My bun hasn't pooped today!

[jrbunny]

Hi, im quite new to this site, I was browsing the internet looking for some advice and was hoping thats someone here could help.

I have a 5 and a half month old minilop House bunny. p until now, I have never had any problems since having her since 8 weeks. I noticed yesterday that her poops were half the size of normal and there was a lot less of them than normal. I also noticed she hadn't eaten many of her pellets. After some research, I decreased her pellet amount and encouraged her to eat more hay. Her drinking has remained fine and she has passed urine twice today. Also, her behaviour is normal and she doesn't seem to be in any pain. However, my main concern is that she hasn't pooped at all today and has refused to eat much...

How concerned should I be?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[JBun]

Is she bloated at all? If she is take her to the vet immediately!

Signs of pain are sitting hunched up and not moving around much, grinding teeth, changing positions frequently and belly pressing, eye squinting, reduced appetite. You can try to encourage eating some leafy greens like cilantro, parsley, or dark green leafy lettuce, but you don't want to force any food in case there is a complete blockage. You can try a gentle belly massage, and letting her run around to stimulate her digestion. It sounds like your rabbit has developed GI stasis, and if you don't see any improvement in the next hour, I would get her to the vet immediately. If there isn't a complete blockage, your rabbit needs a gut motility med, metacam for pain, and may need a syringe feeding mix if she won't eat on her own, at the minimum.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

 

[jrbunny]

Is she bloated at all? If she is take her to the vet immediately!

Signs of pain are sitting hunched up and not moving around much, grinding teeth, changing positions frequently and belly pressing, eye squinting, reduced appetite. You can try to encourage eating some leafy greens like cilantro, parsley, or dark green leafy lettuce, but you don't want to force any food in case there is a complete blockage. You can try a gentle belly massage, and letting her run around to stimulate her digestion. It sounds like your rabbit has developed GI stasis, and if you don't see any improvement in the next hour, I would get her to the vet immediately. If there isn't a complete blockage, your rabbit needs a gut motility med, metacam for pain, and may need a syringe feeding mix if she won't eat on her own, at the minimum.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

I dont think she is bloated, I massaged her tummy for a little while today and she seemed to quite enjoy that. Shes showing no signs of pain or discomfort and is running, binkying and flopping as often as usual. I will try her with some greens, though she has just hopped to her cage and eaten some hay. Ill keep a cloae eye on her over the next hour. Thanks for the reply!

 

[JBun]

If behavior is completely normal and she is still eating, then you may be ok to hold off on the vet. You'll want to cut out pellets and any sugary starchy foods for now. Just feed unlimited hay and dark leafy veggies(non cruciferous) for now, but be careful feeding greens if she isn't used to them. If she is eating hay fine, then you could probably hold off on the greens if they aren't something she is already used to. And encourage her to run around a bit. As long as she is still eating, she should be pooping soon. You'll want to feed the hay and veggie only diet until her poop is back to normal, then you can slowly reintroduce the pellets back into the diet. Also make sure she is eating the hay and veggies well or it could indicate there is something else going on. But if this has happened because of her diet, you will need to make some changes so it doesn't happen again. If you were feeding her treats before, cut those out permanently. You may also have to reduce pellets a bit. And just keep a close eye on her poop. That will usually give you the first indications of a problem. If they start getting small again, try reducing pellets some more, and always ensure she is eating her hay really well.