Is my bunny ok?

[Sweet Potato rabbit]

I just adopted a 1-yr old dwarf two weeks ago. Today I noticed some small poop, a few double poop and lots of mushy cecotropes which he hasn’t eaten. Although he usually doesn’t eat all his cecotropes, I think the excess cecotropes today might be because he had a treat and a leaf of bok choy yesterday.
I’m mainly concerned because of his poop size isn’t consistent today, and I’m wondering if he needs a trip to the vet, or if this is just because of stress from the move/in the house. We have a pet cat in the house but they seem quite bonded and give each other nose rubs everyday. Attaching a picture of his litter tray today if it helps. Looking for advice on what to do next. Thanks in advance!

 

[JBun]

Sudden food changes, a sensitivity to a food, and a diet too high in carbs or protein, can all cause poop issues. It's always best to limit, or sometimes avoid, high carb/sugary foods. And new foods, like veggies or changes of pelleted food, should always be introduced gradually over a week or two, to give a rabbits digestive microflora time to adapt to the changes and minimize chances of digestive upset occurring.

Fully formed excess uneaten cecals can be from being in a new home, distractions in the environment(eg. loud noises, predators, etc), or from too rich of a diet(too high in protein). This should clear up as the rabbit settles in, or when the distractions are removed from the rabbits environment. Unformed pasty or semi formed uneaten cecals is called cecal dysbiosis, and is often from a diet too high in carbs/sugars, and not enough fiber from a good quality grass hay in the diet. Removing high carb foods and increasing fiber and hay intake, usually clears this up, unless there is an underlying medical issue like liver problems causing it.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/greens--veggies.html
https://rabbit.org/disorders-of-the-cecum/
https://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/

 

[Sweet Potato rabbit]

Thank you! She seems to be a bit picky about her hay these few days so I’ll go get a new pack of Oxbow Timothy and will put her on that. Hope it’ll help her!

 

[Sweet Potato rabbit]

Sudden food changes, a sensitivity to a food, and a diet too high in carbs or protein, can all cause poop issues. It's always best to limit, or sometimes avoid, high carb/sugary foods. And new foods, like veggies or changes of pelleted food, should always be introduced gradually over a week or two, to give a rabbits digestive microflora time to adapt to the changes and minimize chances of digestive upset occurring.

Fully formed excess uneaten cecals can be from being in a new home, distractions in the environment(eg. loud noises, predators, etc), or from too rich of a diet(too high in protein). This should clear up as the rabbit settles in, or when the distractions are removed from the rabbits environment. Unformed pasty or semi formed uneaten cecals is called cecal dysbiosis, and is often from a diet too high in carbs/sugars, and not enough fiber from a good quality grass hay in the diet. Removing high carb foods and increasing fiber and hay intake, usually clears this up, unless there is an underlying medical issue like liver problems causing it.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/greens--veggies.html
https://rabbit.org/disorders-of-the-cecum/
https://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/

The bunny’s gone on a full day of only Oxbow Timothy hay and water. He seems to be doing fine with his food and water intake. There’s still informed/semi formed cecals around but I guess that will take a few days to go away. His normal poop seems to have decreased a lot though (to probably about 30-40% in the original photo). Is this normal? In terms of behavior, he was still feisty as normal yesterday.

 

[BinkyLouie]

Hey, guys. I’ve been having a problem with my rabbit for two days now. His poops are great, he’s eating, he drinks, he loves his treats but there is a lack of wanting his hay. I’m not sure what’s wrong. I bought him some alfalfa hay but turns out he doesn’t like it so I’m switching back to Timothy hay tomorrow.. Thing is he also is having trouble eating Timothy hay too. It started on Friday or Saturday I think. He’s not very active. He’s usually extremely hyper active but he’s just been sitting around and sleeping. I’m not sure what to make of that. He eats veggies three times a day, 2 cups of alfalfa pellets, and he usually spends half or an hour in his litter box but he hasn’t. I’m really concerned. Can someone tell me anything?

 

[SirLawrence]

@BinkyLouie: I'd like for some of the more experienced members to chime in, but it sounds like his diet is too protein-rich. At a year old, he should be limited on the alfalfa hay and alfalfa-based pellets... He should be on a timothy-based pellet. Alfalfa is great for growing buns, but he's done growing now, and fiber is more important. There could be other issues, but it sounds to me like he's over-fed pellets, and isn't touching the hay because he finds the pellets more palatable. Two cups is WAY too much for a normal-sized rabbit. Sounds like he has a lot of veggies, too... maybe too much. What kinds of veggies and how much does he get three times a day? He could be getting lethargic due to an overly rich diet... especially if he's still eating and drinking.

Here's a down-and-dirty guide on feeding your bun:
https://bunnylady.com/rabbit-diet/
BUT, if he's lethargic, it's always best to see a vet.

 

[Sweet Potato rabbit]

@BinkyLouie how old is your bunny? Not sure if it will help to ease the veg and pellets and get a new bag of hay?

My bunny wasn't really eating the hay I gave so I bought a new pack of hay and he immediately started eating again.

 

[Sweet Potato rabbit]

@JBun thank you for the help and advice! My bunny is doing well now and all’s food and back to normal. No vegs and pellets for him for a while!

 

[BinkyLouie]

@BinkyLouie: I'd like for some of the more experienced members to chime in, but it sounds like his diet is too protein-rich. At a year old, he should be limited on the alfalfa hay and alfalfa-based pellets... He should be on a timothy-based pellet. Alfalfa is great for growing buns, but he's done growing now, and fiber is more important. There could be other issues, but it sounds to me like he's over-fed pellets, and isn't touching the hay because he finds the pellets more palatable. Two cups is WAY too much for a normal-sized rabbit. Sounds like he has a lot of veggies, too... maybe too much. What kinds of veggies and how much does he get three times a day? He could be getting lethargic due to an overly rich diet... especially if he's still eating and drinking.

Here's a down-and-dirty guide on feeding your bun:
https://bunnylady.com/rabbit-diet/
BUT, if he's lethargic, it's always best to see a vet.

Hello, Louie is only 4 months old. I already bought him some Timothy hay today because he wasn’t too keen of his alfalfa hay. I saw on a lot of peoples post that alfalfa should be fed to bunnies if they’re young and I wanted to make sure he had a good diet so I got a bale and wowowow he did not like it. Takes a few bites but doesn’t pay much attention to it anyways. Still uses his litter box though. I feed him two cups of alfalfa hay because that’s what we fed him throughout his process since 2 months. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to reduce the amount when he gets older like now. I can’t find any sources to help me so far so it’s been hard. It’s very stressful to not be able to find ways to help your rabbit. If you can give me some measurements I’d appreciate it. As for the treats/veggies. He gets a handful of greens every 4 hours. I introduced the greens carefully to him at 3 months so that I could see what his reaction would be to the greens. He was great. As for the treats he loved them too. They were these small little strawberries but now he eats these baked hay, apple and banana treats. I feed him two one in the morning and one in the night. Not sure if I should give him less. My mom and sisters are the ones who love to spoil him with more treats for example strawberries and blueberries. I don’t like that they do but I get introuble so I’m sorry if that’s bad for him I can’t do anything. They think I’m starving him. I’ll attach a picture of his poop so you can see what it looks like and... yeah. Everything else is fine just no attention towards hay is all and lack of exercise. Used to run a lot and binky and now he doesn’t. It started 3-4 days ago. That’s all I know.

 

[BinkyLouie]

@BinkyLouie how old is your bunny? Not sure if it will help to ease the veg and pellets and get a new bag of hay?

My bunny wasn't really eating the hay I gave so I bought a new pack of hay and he immediately started eating again.

My bunny is 4 months. Yessss, this is good because I’ve just bought him his fav hay after spending money on this hay he doesn’t like.. Do you by any chance know how much veggies and pellets I should peed him so that he will gravitate towards his hay?

 

[BinkyLouie]

Turns out he’s happier today! He’s running and binking. That’s a good sign. I’ve been wanting see to him run and jump and twist for those 3 days. I’m so glad to see him do that.

 

[BinkyLouie]

I’m open to ANYTHING guys. Please tell me what I’m doing wrong. I will gladly take the advice. I’m just trying to make sure he’s okay. I will change everything and anything so that he isn’t in pain and eats good. Let me know what’s best for Louie. I will buy his needs.

 

[Diane R]

You are feeding WAY too many pellets. 1-2 tbsp is a good amount. No wonder your bunny doesn't want hay.

 

[BinkyLouie]

You are feeding WAY too many pellets. 1-2 tbsp is a good amount. No wonder your bunny doesn't want hay.

Will do. As for the veggies?

 

[SirLawrence]

I like this site for how-tos. She keeps it short and sweet...

www.bunnylady.com

 

[peanutdabunny]

Your giving him to many veggies and fruits. Do Not limit the hay, also switch from alfafa. I believe that alfafa should only be fed to babies under 10weeks old. Feed less pellets, maybe 1/4 a cup. Get orchard grass as rabbits ussullay love it!

 

[Diane R]

Will do. As for the veggies?

Fresh herbs and forage are best, better than human veg. Not more than the size of their head per day. No fruit. You want them to eat hay, hay and more hay

 

[BinkyLouie]

Your giving him to many veggies and fruits. Do Not limit the hay, also switch from alfafa. I believe that alfafa should only be fed to babies under 10weeks old. Feed less pellets, maybe 1/4 a cup. Get orchard grass as rabbits ussullay love it!

Okay so I should give him limited pellets, a lot of hay, and should I give him veggies only one time of the day? A few greens. Would it be okay to give him treats still or no? I’ll limit down to one treat each day or is that still bad?

 

[BinkyLouie]

Fresh herbs and forage are best, better than human veg. Not more than the size of their head per day. No fruit. You want them to eat hay, hay and more hay

Oh okay! Where can I get these fresh herbs and forage? Do you know where I can get a big bag? How would I feed him the stuff? The herbs

 

[peanutdabunny]

Okay so I should give him limited pellets, a lot of hay, and should I give him veggies only one time of the day? A few greens. Would it be okay to give him treats still or no? I’ll limit down to one treat each day or is that still bad?

Treats depends on the size, and whats in it. No fruits still. He should get no veggies if it was my bunny. They should start eatting veggies at 6 months old. If you really want to give them veggies less than a cup a day would be fine. Make sure they are safe veggies (less than a cup per 3 pound rabbit)