PeanutnPumpkin
New Member
Hi there! First time posting here, looking for some advice!
I own two buns, a 2 year old male Netherland Dwarf named Peanut and a 3 year old female Mini Rex named Pumpkin. They have been neutered and spayed respectively, are bonded and share a living space.
Right now, Peanut is experiencing "poopy butt." It's definitely not diarrhea, and it's definitely Peanut as, like the title implies, he has a poopy butt, and Pumpkin does not.
I've done some research online and talked to a vet over the phone (at the moment I can't afford a vet visit unless it's life threatening like stasis), and it seems like the most common solution is to reset the bunny's diet by restricting them to water and hay only for a while, but this poses a few problems for me.
Pumpkin and Peanut are bonded and share a living space. They also share a hay and food supply. We tried feeding them separately but they don't distinguish between each other's food provisions so we just started providing it all together.
In order to restrict Peanuts diet, we would clearly need to separate our bonded buns. I worry this will add to his stress level, as well as stress out Pumpkin because although we can keep their living spaces nearby, were not able to keep them near enough for touch, only vision, and they're normally quite inseparable.
His new living space would also be smaller, despite having it to himself, so I worry about the stress related to that.
Adding to that I worry that the stress of removing all of his other food may contribute to other health issues.
Lastly, my wife and I recently moved and currently rent an attic space from our landlords who live below us. It has been... difficult, to say the least, to regulate the temperature in there. It's certainly tolerable and I'm not worried that the temperature alone will cause issues, but it's markedly warmer than what they're used to (by about 5f). We are unable to keep them on the lower floors where it is cooler as the landlords own a dog and a cat, both of which have caught wild buns outside before, so I dare not risk mingling them.
So naturally I'm concerned that immediately dropping all other food in combination with the separation and new environment may lead to other, possibly more dangerous health issues.
For further information:
The diet consists of kale leaves, Italian parsley, and baby carrots for fresh veggies (we've tried almost everything else under the sun that's safe for buns and they both refuse to eat anything else!), given at noon and 10pm every day, give or take an hour.
Pellets are Timothy hay-based, to feed both we provide three measured tablespoons. Two small pieces of dried apple (one each) are provided. Water is filtered from our local grocery store and is changed twice a day at feeding time, as well as providing ice to keep it cool as the summer months in the new location are warmer than what they're used to. Lastly they get a heaping amount of fresh Timothy hay each day as they both munch through it together. Small pieces of fresh banana are provided twice a week as a treat to mix things up a bit, since they're both so picky otherwise.
The current living space for BOTH buns is large enough that they are able to get adequate exercise without having to be released. The reason for this is that, while they enjoy petting Time, they absolutely HATE being handled, and it's difficult to return them to a cage, so a living space with enough room for play and exercise is provided.
So, with all of that info, are my concerns with a sharp change in Peanuts diet justified or is it something I'm overbearing on? I just worry because of his size, and the knowledge that bun diets are incredibly important and even small changes to diet and environment can lead to all sorts of issues. I don't want to make things worse while trying to make them better!
I own two buns, a 2 year old male Netherland Dwarf named Peanut and a 3 year old female Mini Rex named Pumpkin. They have been neutered and spayed respectively, are bonded and share a living space.
Right now, Peanut is experiencing "poopy butt." It's definitely not diarrhea, and it's definitely Peanut as, like the title implies, he has a poopy butt, and Pumpkin does not.
I've done some research online and talked to a vet over the phone (at the moment I can't afford a vet visit unless it's life threatening like stasis), and it seems like the most common solution is to reset the bunny's diet by restricting them to water and hay only for a while, but this poses a few problems for me.
Pumpkin and Peanut are bonded and share a living space. They also share a hay and food supply. We tried feeding them separately but they don't distinguish between each other's food provisions so we just started providing it all together.
In order to restrict Peanuts diet, we would clearly need to separate our bonded buns. I worry this will add to his stress level, as well as stress out Pumpkin because although we can keep their living spaces nearby, were not able to keep them near enough for touch, only vision, and they're normally quite inseparable.
His new living space would also be smaller, despite having it to himself, so I worry about the stress related to that.
Adding to that I worry that the stress of removing all of his other food may contribute to other health issues.
Lastly, my wife and I recently moved and currently rent an attic space from our landlords who live below us. It has been... difficult, to say the least, to regulate the temperature in there. It's certainly tolerable and I'm not worried that the temperature alone will cause issues, but it's markedly warmer than what they're used to (by about 5f). We are unable to keep them on the lower floors where it is cooler as the landlords own a dog and a cat, both of which have caught wild buns outside before, so I dare not risk mingling them.
So naturally I'm concerned that immediately dropping all other food in combination with the separation and new environment may lead to other, possibly more dangerous health issues.
For further information:
The diet consists of kale leaves, Italian parsley, and baby carrots for fresh veggies (we've tried almost everything else under the sun that's safe for buns and they both refuse to eat anything else!), given at noon and 10pm every day, give or take an hour.
Pellets are Timothy hay-based, to feed both we provide three measured tablespoons. Two small pieces of dried apple (one each) are provided. Water is filtered from our local grocery store and is changed twice a day at feeding time, as well as providing ice to keep it cool as the summer months in the new location are warmer than what they're used to. Lastly they get a heaping amount of fresh Timothy hay each day as they both munch through it together. Small pieces of fresh banana are provided twice a week as a treat to mix things up a bit, since they're both so picky otherwise.
The current living space for BOTH buns is large enough that they are able to get adequate exercise without having to be released. The reason for this is that, while they enjoy petting Time, they absolutely HATE being handled, and it's difficult to return them to a cage, so a living space with enough room for play and exercise is provided.
So, with all of that info, are my concerns with a sharp change in Peanuts diet justified or is it something I'm overbearing on? I just worry because of his size, and the knowledge that bun diets are incredibly important and even small changes to diet and environment can lead to all sorts of issues. I don't want to make things worse while trying to make them better!
