My rabbit's poop is smushy even with little vegie

[pechoi181]

Hi,
I have 2 rabbits for just over 2 years. I used to give them 2 cups of veggie for both. My female one stopped eating veggie this year. she didn't completely stop but doesn't eat like it is treat (she likes timothy hay better). So male one ate them all by himself and his poop became smushy and smelly. If I stopped give him veggie for like a few day, his poop would become normal. Until recently... Now his poop is smushy with just a little veggie.. I gave him only 2 little piece of lettuce and still pooping smushy..... Any idea?

 

[akane]

Rabbits are not designed to Eat our watery store bought veggies. They are herbivores but not vegetarians. They need tough fresh foods like older grass, lawn weeds(make sure each one is safe), berry vines, branches(any wood listed as safe for birds works)..... wild rabbits browse on brush and plants more than they graze on grass.

If you absolutely are not comfortable picking you own food buy herbs like cilantro or parsley. Stay away from really watery veggies like lettuce.

Sent from my C771 using Rabbit Forum mobile app

 

[JBun]

If you have stopped feeding veggies and he is still having mushy poop, it's possible he has a parasite causing it. It would be a good idea to have a vet do a fecal test to check for parasites. If parasites aren't found to be the problem, then the most common thing that causes cecal dysbiosis (which is when you are seeing mushy cecotropes and normal round fecal poop) is too many carbs and sugars in a rabbits diet. It can be caused by too many sugary starchy treats or it can also be caused by the sugars and carbs in their pellets. So if you have eliminated the veggies and any treats, then the next thing to try would be either reducing or eliminating pellets for a time, to see if that helps. Once his poop goes back to normal, you can slowly increase the pellets again, but you'll have to end up feeding a reduced amount to what he was getting before. Some rabbits even have to have pellets eliminated completely from their diet.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=3012
http://www.sawneeanimalclinic.com/downloads/chronic_intermittent_diarrhea_in_rabbits.pdf

 

[pechoi181]

THx for replies! If I stop give him veggie, he stops smushy pooping. My parents grew lettuce so I have been given it to them (I thought they like it since it was fresh and didn't have problem before). I will try cilantro or parsley. I gave him banana and he pooped smushy stuff and even urine color looked different (he stopped it if I stop give to him). What would be alternative for treat?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Any food high in sugar can give him distress also. Ours only get a tiny bit of Romaine and a lot more of the herbs.

 

[pechoi181]

I gave him ONE piece of parsly and he still did smushy poop....... I waited until yesterday to make sure his system doesn't have any veggie....
Any idea?