Gassy Bunny...

[JadeIcing]

Jenk wrote:

angieluv wrote:

I knew that you were feeding him a larger amount because of his age but now might be a good time to start cutting back on the pellets permanently. I think that's a good idea.

The hard part is not knowing his exact age. The shelter estimated him to be five months old when we got him (in mid-Sept.), which would make him about 6.5 months old now. But he could've been slightly older, too. (He was found as a stray, so they could only estimate his age based upon his then-lighter coloration and weight.)

If they underestimated his age, though, then he could be between seven and eight months old now. It's impossible to pinpoint, really.

I started cutting pellets back at 5mnth and by 6mnths they were switched over to timothy eatting 1/4 cup.

 

[Jenk]

angieluv wrote:

Why don't you feed him1/4 th cup once his gas issues resolve and then go from there
maybe his gas issues will improve on less pellets and then again if he seems hungry or loses weight you could up them a little.I wouldn't worry about his need for food for growth at this point,
just concentrate on his digestive issues

Great advice from everyone, but no surprise there. :biggrin2:

This morning, I gave him 1/4 C. of his 1:4 pellet ratio. By tonight, I'll be listening carefully to his gut. I suppose if it gets noisy again, I'll remove pellets for another few days; then I'll take a step back and try1/4 C. of the 2-part alfalfa:3-part pellet ratio.

So if he winds up being between 8-10 lbs., is 1/4 C. of pellets ideal for that weight range?

 

[Jenk]

Update: Cali Boy's gut isn't as loud as it was several nights' ago, but I can hear it kicking more now that he's had 1/4 C. of his (1:4) pellet mixture (i.e., I heard it from a few feet away).

Should I maybestop feeding him pellets for a bit longer, or maybe take a step backward (feed him a2:3 pellet ratio)?

 

[Maureen Las]

Sounds like the BBT isn't agreeing or :?
I think that 1/4th cup for eight pounds isn't enough (for permanent)but I'd have to check with others I think I probably givemine too much
Why don't you go down even further to 1/8 cup which is very small amount and do 1 alfalfa - 3 parts timothypellets just to see if a tiny amount is still disruptive.
just as a test ...

 

[Jenk]

angieluv wrote:

Sounds like the BBT isn't agreeing or :?

Why don't you go down even further to 1/8 cup which is very small amount and do 1 alfalfa - 3 parts timothypellets just to see if a tiny amount is still disruptive.
just as a test ...

He's going ape right now (bouncing around in his cage), which is his way of "reminding" me that he expects his pellets in the AM. Nutty bunner...

I will mix up a 1:3 pellet ratio (using a 1/8 C. for eachmeasured scoop) and feed him that this morning, then.

The problem is that he certainly can't remain on alfalfa-based pellets forever, especially since theygave him sludge (or borderline sludge).

 

[Jenk]

'Nuther update: The Snow Beast's gut is still louder than I think it should be, after eating1/8 C. of a 1:4 pellet ratio this morning.

Now what? Stop pellets (again) untilhis gut quiets down? Or, tomorrow, take a different step back andtry him on1/8 C. of a 2:3 (alfalfa:timothy) pellet ratio? (Problem is, if his gut is kicking now, it's hard to say if the previous pellet feeding, or the most-current one, is causing the upset....)

He's had a loud gut nearly since wegot him; I don't know if pellets in general give himissues, orif timothy hay (vs. the cheaper feeder hay he got at the shelter) made his gut start kicking. (The shelter folks saidthat he has a good digestive system; but theyalso told me that they never sawheavy calcium deposits [early sludge] in his urine; I saw it in the first 24 hrs. that he was with us. Methinks certain details were overlooked at the shelter....)

I'vefelt cursed, at times,due to my first two bunnies having cyclical digestive problems. Now I seem to have a Cali with issues. (I was told that the breedtends to be hearty and digestive-problem-free; I feellike I'mback at square one....:? )

 

[dquesnel]

From what I read here, it actually sounds as if he is fine. I wonder if your other two bunnies have their gut issues, and with that comes an abnormally quiet gut? Compared to theirs, maybe the Cali's sounds louder. You could try breaking up his 'meals' into smaller portions, and then more frequently. It is more natural for them to eat that way- I find with my guys that they do well with 4-6 small meals of various things (pellets and different veggies) daily keeps them very energetic and their guts healthy.

 

[Jenk]

dquesnel wrote:

From what I read here, it actually sounds as if he is fine. I wonder if your other two bunnies have their gut issues, and with that comes an abnormally quiet gut? Compared to theirs, maybe the Cali's sounds louder. You could try breaking up his 'meals' into smaller portions, and then more frequently. It is more natural for them to eat that way- I find with my guys that they do well with 4-6 small meals of various things (pellets and different veggies) daily keeps them very energetic and their guts healthy.

So it's normal for some buns to have audible popping sounds from their gut region? What about actually feeling gas popping in the cecum, though? (I can feel it whenever his gut is making noise, but I really felt it when his gut reached it's loudest point.)

You may be right, in one sense, because my guy's activity level remained high throughout all his loud/gassy gut sounds. But when it got really loud this last time, his activity level dropped a bit; and I felt a lot of gas popping when I massaged his stomach and especially his cecum.

He'srunning around right now; I'll give him another 1/8 C. of the 1:4 pellet mixture. If anything, I'll either see his gut sounds andactivity level remain the same, or go their opposite ways.:? (I get very nervous about testing a bun's digestive system, fearingthat if I mess things up too much, s/he'll wind up needing the vet's help. )

 

[Haley]

I wouldnt worry too much about loud gut noises as long as he is eating, pooping and acting normally. Changing the diet back and forth can do more harm than anything..just keep things the exact same but make sure he has lots of hay and water.

I disagree with the statement that they shuold be fine after two doses of simethicone or you should worry. Some bunnies are like that and are up and running after a dose or two- but other bunnies need to have simethicone a few times a day for 3-4 days when they get gas. I would keep with the tummy tubs and simethicone and dont worry too much as long as everything else is normal

 

[Jenk]

Haley wrote:

I wouldnt worry too much about loud gut noises as long as he is eating, pooping and acting normally. Changing the diet back and forth can do more harm than anything..just keep things the exact same but make sure he has lots of hay and water.

I disagree with the statement that they shuold be fine after two doses of simethicone or you should worry. Some bunnies are like that and are up and running after a dose or two- but other bunnies need to have simethicone a few times a day for 3-4 days when they get gas. I would keep with the tummy tubs and simethicone and dont worry too much as long as everything else is normal

Haley, you make some good points, as well.

I really don't like changing a bun's diet too much. With Emma, it remains fairly steady; but with Zoe, it all depends on what fecals she's passing.

With Cali Boy, he's had reliable fecals and a hearty appetite/thirstsince I've had him. The only thing that tipped me off to a possible discomfort level the last time was, as I've said, his sudden reluctance to leave the comfort of his bed. (He's like a big, gangly puppy: always running over to me when I'm in his x-pen. So a lack of enthusiasm is a tip-off that something's amiss. )

dquesnel makes a good point about breaking up feedings. I'll only dotwo a day, though, sincethat's all I can handle when I rejoin theoutside workforce.

In the past, Zoe's megacolon issues calmed a bit whenI: 1) gave her an herbal supplement designed to calm the digestive system; 2)slowly built her up (over many weeks') to handle twosmall feedings of "gentle" greens/herbs daily (with an enzyme-probiotic on them).

She's since had gut upsets; I've had to work to "reset" her digestive system (with hay only)several times now. I hope to get her back to where I had her before, though.

 

[Jenk]

Yet another update: Three days' worth of feeding Cali Boy 1/8 C. of the 1:4 pellet ratio, and he's again full of gas. He's still eating, drinking and being active; yet I could feel a lot of gas in his stomach and cecum. So I gave him a gentle massage and felt/heard much gas breaking up.

I'm starting to question if he'll ever be able to handle Oxbow Bunny Basics/T pellets (or any pellets, for that matter).

I guess that it's back to several more days' of a hay-and-water diet (to give his system time to work out the gas); then I'll slowly start him on greens again (likely parsley, initially), since he was fed plenty of greens at the shelter.

Something tells me that this isn't a brand-new issue, though. I'm guessing that any sensitivities he may have had were overlooked, since multiple people rotate between multiple bunnies.

 

[Maureen Las]

Very strange but did you read this currently runny thread about Toby. he is also having trouble going from alfalfa to BBT

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=41060&forum_id=16

 

[Jenk]

angieluv wrote:

Very strange but did you read this currently runny thread about Toby. he is also having trouble going from alfalfa to BBT

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=41060&forum_id=16

I hadn't read it until now. It's interesting that Toby may be experiencing digestive issues from Oxbow BB/T.Actually, frustrating isa more applicable word....

So Toby'smushy poops could be fromthe Oxbow pellets; and my dear Snow Beast has stable poops but builds up a lot of gas from them. (Hisstomach/ cecum region startspopping very loudly and much too frequently to be normal.)

I've been very slowly converting him to the new pellets (over six weeks' now). It seems that if he's not able to handle the 1:4 pellet ratio by now, he maynever handle 100% of it.