Not eating much hay and tiny poos

[Robbiemybunny]

My bunny Robbie doesn't eat much hay ( he's never been a hay eater but he's eating less hay than ever now) and his poos are really tiny . He's eating veggies, pellets and his treats but no hay . What should I do ? It's hayboxclub Timothy hay

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

I would hold off on the veggies and pellets as he’s likely just filling up on those. Keep pushing the hay and add forage to it if you have any. Is he showing any other signs of Stasis such as pressing his stomach or not wanting to move?

 

[Robbiemybunny]

I would hold off on the veggies and pellets as he’s likely just filling up on those. Keep pushing the hay and add forage to it if you have any. Is he showing any other signs of Stasis such as pressing his stomach or not wanting to move?

No not really . He sleeps for hours and isn't too active though. I'm not sure if he's pressing his stomach to the floor or not as he sleeps flopped often .

 

[Preitler]

Never starve a rabbit when it seems he isn't eating enough anyway already (tiny poops). Adding fresh grass and forage is a good idea though if it is safly possible.

There could be a dental problem which makes chewing hay difficult or painful, I would have a rabbit savvy vet check that.

 

[Robbiemybunny]

Never starve a rabbit when it seems he isn't eating enough anyway already (tiny poops). Adding fresh grass and forage is a good idea though if it is safly possible.

There could be a dental problem which makes chewing hay difficult or painful, I would have a rabbit savvy vet check that.

Could I check his teeth?

 

[Preitler]

You could just look at the front teeth if something seems obviously wrong, like a broken tooth or when they are askew, but I wouldn't know how to interpret what I'm seeing. There could be other teeth effected, or overgrown teeth, misaligned, or whatever - so, even if you see nothing there could be an issue worth a vet visit, if you see something it's off to the vet anyway.

How old is the rabbit?

 

[Robbiemybunny]

You could just look at the front teeth if something seems obviously wrong, like a broken tooth or when they are askew, but I wouldn't know how to interpret what I'm seeing. There could be other teeth effected, or overgrown teeth, misaligned, or whatever - so, even if you see nothing there could be an issue worth a vet visit, if you see something it's off to the vet anyway.

How old is the rabbit?

He's a year old. I've had guinea pigs with teeth issues so I know what they look like.

 

[Robbiemybunny]

Half the poos are conjoined with fur , he is malting but he doesn't let me brush him much . He grunts and tries to bite me and runs away

 

[zuppa]

Could I check his teeth?

You can check his front teeth to see if they are straight and not overgrown but you won't be able to see the back teeth so vet can check them for you. You can also massage his head and gently go under his chin on both sides sometimes you can feel if there's any lumps on his jaws or under the chin.

If he is not eating and his poos are tiny and he is not active lethargic you should get him to a vet.
If he flops flat that is a good sign because they don't do that when in stasis.

Before you get him to a vet, take him on you and massage his belly from both sides same time and try to palpate if there's any blockages, or maybe he's bloating, also when you massage you will be able to feel like strings of pearls inside that is his poos in his intestines, they should be nicely packed there, but see if there's empty spaces between them and they are like swollen.

If you've got baby gas drops (simethicone) or if you have fennel or dill seeds in your kitchen and can brew some strong tea, and give him (filtered from seeds) it would help with gas.

It can also be parasites or there could be something else, so better if you bring him to a specialist. Gas drops and massage won't hurt anyways but if it is gas or blockages it could help.

If you can take close-up picks of his poos and post here it would be easier for us to get a better picture of what's going on but generally it is not always easy to diagnose that way.

 

[Robbiemybunny]

You can check his front teeth to see if they are straight and not overgrown but you won't be able to see the back teeth so vet can check them for you. You can also massage his head and gently go under his chin on both sides sometimes you can feel if there's any lumps on his jaws or under the chin.

If he is not eating and his poos are tiny and he is not active lethargic you should get him to a vet.
If he flops flat that is a good sign because they don't do that when in stasis.

Before you get him to a vet, take him on you and massage his belly from both sides same time and try to palpate if there's any blockages, or maybe he's bloating, also when you massage you will be able to feel like strings of pearls inside that is his poos in his intestines, they should be nicely packed there, but see if there's empty spaces between them and they are like swollen.

If you've got baby gas drops (simethicone) or if you have fennel or dill seeds in your kitchen and can brew some strong tea, and give him (filtered from seeds) it would help with gas.

It can also be parasites or there could be something else, so better if you bring him to a specialist. Gas drops and massage won't hurt anyways but if it is gas or blockages it could help.

If you can take close-up picks of his poos and post here it would be easier for us to get a better picture of what's going on but generally it is not always easy to diagnose that way.

Okay. He hates being held because little kids used to hold him and drop him and he got aggressive to them . I only have simethicone that's been opened a few months ago and I don't have fennel or dill seeds

 

[Robbiemybunny]

 

[zuppa]

Half the poos are conjoined with fur , he is malting but he doesn't let me brush him much . He grunts and tries to bite me and runs away

So he needs to eat more hay, it will help pushing fur down, otherwise he gets blockages from fur and it is hard to pass. As i said baby gas drops or fennel/dill tea, massage his stomach, make him exercise so his gut is moving when he is moving.

What treats you mentioned, it is best remove all treats from his diet for now and reduce pellets, what vegs/greens you feed him now? Soak vegs in water before you give him and make sure he drinks enough.

You need to catch him and hold him and massage his stomach, give him gasdrops or tea with a dropper, later maybe crushed pellets soaked with water because he will stop eating if the blockages won't go out, and you will have to feed him manually.

 

[Robbiemybunny]

So he needs to eat more hay, it will help pushing fur down, otherwise he gets blockages from fur and it is hard to pass. As i said baby gas drops or fennel/dill tea, massage his stomach, make him exercise so his gut is moving when he is moving.

What treats you mentioned, it is best remove all treats from his diet for now and reduce pellets, what vegs/greens you feed him now? Soak vegs in water before you give him and make sure he drinks enough.

You need to catch him and hold him and massage his stomach, give him gasdrops or tea with a dropper, later maybe crushed pellets soaked with water because he will stop eating if the blockages won't go out, and you will have to feed him manually.

He gets strawberries , banana , apple, carrot occasionally, lettuce , kale, herbs , celery , chard, Pak Choi and sometimes spinach .

 

[Robbiemybunny]

I only have simethicone that's been opened a few months ago and I don't have fennel or dill seeds

Will the simethicone be ok? Or is there something else I could give him? I heard Pinnaple juice helps with it , can I give him some of that?

 

[zuppa]

Okay. He hates being held because little kids used to hold him and drop him and he got aggressive to them . I only have simethicone that's been opened a few months ago and I don't have fennel or dill seeds

Can you go get some gas drops from Tesco? You can get fennel or dill seeds there as well
Or from pharmacy, Tesco will be a bit cheaper
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/301892957

 

[Robbiemybunny]

Can you go get some gas drops from Tesco? You can get fennel or dill seeds there as well
Or from pharmacy, Tesco will be a bit cheaper
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/301892957

I'm not sure , I'd have to ask my dad .

 

[Robbiemybunny]

As I don't drive

 

[Niomi]

Rabbits can have teeth problems at any age, but with the rabbits that I have had, it usually started around the age of 3.. One of my rabbits recently stopped eating. Since there was no bloating, I was sure it had to be his teeth. The emergency vet couldn't see anything wrong with his teeth. I took him to another vet and she couldn't see anything wrong with his teeth. She consulted with another vet, and the third vet found spurs on his molars. She trimmed his teeth,and he recovered in a couple of days. That being said, I do think that Zuppa is on probably correct about a blockage, but if nothing works, get him to a vet as soon as possible.

 

[Robbiemybunny]

Rabbits can have teeth problems at any age, but with the rabbits that I have had, it usually started around the age of 3.. One of my rabbits recently stopped eating. Since there was no bloating, I was sure it had to be his teeth. The emergency vet couldn't see anything wrong with his teeth. I took him to another vet and she couldn't see anything wrong with his teeth. She consulted with another vet, and the third vet found spurs on his molars. She trimmed his teeth,and he recovered in a couple of days. That being said, I do think that Zuppa is on probably correct about a blockage, but if nothing works, get him to a vet as soon as possible.

I was thinking he could get a blockage as hes part lion head and he's malting alot . I've been trying to brush him but he hates it . I'm going to ask my dad to help me

 

[Preitler]

Half the poos are conjoined with fur , he is malting but he doesn't let me brush him much . He grunts and tries to bite me and runs away

He has no say in that, time to learn to do it. I knee on the floor, with the rabbits rear between my knees and one hand on the face to keep him from going forward. For the back of the rabbit I turn it around so that he get stuck under me and stopped by my feet. Wear sturdy trousers you don't like much, and shoes.
Most important though: Always have a treat ready and give it right after you've done whatever had to be done.

Simethicone does nothing against fur buildup, and neither do any fruit juices. Since stringed poops come out and he's still eating stuff I doubt there's an actual problem there right now, but brushing a molting rabbit is a good idea.