Glad to hear River has been packing on the weight! I've had a few struggles with trying to get weight onto bunnies and something that's worked well for me is adding a few black oil sunflower seeds to the mix - in addition to lots of oats. They seem to like them and they're a good high calorie food.
She's been very good about eating the different greens I've offered, which is a huge relief! We're still working on her learning how to eat hay again, but I'm honestly just thrilled that she's eating solid food on her own. :)
That's a great idea about the sunflower seeds! I'll definitely have to give those a go when she can handle harder foods (or try to shell them for her).
At some point, I'm going to have to make a post on all of the calorie info I've accumulated and higher calorie liquid food recipes I've had to come up with during all of this. Critical care alone didn't have remotely enough calories given the amounts and consistency of food I could actually get into her. Grinding down the oats into powder and mixing it in was crucial to upping the calorie count.
Yeah, she definitely favors the non-stroke side when eating. Whenever she's eating greens, if they migrate to her stroke side, she ends up 'chasing' them by turning her whole head to try to position them for easier eating. If she's having a bad day, I need to help her by holding the greens to stabilize them and she'll munch away like the hungry caterpillar! For the most part, she's getting pretty adept at feeding herself or finding work arounds like using her front paws to move food stuck on the stroke side.
That's good to know about being able to grind the sunflower seeds! Is it just the birdseed sunflower seed you use or is it another type?
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They love it! Good for you, River, nom as much as you can!
Glad to hear River has been packing on the weight! I've had a few struggles with trying to get weight onto bunnies and something that's worked well for me is adding a few black oil sunflower seeds to the mix - in addition to lots of oats. They seem to like them and they're a good high calorie food.
Hi Mónica and Kristin!
She's been very good about eating the different greens I've offered, which is a huge relief! We're still working on her learning how to eat hay again, but I'm honestly just thrilled that she's eating solid food on her own. :)
That's a great idea about the sunflower seeds! I'll definitely have to give those a go when she can handle harder foods (or try to shell them for her).
At some point, I'm going to have to make a post on all of the calorie info I've accumulated and higher calorie liquid food recipes I've had to come up with during all of this. Critical care alone didn't have remotely enough calories given the amounts and consistency of food I could actually get into her. Grinding down the oats into powder and mixing it in was crucial to upping the calorie count.
Definitely a huge step up. Does she seem to still chew on one side of her mouth? Black oil sunflower seeds also take well to grinding!
Hi Kristin!
Yeah, she definitely favors the non-stroke side when eating. Whenever she's eating greens, if they migrate to her stroke side, she ends up 'chasing' them by turning her whole head to try to position them for easier eating. If she's having a bad day, I need to help her by holding the greens to stabilize them and she'll munch away like the hungry caterpillar! For the most part, she's getting pretty adept at feeding herself or finding work arounds like using her front paws to move food stuck on the stroke side.
That's good to know about being able to grind the sunflower seeds! Is it just the birdseed sunflower seed you use or is it another type?
Yep, the bird version is fine! Make sure it's the black oil variety!
Hi Kristin!
Cool--that should be relatively easier to find. Thanks again! :)
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