Alfalfa as a treat?

Question
QUESTION: I just nursed one of a pair of bonded rabbits back from an episode of stasis.  She has been eating and pooping well.  Unfortunately a couple of nights ago someone dropped a hairbrush and the rabbits (one or both) nibbled on the handle.  I wouldn't have been too concerned except it happened to be one  of those brushes with the gel handle.  Is there a possibility of that passing or will it get all gummed up inside?  They eat hay and greens.  I've tried to cut out pellets because the rabbit with Stasis has had small episodes her whole life and I think perhaps she was eating the pellets and not enough hay.  I know they nibble and she would have ingested pieces of the gel, I'm just afraid those pieces will adhere together and form a big blob inside her stomach.  Is there anything I should be doing?  Is there something that would break the gel up for sure?  I have done some research and believe it is silicone.

ANSWER: Dear Shannon,

ARGH!  I sometimes think the purpose of our rabbits here on earth is to shorten our lifespans with stress.

I'm not familiar with the gel-handled brushes, but you can rest assured that silicone is about the most inert substance on the planet.  It is extremely unlikely to glom together once it's been cured and is part of a solid object.

Bunnies usually chew their food pretty well before swallowing, so my guess is that the little chunks will pass uneventfully.  It's really quite amazing what they can pass.  I once had a baby hare (2 weeks old) who--in his wild suckling joy--slurped down a whole latex nipple!  I thought I'd die of a heart attack, and then spent three days nursing an ulcer until a mysteriously shaped poop appeared, and was the partially digested nipple!  And that's one tiny digestive tract.

So I think that *most likely* you won't see any problems.  Just keep an eye open for any of the usual signs of GI distress:  hunching, grinding teeth, and not pooping.  If that happens, then it's time to call the vet.  And it might not be a bad idea to alert the vet about what happened *now*, just in case there's a problem.

But let's hope that this, like all mortal things, shall pass.

Hope this helps, and that the bunnies will be just fine with no incident.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So far they are still both eating and pooping like champs.  As soon as I hit send on the first message, however, I was second guessing myself and looked further into the gel handles.  It's not the hardened silicone I'm speaking of, it's like the grips on pens that is soft and very gummy.  I took the rest apart and was able to pick it into small pieces, but if I pressed it together it certainly formed a blob. Don't know what that will do while it's inside a bunny?!?  I'm obviously hoping it all slides down.  I guess I was kind of wondering how long it takes for them to digest something.  You said the nipple passed in three days so that's comforting. Tomorrow will be day 3 for us.  I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I don't know...my vet may have my number blocked.  The stasis episode was just last month.  I had no idea what I was capable of.  My fear of needles is definitely gone.  Had I know how much stress this would be I may have led my daughter out of the pet store by her ear!!  I can't say I'll ever do it again, but I've fallen in love with the two of them...although I can't say they feel the same about me.

ANSWER: Dear Shannon,

Your bunnies are lucky to have such a caring mom, and I'm glad you relented at that pet store.  The world needs more great bunny moms!

If this is day three, then I think you're probably pretty much out of the woods.  You might not see anything weird in the poops.  The goo might just mix in with everything else, and not be detectable.  I'd say if all is fine in another day or two, I'd be very surprised if anything was not passed through.

Sending lots of healing thoughts and BIG, JUICY poop vibes.  (ew.)

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Everything is still going well.  So hopefully we escaped that pretty much unscathed.  However, I did think of one more thing I wanted to ask...I am two years into this bunny experience.  I admit I knew NOTHING going into it and there is a lot of conflicting information on the internet.  During Zoey's stasis episode, when we were trying to encourage her to eat, the vet told me to try and entice her with pretty much anything. I have read to stay away from alfalfa, but at one point the vet mentioned it might interest her so I decided to give it a shot and bought some.  As most bunnies do, they think it is absolutley scrumptious.  I understand that alfalfa is not recommended as a hay to feed adult rabbits, but is it okay to give them a tiny bit as a treat?

Answer
Dear Shannon,

Alfalfa is fine as a treat.  My only concern is that of all the hays, this one is the *most* likely to harbor the cryptic, parasitic fungi that can produce deadly mycotoxins if the hay was grown under certain environmental conditions (i.e., COLD), which you'd never really know.  Hay is harvested and stored year 'round.

The mycotoxin thing isn't hugely common--but common enough to have a huge literature in ag circles.  It's doubtful you'd ever have a problem, but you might just want to be aware of it.  There are safer treats than alfalfa, such as fresh, fragrant herbs (cilantro is a big hit!).

Don't want anyone to be paranoid--just aware.

Take care,
Dana