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wizardpa Inner circle The New Orleans area 1011 Posts |
I am no expert on raising rabbits but I was reading some old posts about rabbits suddenly dying. That is what happened to my mini lop last April. As time went by, I'm convinced that my rabbit died because of digestive problems.
Make sure you have and give your rabbits plenty of Timothy Hay, and pellets with at least 13% fiber. |
MagicRhett New user Cumberland, MD 54 Posts |
Great advice. I've used rabbits for about 10 years now. They are not hard to take care of, but they need attention and playtime. I found the more I spend time with my rabbits the easier they are to handle. That helps when I'm training them for new tricks.
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
I heard a few places not to give them a lot of alfalfa because it contains plenty of sugar.
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MikeDes Inner circle Montreal 1174 Posts |
Small rabbits, miniature, dwarfs, etc., often have digestive issues and it is one of their leading causes of death. These animals should be fed dry food such as timothy hay and rabbit food and only on occasion should they be given wet vegetables such as lettuce and carrots. The wet vegetables can block their intestinal tracks and sometimes lead to death.
New bunnies should be taken to the vet early in life for a check-up and you can use the occasion to discuss diet with the vet. Hope this is helpful to you and your rabbit |
wizardpa Inner circle The New Orleans area 1011 Posts |
Yearly vet visits are also necessary in order to maintain a required USDA license, in order to use a rabbit in your magic shows.
The license costs $40 a year, and you will also receive an inspection by an USDA agent every year. |
Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
Quote:
On Mar 12, 2015, wizardpa wrote: Chris is right: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/w......ory.html |
TrickyRicky Inner circle TrickyRicky 1653 Posts |
Timothy hay is what I feed my rabbit plus a half a carrot twice a week. The rabbit pellets are really not that good for the rabbit because it's a manufactured product with lots of sugar.
I.ve been using bunnies in my performance since 1970 so I know a bit about raising and training bunnies.Thake my advice and stay away from the pellets. Tricky Ricky |
Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts |
This may be 'new' to some magicians, and, of interest to only a very few, but, the late Wayne Franzen (FRANZEN BROS. CIRCUS) would never give OKHA, his elephant, ALFALFA HAY. It's too rich and causes diarrhea.
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
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wizardpa Inner circle The New Orleans area 1011 Posts |
I'm not sure if it was my vet or if I read it in a book, but I heard not to give Alfalfa Hay to my rabbits.
TIMOTHY ONLY! |
Dougini Inner circle The Beautiful State Of Maine 7130 Posts |
I had a white dwarf rabbit. They only live four or five years. Mine died at about four.
Doug |
Rook Special user I went to the Magic Cafe and all I got were these lousy 834 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 17, 2015, wizardpa wrote: The reason for this, according to my wife who breeds show rabbits (Buggles'Bouncing Baby Bunnies) is that Alfalfa is what is colloquially termed "too hot." That is the content of the alfalfa is so rich that it strains the kidneys considerably. The sugar content is particularly problematic. This may not be a problem for baby rabbits, however, and is fine for guinea pigs, but timothy hay is indeed the best thing for adult rabbits.
Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.
-Roald Dahl |
JoshRyan Regular user Kitchener, ON, Canda 123 Posts |
I've had a few rabbits over the years, and the digestive problems can worsen quickly and be fatal. A rabbit needs immediate attention if stops eating or drinking.
A Vet specializing in small animals told me to feed rabbits these amounts every day: hay the size of it's body, fresh greens the size of it's head, and pellets the size of it's tail. |
chris fowler New user Lawton, Oklahoma 3 Posts |
Any advice out there on if it's okay to let children at the birthday pet the rabbit or not? Anyone have issues with their rabbits getting sick or passing away possibly from germs contracted by the children? Kids always want to pet the bunny, but don't want to possibly have the rabbit harmed as a result of it. Your thoughts?
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chris fowler New user Lawton, Oklahoma 3 Posts |
Anyone out there know where I can obtain a high quality rabbit bag to produce a rabbit out of my tophat (traditional magician method off back of table)?
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
Contact Richard Hughes: www.hughesmagic.com He makes at least two kinds.
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Kyoki_Sanitys_Eclipse Inner circle 1513 Posts |
Okay so I'm not a magician that uses rabbits but am looking into getting into raising them for meat. I've not done it yet but read 3 books by proven raisers of meat rabbits. I'm mo master but I can quote them. The only problem with giving alfalfa is that it can make them fat, as can anything else. I know of one top breeder that only feeds alfalfa not timothy, in moderation. Pellets are designed for rabbits. They are good for them and they will get fat if you let them eat to much. Do you have any idea how hard it is to create a well balanced diet for a rabbit and make sure they eat the correct ammounts. Greens don't block rabbits up they give them the squirts. This is why you start slow with rabbits that aren't used to them and some say to never give them to young under six months.
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Kingry Elite user Virginia 464 Posts |
Save yourself some money. Timothy hay is available in bales from most farm supply stores. I was spending $12 a week before learning this. A bale is $8!!!
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Rook Special user I went to the Magic Cafe and all I got were these lousy 834 Posts |
We pay a bit more per bale in our neck of the woods, but even so, I couldn't agree more. My wife raises rabbits and our current population is about 60 rabbits. Two bails last us several months.
Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.
-Roald Dahl |
Chrystal Inner circle Canada/France 1552 Posts |
You can also give oval (baby drops for colic) safely to a bunny if you suspect statis. Rub the rabbits belly to move things along. Many at our animal sanctuary have been saved that way or with the assistance of the rabbit savy vet we use. Only 1 drop maximum for larger bunnies.
Another thing that most people don't realize when they place rabbits in those awful cages with lots of mesh that eliminates the need for cleanup of droppings...rabbits need those droppings to re-digest as they serve as natural antibiotics. These differ in shape from the other harder droppings you may see. Cecotropes are the softer ones which are produced through fermentation of food in the rabbits digestive tract. This is a natural part of rabbit behaviour and will prevent many digestive problems as they re-absorb much needed nutrients into their bodies. They need to eat these as yucky as that may sound to us. Lastly, avoid lots of leafy greens - especially lettuce as it contains no nutrients for them and may cause digestive problems. Kale, is a much better choice as it contains lots of Vitamins and don't forgot the occasional treat of crasins (dried cranberries) rabbits absolutely love these and they are loaded with Vit. C to be used as treats. Timothy Hay provides the roughage they need too for their digestive systems. Carrots contain a lot of sugar but rabbits need to chew as their teeth are always growing so the occasional carrots, apples (remove seeds as they are poisonous to small animals) and apple wood - branches from apple trees or pear trees will keep them happily chewing and prevent boredom when they are contained. I've had as many as 18 bunnies who lived in a large pen (2 dog runs placed together in a heated garage). All were neutered/spayed and microchipped and enjoyed time in an outdoor run I also had. Rabbits generally live aprox 10 years on average. Also please note never place two un-neutered males together as sadly rabbits are one of the few animals that will fight another to the death or terrorize another male if placed in the same pen after the age of puberty. Once fixed pens can be placed side by side until they bond and they can be placed together. It's how I bonded 18 of different sexes who lived harmoniously together. They all passed from old age. I currently have 6 -again all fixed as they are male/female and live peacefully together in their super size pen with tunnels/hide hole boxes and chew things. A happy and stress free rabbit can live 10-12 years. Hope that helps |
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