Preparing Cotton's supplement prior to his exercise

Everyday at around 7-8pm evening, Uncle Hubby and I will be feeding Cotton his Senior Support supplement by hands through playing with him. I will break the supplement tab into smaller pieces about size of 2mm diameter and I feed him 1.5 tab everyday so that will be about 10 small pieces which my hands are able to break into. Uncle Hubby and I will each take almost even number of the smaller pieces so that Cotton will be able to be fed by both of us but Cotton has to run between us of a distance about 1m to get his sweet supplement.

1.5 tabs will be broken into 10-15 smaller pieces to be hand-fed Cotton later

I hope to do a video how we do the exercising with him through treats one day, so stay tune.

This entry as the title mentioned is during the preparation of Cotton's supplement breaking into pieces prior to his exercise. Cotton can smell his supplement and will go crazy for it and started harassing me for it. I could not concentrate breaking the tab well and so Uncle Hubby had to distract him away from me. That's where things become funny because we realized that Cotton was actually chasing after his daddy for treats when Uncle Hubby was trying to distract him. Cotton will nibble his daddy's toes gently if he does not get his treat so Uncle Hubby has to move away from him. Eventually, Uncle Hubby was actually jogging away from Cotton and Cotton followed him. It just so hilarious that I took a video of it.

Gluttony Cotton.

 

The running around distraction tires Uncle Hubby out every night so we lock his playpen now when I am to prepare his supplement treats for the exercise. Clever and sensitive Cotton will know it when he smell his supplement. I always prepare his supplement at the living room while watching TV, meanwhile Cotton will be getting ready and standing expectantly at his playpen. Look at his hungry look. Awwwww it's so priceless.

 

Cotton: Quick Mummy, I want my treat.

 

 

Cotton: Daddy, stop taking pictures of my hungry look. I want my treat now!

Online shopping

Oh no.....I spent again online!

This time round, I bought the following items for Cotton:

Products 1 x Pet Link Metal Hay Holder with Chain   - Size: large SG$5.60 1 x Oxbow Multi Vitamin   - Weight: 60 tabs SG$20.95 1 x Ferplast Flea Comb – 5838 (Small Animals)   - Design: Comb SG$8.00 1 x APD Senior Rabbit Tropical Cookie   - Weight: 1.75oz SG$6.40 1 x APD Timothy Gold Hay   - Weight: 24oz SG$17.60 I feel encouraged by the fact that Cotton does take his hay from his Timothy Ball so I decided to invest a metal hay ball container for Cotton. :D I also wanted to try APD Golden Hay where it claims to contain 2nd-cut Timothy Hay and only the green colours is expected. Cotton loves his Momi 1st cut Timothy hay and so I would assume he will love the 2nd-cut as well. The differences between 1st and 2nd cut are the softness of the per fibre strands and also the fibre content as well. I read that 1st cut contains higher fibre content and is tougher (rougher) cut and so bun will need to chew harder and more. My intention is to mix and alternate 1st cut and 2nd cut with the Oxbow Timothy Hay because the latter is still more economical in terms of $$ to sustain 80% of Cotton's diet. Not forgetting that Cotton eats quite a big despite of his age seniority. I need to spend a minimum of $50 to get the free delivery (or else $10 for delivery fee) and so it's a good time to refill some of his cookie treats and letting him try Multi-vitamins as well. I am so tempted to get the Oxbow Natural Sciences Skin and Coat support supplement but I guess I will get it in the next purchase. I did not want to feed Cotton with too much supplement at one time, given that he is on long term Senior Support supplement as recommended by the vet. I can't wait for the items to come now. Cotton is just as excited as his mummy too. The only person who is not so forward looking is none other than Uncle Hubby for sponsoring the above. Hahaha...Thank You, Uncle Hubby! *wink wink* PS: Pictures of the items will be uploaded once they are arrived. :) Stay tune
	Updated on 20-Apr-2014: The cookie was a repurchased so I did not take picture of it. Repurchase means Cotton loves eating it.
	Cotton's new favourite now and is hanged in the metal ball His new favourite too   My new favourite because this comb is so effective Metal Food holder
	The metal food holder, despite the invoice said comes with the 11cm chain, but there is no chain. I did not realize until later so no point for me to pursue further. Anyway, I bought the metal chain from our local store for $2 and the problem was solved. I stuffed APD Timothy Gold Hay in the metal food holder because it's more costly to be used as loose hay as part of his litter bedding as well. Cotton does finish his hay at the metal food holder so it shows my strategy works! The metal holder also serves as an extra hay for Cotton. Cotton will eat up most of the hay at his litter box and then attack the hay at the metal holder. It's not because Cotton prefers to eat the hay at his litter box so he eats them first but because (I suspect) it is easier for him to graze at his litter box than from the metal holder. Well, whatever it is, whenever he starts to eat from his metal holder, it also means it is time for me to change his litter box.

Hays, Pellets and Treats!

I decided to do an entry about Cotton's hays, pellets and treats and their ingredients, of course!

Let's start with his Hays. Timothy Hay for sure as I read almost every online information that at least 80% of any adult rabbit's diet should be hays and is always readily available. I bought the 40oz size Oxbow brand from a nearby local pet store. The store owner really gives competitive prices but because the store is small, there's not much varieties and stock to choose. The store only has 1 bag and I have to take or leave it. I was charged $20 if I recalled correctly. 

But Cotton doesn't seem to eat as much and as fast as he previously would. Or maybe his twice a day daily dose of fresh vegetables resulted him to eat lesser hays? I don't know yet but his water intake also proportionally decreases. I was told that Cotton drank lots of water previously because he was eating a lot (his only food then) of hays. Hays being dry, he will naturally drink a lot of water after eating so much hays. 

However, I read about 'freshness' of hays and the more green it is, the better. I was at another larger pet store yesterday after work and saw that their packs of 40 oz are very green and greener than my first pack which I just bought 2 weeks ago. So I bought one more pack at the larger store ($24 before less 5%) home to compare. Can you guess correctly which pack is which? 

Answer: Lower pack is bought from larger store and is greener, right? Now I am trying to clear his existing hay stock as soon as possible..... 

 

Let's move to his pellet. I bought Oxbow Adult Rabbit Food pellets and apparently pellets typically comes in one size - 4lbs. I am using this purely as treats or giving at small amount (1/5 of party plastic cup size) once a week basis. This pack will last me a long time and Cotton loves it (not surprisingly) because it contains molasses. Oxbow also have another type of pellets for Adult Rabbit under Essential category. I decided to buy the Natural Sciences version because it contains Orchard Grass and Oat Grass which means I can save on getting other types of hays without the concerns about freshness and at the same time, Cotton can also gain more vitamins from the pellets. It's definitely a win-win choice for me. 

Update on 29-Mar-2014: The old pack of Oxbow is finally finished and the new pack is opened. Really lots of green hay and Cotton loves them. 

 

The ingredients for the Natural Science pellet:

Timothy Grass, Orchard Grass, Oat Grass, Oat Hulls, Canola Meal, Whole Yellow Pea, Whole Barley, Tomato Pomace (dehydrated), Cane Molasses, Flax Seed, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Sodium Bentonite, Salt, Lignin Sulfonate, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Rosemary, Dried Thyme, L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate (Vitamin C), Inulin, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate

Guaranteed Analysis

• Crude Protein (min) 12.00%
• Crude Fat (min) 3.00%
• Crude Fiber (min) 22.00%
• Crude Fiber (max) 26.00%
• Moisture (max) 10.00%
• Calcium (min) 0.40%
• Calcium (max) 0.80%
• Phosphorus (min) 0.35%
• Copper (min) 35 mg/kg
• Vitamin A (min) 19,000 IU/kg (min)
• Vitamin D (min) 900 IU/kg (min)
• Vitamin E (min) 190 IU/kg (min)
• Omega 3 Fatty Acid (min) 0.45%
• Omega 6 Fatty Acid (min) 0.90%

 

I also bought for Cotton to try Oxbow Lavendar Chamomile Medley Simple Rewards treats. Why Lavendar and Chamomile flavour is because I hope the aroma scent will able to calm Cotton more after each combing session. Although the manufacturer recommends 1 spoonful per day, I only uses it after each combing session or playing time with him. The package even sealed tight unopened, Cotton could still scent it and attempted to bit it opened until I stopped him. The Lavendar scent is very obvious.

 

Ingredient for this treat:

Timothy Grass, Orchard Grass, Brome Grass, Wheat Straw Meal, Rapeseed Meal(Brassica napus), Whole Yellow Pea (Lathyrus aphaca), Whole Barley, Tomato Pulp, Chamomile, Lavender, Cane Molasses, Chicory Powder, Flax Seed, Yeast (heat-killed), Salt, Dried Rosemary, Dried Thyme, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate

Guaranteed Analysis

• Crude Protein min 12.00%
• Crude Fat min 3.00%
• Crude Fiber max 23.00%
• Moisture max 12.00%

 

 

To let Cotton exercise a bit via running is during play-time. Uncle Hubby and I have set a play-time session with Cotton on every evening after our dinner....that would be somewhere 7-8pm. Previously, we have used his Senior Support supplement (breaking the tab into smaller pieces) to feed him from our hands but he has to shuttle run between us (about a distance 0.5m long). He will sniff and pick the treat with his mouth from my fingers and eat it, and after that, he will have to go to Uncle Hubby's side and repeat it. Then back to me again. It's also a good time to let Cotton familiarize that his name is Cotton as we always call to him for his attention after he taken the treat from one of us.

I have always this question in my mind if too much molasses intake would be harmful to Cotton since his glucose level was high in the Feb-2014 blood test. So I google and found a scientific journal which concluded that incorporation of molasses at 5% in rabbit diet is OK. Of course it is not cheap to include molasses into rabbit food so basically, you eat what you pay for.

  

 

To increase the varieties of the play-time treat, I bought cookie snacks. So far, he loves it.

 

 

Cost of some items:

 

1 x	APD Senior Rabbit Tropical Cookie   - Weight: 1.75oz	SG$6.40
1 x	Oxbow Natural Science Adult Rabbit Food   - Weight: 1.8kg (4lbs)	SG$20.90
1 x	Oxbow Hay Cakes   - Size: 453g (1lb)	SG$12.80
1 x	Pet Link Rabbit/Chinchilla Wooden Stick Tunnel   - Design: House	SG$7.70
1 x	Oxbow Simple Rewards Lavender-Chamomile Medley   - Weight: 70g	SG$7.10

 

Update on 29-Mar-2014: I bought the Hay Cakes so that if I brought Cotton out, at least I can feed him with the hay cake for convenience and little or no mess in the carrier. But Cotton does not like his hay cakes. I tried to insert pellets into the cake but it's not possible to do that as the cake is too tightly compressed. I rubbed some banana onto the cake but Cotton did not take the bait. There goes my $12.80. 

I wanted to buy APD Timothy Golden Hay which I read on reviews that it contains a lot of green hays and most of the owners who tried it said their buns will not take other brands anymore. But I cannot find the brand at the larger pet store and so decided to try this brand as well. I intend to mix this together with Oxbow hay for Cotton. This brand is not cheap and costs me $14 before less 5% at 15oz size. 

Update on 29-Ma-2014: Cotton loves this first cut Timothy hay! I mixed this with Oxbow hay and Momi hay is drier and harder than Oxbow. Cotton enjoys both but he has finished most of the Momi serving within the 3hours. 

 

I think I will also cut down the amount of fresh vegetable frequency to maybe 2-3 times a week so that Cotton will eat his hays. He seems to eat lesser of his hays these days and expecting treats from us as well. Naughty Cotton. I worried he may turn to picky eater if we are not careful.

Taking care of Cotton

Taking good care of Cotton is now my priority. Giving him the best without breaking my wallet is just as important. Cotton may not have the best of things in his earlier life but he sure be pampered by me and Uncle Hubby from the rest of his life.

His litter, I bought 30L cat litter Breeder Celect ($29);
Initially I bought CareFresh Ultra pet bedding because I read online somewhere that Cat litter is not suitable for rabbits as they contain zinc dusts which can cause breathing problems to rabbits. Cotton is used to having newspaper as his bedding which SPCA is also using. So there was a transition to let Cotton used to non-newspaper bedding. After consulting the vet that as long as the cat litter is made of recycled paper, then it should be fine for Cotton. Breeder Celect is definitely cheaper than using Carefresh Ultra bedding, in my opinion.

His diet, I bought Oxbow Western Timonthy Hay as his main diet;
Later, I bought Oxbow Alfalfa Hay with the intention to let him have an alternative main diet but later learnt from the vet that Alfalfa is not suitable for older rabbit. Alfalfa has high calories and is therefore suitable for growing young rabbits (below 07 months) and lactating rabbits. But I could, however, still able to use Alfalfa as small treats for Cotton. He loves Alfalfa Hays because it is sweet tasting and Cotton, like all other rabbits, has sweet tooth.

His supplement/treats, I bought Oxbow Natural Sciences Senior Support as per Vet recommended and fresh vegetables. I have tried Chye Sim, Lettuce and Xiao Bai Chye but he did not like them at all. I bought Burgy treats and he likes them so far but can only give him on once a week basis.

Cotton drinks a lot of water per day such that about 500mL of water intake for 8hrs period. So we have 2 water bottles for him to tide him through the day while at we are at work. Cotton has a certain devoted preference when using his water bottle - he will only drink one bottle and finish it before drinking from the 2nd bottle.

Cotton doesn't like his cage floor be laid with anything - newspaper or towel. He will push or kick them away. He prefers the original cage base and it seems that his paws are larger to be stuck in those holes. I let Cotton does whatever he likes since it's his territory.

Basically, Cotton is quite easy to maintain and my local pet store also sells me Oxbow products at an affordable price. My handsome Cotton is now in tip-top healthy condition.

Cotton's amazing forgiving personality

02-March-2014 (Sunday): My friends wanted to see Cotton and I think Cotton is ready to meet strangers since he did so well at the clinic the previous day. At 5:45pm, Cotton was still grazing with his Timonthy Hays and I interrupted his dinner and carried him into the carrier to meet my friends. He was, of course, unhappy that his dinner was interrupted. There were hays and water in the carrier but these simply do not satisfy him.

Cotton behaved very well when I took him out to be petted by my friends. He even let me and my friends to carry him! What a darling he is. He did try to hope back to his carrier 3x or so but he still allowed me to carry him out to let my friends pet him. Never once did he throw any temper and his mild and friendly temper melted all my friends' hearts. They though were surprised by Cotton's big size but they quickly went ga-ga over him due to his friendliness. Seriously, Cotton is the perfect home pet and why did his previous owner abandon him?

Upon returning home, Cotton went back to his cage and I decided to give him the Senior Support supplement tablet as his treat but he refused to eat. No matter how I tempted him, he simply refused to eat the treat. Cotton is usually quite gluttony when comes to sweet food and the Senior Support tab contains Cane Molasses which is sweet-tasting. Then he hopped to his litter tray and rested there which is a sign that he refused to interact to me (something I discovered that whenever he refused to let me massage/play with him, he would hop to the litter tray and dig out a corner and rest). I think he was upset that I interrupted his dinner and caressed by strangers. I am so sorry, Cotton.

So I left him alone and left the tab at the litter tray. He ate it after a while when being left alone. The following day, he was behaving normal again and he is abided to his good litter habits. Cotton forgives his parents easily, I think. This incident let me realizes how nice and friendly Cotton is. He will still behave and cooperate at strange environment and he does not hold grudges. I am again, proud of Cotton and amazed by his beautiful personality.

Cotton's first vet visit with his mama

29-Feb-2014: His first vet visit with us and I have been worrying about this day since the day I made the vet appointment. You see, according to Cotton's sterilization certificate, he just been sterilized on 08-Jan-2014 which is not too long ago. What if he remember his sterilization experience? I was so concerned that he might freaked out the moment he smelled the clinic scent. Surprisingly, Cotton behaved very well. In fact, I think the journey freaked him out more than the clinic experience.

The vet said Cotton is very friendly as he kept licking her. Well, I was jealous when hearing that because he never licked me. Or maybe he tried to lick but I always push down his head whenever his nose tries to be near my hands. I was worried that he would bite me. We let the vet to do a blood test on him as well since she could not feel his kidney via physical examination. Doc gave him a clean bill of health and his blood test results also satisfactory, except his glucose level is slightly on a high side. He weighs a healthy weight of 1.9kg!

To make matter worse, I bought him the wrong hay - alfalfa hay, as I thought of changing to let him try other kinds of hay other than Timonthy Hay. Oh, how wrong I am. Doc also recommended him to take Senior Support tablets and not surprisingly that he loves it because it contains cane molasses which is sweet-tasting.

Due to his old age, he has difficulties cleaning his fur at his back which were matted. The doc had helped me trimmed off most of the matted fur but I will need to do that job for him in days to come. Luckily Cotton allows me to feel his body so it should be easy but I still need a 2nd helping hand so Uncle hubby will need to train his Edward Scissor hands soon.

The visit to the vet cost me $175 in total, where his blood test cost $75, nail trimming $10, Senior Support tabs $30, Cleaning and Shaving $10, Oxbow critical care $15 and standard consultation $35.

 

I am so proud of you, Cotton.