New bun has the runs

[ahrat]

We got a lionhead a while back, and he's been great. We wanted a second bun, and we're going to wait until we had a chance to get our first neutered, but we came across a flemish giant for a great price on craigslist.

They're currently on separate free roam schedules because neither are fixed.

We went to pick this bugger up yesterday, and he's lovely, more of a dog than a bun, really. There is a very smelly problem. His owner, who had him for a year, told us his diet consisted of mainly cheerios and spinach, and sometimes hay and rabbit pellets when she could afford it, which we're not sure how often that was. We don't know if his poop was normally this runny, or if he's possibly stressed, but I can't imagine that diet is doing him any good things. We gave him some hay, and he seemed very confused by it, but has been picking at it.

He also seems to drink a lot more than our other bun.

How long should we let this problem go before it's something that's threatening to his health? We've only had him a day, so I'm hoping a better diet will help. But if it doesn't, what could the other possible problems be? I know diarrhea is really unhealthy for buns.

 

[JBun]

If it is profuse watery diarrhea you need to get the bun to a vet immediately, today. Other than a one time occurrence of a small amount of watery poop, diarrhea is considered a life threatening emergency, especially in young rabbits.

If it is mushy poop and the bun is eating and behaving normally and doing well, it could very well have to do with a poor diet, though in some cases it can be due to parasites or harmful bacteria. If it is a simple case of mushy poop, or cecal dysbiosis, then you should be able to correct it by changing to a good hay diet, but key is getting the bun to eat hay. If it is a more serious case of parasites or bacteria, then you will need to take your bun to a vet to have a fecal test done and get the appropriate meds. Since it can be difficult to determine which is the case, especially with a new rabbit that you aren't as familiar with, it might be best to just take your bun to the vet to get checked and have the fecal test done.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
http://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/

http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f28/finding-vet-13366/

 

[ahrat]

There has only been one watery-ish one. Most of it is just veryyyyy soft. I'm going to watch him and his poos closely this weekend, and if nothing improves by Monday, he'll be taken into the vet.

 

[Azerane]

I would be inclined to say it's the diet. A vet visit is recommended, but definitely encourage him to eat hay, and you can introduce pellets (though I would do it very slowly if he's not used to them). Avoid introducing any new foods apart from hay until his poops start to look normal.

I can't believe what some people feed their rabbits.