Issues with PANR switch

[Brittney]

I have my boys with the exception of one on PANR and was running low so I went out to buy some. I saw the thread about the switch so I knew what to get. I got the Show version of the new stuff and started the switch slowly. There's barely any of the new stuff in the bowl and they are already having problems. I'm pretty sure I got the right stuff?
Bryson and Dylan are having solid but squishy poos but Andrew's are smearing on the shelves. I'm positive they don't have parasites as this just came about after switching foods on Friday.

I have started giving charcoal covered shreddies, increased hay and I took away the pellets.

Anything else I can try?

I didn't put but a small pinch into their bowls with the old PANR.

Anyone else having issues?

 

[Essentia]

That is the right stuff. Weird that it is causing squishy poos though. My issue was getting the chins to actually eat it. Once they did though I didn't get any squishies. They are still on the feed now.

When was it milled? Did it smell fresh? Moldy? Anything out of the norm? I'm pulling at straws here since I didn't have any of these issues.

 

[Brittney]

It was milled Feb 22. That's the earliest I could find.

It smelled fresh and I didn't see any mold (which would be odd in AZ)

It looks like normal feed. I'm just not sure why they are having issues.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I also find it weird you are having squishy poo problems. My chins switched over with no problems. They didn't act like there was any difference. It could be parasite problem that just happen to show itself when the switch happened. If the problem doesn't go away soon. I would take one of the chins to the vet and have a stool sample tested - just in case

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

I have had problems with the switch. Some handled it with no problems, others dropped weight, stopped eating, or/and had squishy poos. Their digestive systems are so delicate. I've done 10 random fecal tests to make sure I wasn't dealing with a parasite and all were negative so the vet and I are chalking it up to enteritis due to the feed change.

Jessica

 

[Brittney]

I'm running fecals on everyone today. I just ran them a couple of weeks ago and none had parasites so I'm positive it's not parasites. I'll just run a couple just to be sure.

 

[Rickman]

My feed store was out, so I looked at the other Purina rabbit feed they had. Saw different fat and protien contents, but didn't have a show contents tag to compare, so just gave them lots of hay until it came in.
Anyone tried theirn other Rabbit products?
My adults seem to prefer hay now, but the youngsters really gobble it up, and seem to be growing well!
No diarea problems here!

 

[Parkerspetchins]

I also did not have any issues with the switch. My only possible complaint is that I don't feel my girls' coats look as nice now. It could be due to other things like the weather change, normal fur cycles, etc., but I thought it was feed related since it has coincided with my switch...

 

[mishellyshel]

the jury is still out on this stuff. i did just pick up a bag last week that was milled in mid march, so i was excited to get such a good date. some of my guys love it......some not so much.....although most of my guys have gained a little weight or had no change. not really any weight loss here.
i do give each boy 1/2 of a shredded wheat every night....not sure if that counters any squishy poo, but only one boy has had soft poo since the switch and he is very tiny for his age so he gets a whole one every nite.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

I also did not have any issues with the switch. My only possible complaint is that I don't feel my girls' coats look as nice now. It could be due to other things like the weather change, normal fur cycles, etc., but I thought it was feed related since it has coincided with my switch...

I noticed this too in my Herby. Its almost like she has not a had a dust bath in a few weeks, though she gets one 2-3 times a week, depending on how long she stays in the dust. I am feeding a mixture of the new PCRS and Mazuri and didnt notice this until I added the PCRS. Hmmm...

 

[Spoof]

Anyone tried theirn other Rabbit products?
My adults seem to prefer hay now, but the youngsters really gobble it up, and seem to be growing well!

I'm using the Fiber3. I'm not 100% sold on it, but since they special order it for me the week I request it's always got a mill date within the last week which I'm thrilled about. My herd has also been eating more hay than before.

I've still got a few that dig it out. I am not happy with how it's treating the pregnant ladies, they seem to have a hard time keeping fat (which makes sense, corn is a fat builder and it has none) and I've been supplementing them heavily.

The babies/growers are doing fine. No squishy poos from switching here - I switch cold turkey as I don't like to encourage them to dig out the feeders.

This is a quote off of a rabbit blog, and I agree - "Essentially, Fibre3 seems to be the Atkins Diet for rabbits." I will likely switch my moms in the future, though I haven't decided to what yet.

 

[Chinmama]

We had squishy poos with the switch too, both chins. Marble's cleared up quickly and ZZ had it on and off for a few weeks. No weight loss or any other issues. Hopefully they are over it completely now. They've been on it since around the first of the year.

 

[Brittney]

All of my boys are still having squishy poo. Their shelves look horrible. I pulled hay for a couple of days and they firmed back up and started to slowly add the food back into their diet and now the smearing poos are back.

I am pretty sure it's the food as I have run fecals on all (with fresh out of the chin poo) and it cleared up when I took away the pellets.

Is there anything I should try? I have Mazuri on hand. It's not the freshest ever but I have it on hand.

Should I switch back to Mazuri or would it cause more issues with too much switching?

I hate that I spent 20 bucks on this bag just to have problems galore.

 

[Spoof]

Cold turkey switching would probably clear them up. You can try one of their other feeds, just take your existing bag back and tell them it was giving your animals the runs and you want a different type.

 

[Anna]

My chins have been having squishy poo on and off too from the switch. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. They both love hay, I'm wondering if I should give them more hay than pellets?

 

[Brittney]

I would try to up the hay. It has seemed to help 2 of mine who are now 100% back to normal after the switch as of this afternoon, which means probably nothing is wrong with the food itself. However, my other 2 are still having the watery, squishy droppings. Charlie had what I like to call "mud butt" last night. I hand fed him a mixture of CC, lifeline and activated charcoal which seemed to take away the "mudd butt" but he still has squishy poos.

The vet recommended I up the hay amount for all of the chins and has put Charlie on Simethicone and a strong probiotic.

If Andrew's does not clear up anytime soon, he's taking a trip to the vet, also.

The crappy thing is, my 2 that cleared up with the hay are hay junkies, the other 2 with squishy poos just graze on their hay here and there, sometimes they don't even touch it. It's just stressful.

 

[Anna]

haha "mudd butt" that's gross ; )
yeah, i do give them a large handful of alfalfa hay a day. Maybe I should just give them less pellets and a whole shreddie instead of a half for treats?

I also give them each probiotics every other day.

their poos aren't watery and they look normal, they just squish easily. However they are still in tact in the cages, the boys step on them and they don't squish too easily under their weight. But other times they are hard and a bit smaller. I guess... more hay and less pellets for the moment.

I had problems getting Furby to eat hay when he was sick forever, but switching up the hay types helped. I don't know if you've tried that but it worked a bit for me

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

I switched my 3 boys cold turkey when I ran out of PANR to the new formula with no troubles.

I think that I remember seeing somewhere on the bag that it will give them "shinier/better coats". Could that be the reason why they look greasy???

 

[suzi1780]

after reading about the problems people are having, I think I might switch over to Manna Pro Sho, it is easier for me to get PCRS, but I don't want to have to worry about greasy coats and soft poops.

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

Anna-

I would not give handfuls of alfalfa hay. Too much alfalfa can cause bloat. Alfalfa should only be given in a pinch. I would switch to timothy hay.