Question:

Hi BudgetBunny!

I was just curious about what your use as a hairball treatment for bunnies?

M.

Answer:

Hi M.!

Good question!

Bunnies actually can’t have the normal ‘hairball’ that a cat can have as they don’t have the ability to throw up. Rabbits are fastidious groomers and because of this it’s very important to make sure your bunny always has access to unlimited hay as this is what helps to break down any blockages in your bunnies intestinal track so they can pass it out the other end.

During times when your rabbit is shedding you’ll want to make sure that the cage and water dish are kept especially clean of clumps of excess hair so your rabbit doesn’t ingest any extra. You’ll also want to groom him daily to get rid of most of the excess hair he is shedding. If you notice during shedding season that some of his poos have bits of hair stuck to them you can also try syringing a small amount of all natural, unsweetened pineapple juice to your bun twice a day for a few days. The sugars in the juice should help to further break down the blockages. This shouldn’t be done often as sugars given regularly can cause many other health problems but is okay to use those few times a year bunny is going through big sheds!

Other than giving the bunnies a good brush during shedding season and keeping their cage clean and frequently changing their water I’ve never had to resort to the pineapple juice but it’s good during peak shedding season to keep an eye on how much hay they’re eating and what their poos are looking like!