They come from california... is a traders joes near you?

Click on the House Rabbit Society link below.

www.sweetmeadowfarm.com/

Alfalfa is high in calicum...check out the previous post bunny middle age..

Just posted that info...

Hi again Lorinda, :)

In reply to:

> What exactly did you hear about the yogurt?
> That is odd, since a lady i work with (who used
> to raise netherland dwarf rabbits for show) told
> me that whenever a rabbit had digestive
> problems and possibly a blockage, they fed
> him plain yogurt thru a syringe.

Yogurt drops and plain yogurt aren't the same thing in this case.
The (flawed) purpose behind the person feeding plain yogurt through a syringe, is probably for repopulating "good bacteria" in the rabbit's digestive system -- unfortunately this person is using human logic on a very different bunny body. The bacterial balance in rabbits' digestive systems is extremely important to their ongoing health and well-being. (This is why they eat their own "cecal" droppings -- it helps recirculate the good bacteria.) If the bacterial balance gets out of wack, that can lead to big problems. So the reason for the person feeding plain yogurt, I believe, would be with the intention of repopulating "good bacteria". However, I definitely do not believe that yogurt is the correct way to go about doing that with rabbits -- there are probiotic products designed specifically for that, such as "Bene-bac" and "Probician". (Bene-bac seems to be the popular one for rabbits -- I keep some of this on hand in my rabbit emergency/first-aid kit -- I recommend everybody keep a rabbit emergency kit so you have the items you need for quick action in a health crisis. [Example of an emergency kit: www.ontariorabbits.org/health/h...nfo7.htm] Crisis situations sometimes happen on weekends and nights when the vet is closed.) A probiotic can be given while a rabbit is on antibiotics to help maintain balanced gut flora and prevent diarrhea. I've seen a lot of debate about whether yogurt is a good thing to do -- I go with the bottom line myself, that rabbits were simply not intended to consume that. Quoted from medirabbit.com:

"Lactobacillus/Acidobacillus are not a natural host of the adult rabbit intestinal and, if surviving the passage through the acid stomach, it will not survive the anaerobic conditions of the cecum. The lack of adhesive capability may further prevent Lactobacilli from colonizing in the intestinal tract.
Adult rabbits naturally do not have the right bacteria to digest milk derivates in the cecum and intestine.
In the absence of those Lactobacteria, milk derivates accelerate the onset of stasis in adult rabbits."

("stasis" refers to gastrointestinal stasis, where their elimination system stops working, they stop producing fecal pellets at all -- very dangerous for rabbits if that condition lasts for more than a day or two, it's important that they are continually eating and making droppings. Healthy rabbits = lots of droppings.)

Yogurt drops, on the other hand, are like candy and there's no live bacterial value to them (as far as I know), so there's even less logic for feeding this to rabbits. All the yogurt drops do is harm rabbits -- this has been affirmed by every house rabbit article or handbook that I've read which has mentioned yogurt drops, I've never seen any that said yogurt drops were acceptable. This is another case where pet supply companies sell these products which are harmful to pets, just like they sell cedar shavings as litter for rabbits even though it's very well established that the fumes from cedar shavings clearly lead to disease in rabbits. You'll find lots of messages on the internet from rabbit caretakers who feed their rabbits yogurt drops, but I've observed most of the medical-minded folks won't touch them.

The following is from an article sent to me by the House Rabbit Society when I adopted my rabbit in 1997 -- this was from a page describing which fruits and vegetables are okay to give to rabbits:
"Absolutely NO Kaytee-brand treats. And NO chocolate, cookies, crackers, breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, YOGURT DROPS, or other 'human treats'. There is research to suggest these items may contribute to fatal cases of enterotoxemia, a toxic overgrowth of "bad" bacteria in the intestinal tract."

(Note that the items described, for the most part, are "starchy" items. Too much sugar can also be an issue. And the part about Kaytee brand isn't just a blind prejudice; they really are a horrible company and put gross ingredients in their pet products even despite lots of opposition from animal lovers.)

Some people make the argument that an occasional yogurt drop isn't going to harm a rabbit, just like an occasional decadent dessert won't harm a human. Again I err on the side of caution (or paranoia really ;) since I know how delicate rabbits are), it's just not worth it to feed one's rabbit anything that has even the _slightest_ chance of upsetting their delicate bacterial balance. You said you were doing one yogurt drop per day -- I'd consider that much more than occasional treat status. But please don't just take my word for it, I'm just some random bloke on Tribe ;) ;) -- it's worthwhile to do your own research (I'll provide a good research link at the end). If you do stop giving yogurt drops, it may be best to remove it from their diet gradually instead of just stopping suddenly -- need to be careful about making drastic changes to a rabbit's diet, for both physical and psychological reasons.

On the question of food pellets --
After reading through many many thousands of messages on rabbit mailing lists over the years and reading lots of articles from vets and rabbit enthusiasts, I've observed that the #1 choice of truly healthy and high-quality food pellet for _adult_ rabbits is from Oxbow Hay (www.oxbowhay.com) -- it's the "Bunny Basics/T". It's made primarily from timothy hay, which is the best for adult rabbits. (Alfalfa shouldn't be consumed in large quantities by adult rabbits -- only occasionally as a treat, if at all -- but that gets into a whole other medical discussion.) :) There are a couple of other brands that people swear by as well -- people tend to have their loyalties, and mine is with Oxbow Hay pellets, it's the brand recommended by my rabbit's vet (she's one of the most well-known and published rabbit vets in the world, I drive over 4 hours to get to her if needed.) Oxbow makes other types of food pellet for younger rabbits which are more alfalfa-based.

For a TON of great info on caretaking rabbits, visit www.morfz.com and click on the "Rabbit References" section -- the many articles there, from reputable rabbit veterinarians and house rabbit organizations, have helped me save my bunny's health on more than one occasion. A word of caution though: There's enough info there to really spin a person out and make them paranoid about their bunny's health, seeing all the frightening things that can go wrong. I've gone through the psychological wringer myself, reading through some of that stuff. But in the end, I'd much rather be equipped with the knowledge I need to help my beloved bunny in an emergency. Being equipped with this knowledge has definitely saved my bunny's life, and I believe has contributed greatly to the quality of his life and health.

No worries dear Lorinda, I'm sure your bunnies have enjoyed the yogurt drops and now you're learning more info as a caring bunny parent and can adjust accordingly. If they've been okay so far, I reckon there has been no damage to their long-term health, but over the long run, it's probably best to adjust their diet to the healthiest possible foods and treats. You obviously care very much about your bunnies, which is always awesome to see. :) :)
My bunny loves carrot as a treat (I agree with what you said -- what kind of a bunny doesn't like carrots? hehehe!) , and he really loves dried apple bits that I buy from a rabbit supply store; I only give those in moderation since they're high sugar and my bunny goes CRAZY when he hears the crinkle of the "apple crack" bag. Good entertainment value though, watching him leap around in anticipation of his apple treat...

Sincerely,
Your Bunny Friend, :)
-Randy