My rabbit, Cocoa, has not been making regular bowel movements. She ran out of her regular alfalfa pellets, and I have been feeding her apples. The last time she ate an apple, she made poopies with no problem. She's not acting any different, she seems to be drinking her water, and has been putting out very few pellets for the past few days. Any suggestions?
2007-01-12 14:07:43 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
You have made a very sudden and drastic change in your bunny's diet. This is not recommended with any animal, but can be particularly detrimental in herbivores such as rabbits or, for that matter horses too. Return her to her former diet immediately, and it would be advisable to pay a visit to the vet for good measure. Your rabbit is probably feeling bloated, uncomfortable and gassy from a diet of only apples anyway; the fact that it is a drastic change is surely exacerbating this.
In future, I would advise gradually introducing either fresh grass if possible, or good meadow hay if not, up to a point where they are the predominant ingredients in the rabbit's diet, as this is much more healthy and natural, with the alfalfa pellets just as a supplement, and never make any such sudden changes again.
The odd apple or carrot is fine, but it is not a suitable staple for a rabbit.
2007-01-12 14:21:05 · answer #1 · answered by meptastic 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The best idea is ti get her checked by a vet. Any change in regular bowel behavior can be a sign of illness or stress. Also you need to be feeding mostly timothy hay and a pellet with not too much alfalfa in it. More timothy hay than pellets. Fruit will cause digestive issues diarhea and upset stomach. I would reccomend stopping that ASAP, and get her back on her normal food, because you have changed the diet so quickly this might be your answer. I mean fruit is REALLY bad, not HORRIBLE, but not what you should be feeding constantly. Its more of a once a week small slice of apple treat, not a meal.
Call your local small animals vet they might have some more suggestions about this. She could also have an intestinal blockage or possibly a tumor (you did no say how old/neutered or spayed etc) but I cannot examine her so I would not be able to judge this.
2007-01-12 14:15:03 · answer #2 · answered by barbedwirecat 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's probably from the drastic diet change, that's not a good thing for a rabbit and apples are very high in sugars, also not a good thing for a rabbit except as a treat now and then.
You need to make sure you keep a good supply of her regular food on hand at all times. She needs hay, pellets and greens. Even greens from the garden like dandelions and grass (unsprayed of course) will do. A day without pellets is not going to cause lasting damage if you keep hay and green up to her and it's part of her regular meals. Stopping pellets and switching to a high sugar food will. Be sure to use a high fibre pellet and hay like timothy or oaten.
2007-01-13 01:45:16 · answer #3 · answered by mbunnyau 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is probably due to the drastic change in diet as others have said, and she needs to see a vet and get some hay in her ASAP. Blockages like this can quickly become fatal in rabbits.
Mostly, I just wanted to add that good quality alfalfa pellets (not the petstore brands) are fine as a staple of a rabbit's diet, if that's what you choose to use. She still needs to be supplimented with grass or oat hay, however.
2007-01-12 19:27:27 · answer #4 · answered by RabbitMage 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should be feeding your rabbit pellets made from Timothy hay. Products made from Alfalfa can cause the rabbits to have urinary problems and should not be fed to rabbits as the main diet. Use them as a treat instead. This is also true for alfalfa hay that comes in the packages.
Apples are fine in moderation but the seeds are POISONOUS to rabbits so be sure to cut them off before feeding. Other fruits that rabbits enjoy are melons, bananas, strawberries, oranges to name a few. Greens such as kale, lettuce, collard greens etc are also good.
One of the first signs of illness with rabbits will be a change in stools. You can get more information regarding diet, illness and other useful tips by going to http://www.rabbit.org/ (House rabbit society) as they specialize in rabbits.
I hope this helps - I have two rabbits and I feed them Timothy pellets, orchard grass, hay, alfalfa hay (as a treat only), carrots, green leaf lettuce, kale, corn on the cob, celery, apples (with seed removed), and other fruits/veggies.
2007-01-12 15:42:00 · answer #5 · answered by marilynn 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
You really should only be giving you rabbit 1 to 2 tablespoons of fruit a day. I would suggest cutting out fruit altogether for the time being. Give you rabbit 1/2-1 cup of fresh veggies a day such as well washed carrots, kale, dandelion leaf, etc a day. Also, give your rabbit 1/2-1 cup of rabbit pellet (I prefer timothy hay pellets.) And as always, your rabbit should have access to as much timothy hay as he wants.
I would also check his teeth. They may have grown very long, making it difficult for him to eat. If this is the case, you need to take him to a vet who can trim them for you.
I would take him to the vet in any case. He could have intestinal blockage.
2007-01-13 09:26:53 · answer #6 · answered by stampadhesive 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Change in their normal diet causes an upset in their digestive system. The digestive system's normal flora is off and needs to be corrected SOON!!!!
She may have a hair blockage that is preventing the digestive system to properly pass the hair/food.
This can be quite severe. Drinking ensures that she is not dehydrating, but without nutrition entering the system, and normal fecal pellet movement, she will die.
Your best bet is to get to a vet to check for obstructions and get her back on her regular diet and do not suddenly change the diet again!!
2007-01-13 07:44:46 · answer #7 · answered by Lotsa Lops 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This can be life threatening to a rabbit. If she is not passing feces she can back up and die :( The alfalfa does keep them regular and also helps to eliminate hairballs which are also a reason for fatal intestinal blockage. Take your bunny to a vet ASAP!
2007-01-12 15:11:57 · answer #8 · answered by bassetmom 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
That junk less than the flap of skin is bult up heady scent secretions- sparkling it out, gently with a cotton ball. Get ten rabbit toa vet for the different themes- on account that he hasn't been cleansing himself, something is amazingly incorrect.
2016-11-23 15:10:34 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
She is probably constipated and you need to show her to the vet
2007-01-12 14:11:56 · answer #10 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋