Rabbit Nutrition Flashcards
How much of day spent eating?
70%
Too many cereals can cause..
Enteritis
Not enough teeth wear down
Fibre..
Need high fibre
Indigestible fibre e.g. grass/hay for intestinal health (gastro motility) and teeth wear
Digestible fibre for fatty acids - 50% of energy req.
Calcium
Rabbits keep absorbing Ca, don’t provide too much
P:Ca
1.5:1
Causes of dental disease (4)
- Congenital/hereditary - born with skull abnormality
e. g. Netherland Dwarf - Accidents e.g fractured jaw
- Calcium/Vit.D deficiency (selective feeding/lack of sunlight)
- Lack of chewing/grinding (fibrous food e.g. hay)
Consequences of malocclusions
- hooked on cage bars/wire (overgrown incisors)
- cheek abscesses (elongated crowns of molars)
Elongated crowns on lower cheek teeth - spikes: - anorexia/weight loss (not eating)
- excess salivation
- lacerated tongue
- flystrike
Consequences of poor bone & tooth quality
- periodontal disease
- tooth fractures
- tooth rot abscesses
- nasolacrimal duct infection
Grade 1 dental disease
Normal, healthy teeth
Grade 2 dental disease
Early signs of disease, no clinical signs
Grade 3 dental disease
Teeth start to grow out of alignment and become maloccluded
Overgrown crowns and hooks (can be trimmed but regrow)
Grade 4 dental disease
Advanced
Roots affected, crowns break off
Grade 5 dental disease
Infection, poor quality bone, abscesses
Poor prognosis for rabbit
Treatment options
- Surgical removal of incisors
- Trimming of incisors and molars (Ev. 4-6wk)
- Provide sufficient Ca & Vit. D
Gap where canine teeth usually are
Diastema
Rate teeth grow
2-3mm/week
Hay and grass should make up what % of diet?
80% min.
Alfalfa hay
Should be avoided
High Ca content can lead to bladder stones or crystals
Digestion of caecotrophs provides..
Vit. K & B
Protein % for adult, neutered rabbits
12-17%
Protein % for growing or lactating rabbits
18-19%
Dried food should make up no more than…
5%
Rabbits drink..
50-100ml/kg/day water
Dehydration can result in
Gastro-intestinal stasis, urinary crystals, trichobezoars (hairballs)
Rabbit tastebuds
approx. 17,000
Fruits and carrots
High in sugar so only small amounts
High sugar can affect gut microflora (dysbiosis) because rabbits can’t digest sugars effectively
Fresh food (e.g. green leafy veggies) should make up..
15% DI
Avoid feeding..
Raisins, corn cobs, peanuts
Choking hazard
When altering diet..
Do it slowly
Gut flora sensitive to change, can cause severe diarrhoea
Obese/overweight rabbits prone to
osteoarthritis, pododermatitis, heart disease, flystrike
