Help! Runny, loose stool in my new Rabbit

[TheodoreRabsevelt]

I really need suggestions/advice here. I just got my rabbit monday, I love him already and want to do the absolute best i can with him.

However, I was cleaning my rabbits cage this evening and noticed when I picked him up that he had loose, sticky stool not like the normal round, hard balls he usually passes. I was reading online about this and learned that rabbits shouldnt just be fed pelleted feed, which is what i was giving him. I gave him dark lettuce and removed most of his pelleted feed in the hopes this would help.

Is this kind of poop normal? should i be worried? doing something different with his diet? will the diet switch help/harm him? is it the stress of a new home thats causing this? He's a very laidback bunny for the most part.

any advice/suggestions at all would be so appreciated, I'm very worried and not sure I'll sleep well tonight. Please help.

As a side note, I didnt give him much lettuce, just enough to see how he likes it, and he has plently of water.

Thank you.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Might be a cecotrope that got stuck. Pellets aren't bad, but too many will make your bunny obese. They do need unlimited hay (timothy or orchard grass) and veggies if they are over six months. Need to really know the approximate age of your bunny.

 

[wendymac]

How old is your new bun? As for diet changes: ANY diet change needs to be made gradually. Even just switching brands of pellets needs to be done gradually. When you introduce new fruits/veggies into their diet, you should do it in a small amount, and only one at a time.

You can also give them a pinch of oatmeal (old fashioned, not the stuff that cooks in a minute). It's good for their digestion, and they really like it.

 

[tonyshuman]

Good comments made so far. We need more info though. How old is your bun? What exactly have you been feeding him? What were they feeding him before you got him? Could the messy poops be uneaten cecotropes?

Here are some useful diet links:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12046&forum_id=17

These are very good:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html
http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/diet/graphics/Rabbit_Food_Pyramid_July08.pdf
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

I am a bit less strict on treats myself. I try to make the majority of treats fresh and dried fruits and carrots, but the occasional cereal bit, "bunny cookie" (like the ones Oxbow makes), or "horse cookie" (these are alfalfa and grain-based treats made for horses--cheap, well tolerated, and sometimes containing beneficial probiotics) is also given at my house.

Finally, here's info on the different types of poop:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12076&forum_id=17
Rabbits make poops called cecals or cecotropes, which they are supposed to eat. Sometimes bunnies won't eat these if their diet is too rich in protein or carbs, or if they are too young, too old, or unable to reach their bum with their mouth (fat, arthritis, etc). Uneaten cecotropes are not as big a deal as runny fecal poops.

If your bunny is under 6 mo old and is genuinely having runny fecal poops, it is an emergency situation and the bunny needs to see a vet today. I have seen several young bunnies go downhill very fast after not getting taken to the vet with runny stools. True diarrhea in young rabbits requires medicine only vets have (antibiotics, antiparasitics, etc) and expert care to make sure they are hydrated and have enough nutrients to stay alive.

Best~