoma in the celiac population is 4x that of the general population. That's the bad news is.  The good news is, it's still pretty rare as a whole. Yes, absolutely! You can expect substantial healing even after all these years if you begin to observe a strict gluten free diet. Take heart! But I have one question. What exactly did the paperwork from 15 years ago say about your having celiac disease? Was it a test result? Was it an official diagnosis? Can you share the specifics please? If you have any celiac blood antibody test results could you post them, along with the reference ranges for each test? Did you have an endoscopy/biopsy to confirm the blood test results?
    • Cathijean90
      I’m terrified it’s too late for me😭

      By Cathijean90 · Posted

      I’ve just learned that I had been diagnosed with celiac and didn’t even know. I found it on paperwork from 15 years ago. No idea how this was missed by every doctor I’ve seen after the fact. I’m sitting here in tears because I have really awful symptoms that have been pushed off for years onto other medical conditions. My teeth are now ruined from vomiting, I have horrible rashes on my hands, I’ve lost a lot of weight, I’m always in pain, I haven’t had a period in about 8-9 months. I’m so scared. I have children and I saw it can cause cancer, infertility, heart and liver problems😭 I’ve been in my room crying for the last 20minutes praying. This going untreated for so long has me feeling like I’m ruined and it’s going to take me away from my babies. I found this site googling and I don’t know really what has me posting this besides wanting to hear from others that went a long time with symptoms but still didn’t know to quit gluten. I’m quitting today, I won’t touch gluten ever again and I’m making an appointment somewhere to get checked for everything that could be damaged. Is this an automatic sentence for cancer and heart/liver damage after all these symptoms and years? Is there still a good chance that quitting gluten and being proactive from here on out that I’ll be okay? That I could still heal myself and possibly have more children? Has anyone had it left untreated for this amount of time and not had cancer, heart, fertility issues or liver problems that couldn’t be fixed? I’m sure I sound insane but my anxiety is through the roof. I don’t wanna die 😭 I don’t want something taking me from my babies. I’d gladly take anyone’s advice or hear your story of how long you had it before being diagnosed and if you’re still okay? 
    • trents
      diagnostic testing variance

      By trents · Posted

      Genetic testing cannot be used to diagnose celiac disease but it can be used to rule it out and also to establish the potential to develop celiac disease. About 40% of the general population has the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% actually develop it. To develop celiac disease when you have the genetic potential also requires some kind of trigger to turn the latent genes "on", as it were. The trigger can be a lot of things and is the big mystery component of the celiac disease puzzle at this point in time with regard to the state of our knowledge.  Your IGA serum score would seem to indicate you are not IGA deficient and your tTG-IGA score looks to be in the normal range but in the future please include the reference ranges for negative vs. positive because different labs used different reference ranges. There is no industry standard.
×
×
  • Create New...