Baby bunny has diarrhea

[miniusagimaron]

Hi I'm a new bunny owner and just bought a baby mini rabbit at a pet shop in japan where I live. He is a little over one month old now. Since I brought him home he has had a little diarrhea it's not super watery but it's soft and gets stuck to his fur. It doesn't look lime the usual dry round pills that rabbits usually drop. I have been on the phone with a Japanese small animal vet but they keep saying I don't need to bring him in because he's still energetic. He still hops around his cage he eats and he drinks. He drinks a lot of water for his size actually. He is eating food that's just pellets and I give him hay too. The thing is other than the soft poo he is otherwise acting healthy. I'm new to rabbits so I'm wondering if I should insist that the vet check my bunny or will this pass eventually? Desperately seeking advise! I love my little maron kun sooo much!!

 

[Purple Mountain Rabbitry]

diareah can be caused by a change in food and stress. he is probably six weeks at least I hope he is so he is probably stressed from weining and being in a new enviroment and if you have changedfeeds it can cause him to have diareah and stress.

do his droppings smell really bad. that can be a case of an intestinal parasite like coccidiosis and needs to see a vet.

what are you kinds of feeds are you feeding him? what kind of hay? what kind of pellet? Do you know what he was fed before?

in my opinion it is just stress and a change in feed. but you still want to be on the safe side.

All of the above factors can help us determine if he needs to see a vet or not.

best of luck

crystal

 

[Nancy McClelland]

or the stuff your seeing might be cecotrophs. Normally they would get eaten as it is the rabbits way to enrich the food they would normally get--hay, and concentrate it. I have two that always seem to lay in them and get them stuck leading to cleanup but no problems.

 

[TinysMom]

I would push a lot of hay at this point - I'm not sure what you have there in Japan for rabbits as far as foods and medications - but one thing to consider is that one month is really too young for a rabbit to be separated from their mother - they should be at least 8 weeks old.

It isn't your fault and you didn't know this - but he is probably having problems due to being weaned too early.

Whatever you do - do NOT give him vegetables at this point in time - really push hay.

 

[miniusagimaron]

The kind of pellet I'm using is called rabbit plus and the pet shop said it's for young bunnies but apart from that everything is written in Japanese and although I can speak reading it is a whole other box of maccorroni! The
hay is alfalfa which I heard is good for young bunnies. Is this true or should I use another kind of hay?? He's not eating any veggies or treats at this point either. His pellets say Timothy on them so maybe it's the main ingredient...

I Wondered it they were the poops for eating that rabbits often make but I haven't found any normal round pills yet. Just semi solid mis shapen ones which is why I'm a little worried. But he is very energetic and he loves playing still. He is always itching to get out of the hutch and explore! The only thing strange is the poo which is why I'm wondering about the vet but since the Japanese vet said that since he was energetic that I shouldn't bring him in so I wasn't sure what I should do really. I've been to human doctors in japan and have been unplesently surprised before which doesn't make me super confident about vets but this vet is the only one for small animals in my town. I thought a second opinion would be a good idea just incase.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

miniusagimaron wrote:

Hi I'm a new bunny owner and just bought a baby mini rabbit at a pet shop in japan where I live. He is a little over one month old now. Since I brought him home he has had a little diarrhea it's not super watery but it's soft and gets stuck to his fur. It doesn't look lime the usual dry round pills that rabbits usually drop. I have been on the phone with a Japanese small animal vet but they keep saying I don't need to bring him in because he's still energetic. He still hops around his cage he eats and he drinks. He drinks a lot of water for his size actually. He is eating food that's just pellets and I give him hay too. The thing is other than the soft poo he is otherwise acting healthy. I'm new to rabbits so I'm wondering if I should insist that the vet check my bunny or will this pass eventually? Desperately seeking advise! I love my little maron kun sooo much!!

maron kun,sweet name,.your 4 week old bunny has problems,,-people sell more bunnies the younger they are,,-all to the detriment-of the young bun--all bunnies require mothers milk-(immunities)- for the begining of life,,dependening on spiecies-8-weeks-or-2-months-is mandatory,,..you are correct in keeping him hydrated,---,feeding/well--seek advise from an exotic dvm specialist,,..diarrhea-(coccidiosis)- takes the lives of many young bunnies--due to dehydration.//.i hand reared a cottontail using the brand name of hartz kitten formula-(milk),..this is perhaps what you might be told by an exotic specialist--as a rule of thumb if it is safe for a kitten it is safe for a young bunny.//.rabbits are prey animals--they will hide all pain up to and including dying to not reveal injury,..sincerely james wallerray:.

 

[tonyshuman]

You will want to get some baby food that is squash or pumpkin-based and some capsules of acidophilus or other beneficial bacteria at the grocery store. Make sure the beneficial bacteria you get is not milk-based. Try to get him to eat the baby food, and get about a gram of good bacteria into him daily. This can help clear up the diarrhea. He is quite young so continue to offer him the pellets and hay, as much as he will eat, and keep an eye on his water intake. Make sure he continues to drink a lot.

The squash/pumpkin has a lot of fiber. The beneficial bacteria will help his GI system to work correctly. Since he was taken from his mom too early, you have to supplement his intestinal bacteria.