my rabbit is a house rabbit and is only two years old. he has started to have diohorrea this morning and i am worried. should i take him to the vets or does anyone have any advice on how to deal with him.
2007-03-05 19:12:10 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Definitely take him to the vets - it's always best to be safe than sorry. He might just have nibbled on something he shouldn't have done - I had a house rabbit and he was always doing that.
It may be that you've changed his brand of food.
It could however also be down to selective feeding. Sometimes they'll pick their favourite thing out of the food - usually the squashed peas and biscuits. The best food to buy him is Burgess Super Rabbit Homogenised food. It's all brown pellets and therefore provides a good balanced diet. Make sure you gradually introduce it to his diet by slowly mixing in a little more each day with his normal food. It's also important to give him hay - this might also be the problem. Meadow hay is best - a little more expensive and with a strong smell but it's much better for him. And of course mix in carrots and fine green beans - they LOVE green beans!
Make sure his house is always super clean and that you use a spray like Bob Martin's hutch cleaner to prevent any infections and tummy upsets.
I would strongly advise going to the vets because bunnies are delicate little fellows and it's better to be safe than sorry.
2007-03-05 19:22:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is always best to go to the vet if worried, and this should be the first thing you do. At least give them a ring and see waht they say.
I have kept many rabbits, and some can not do too well on veggies, best to only give the harder types like carrots. With my rabbits that had this problem my vet recommended feeding the rabbit tea leaves. This was done by brewing up some tea bags, just in hot water, no milk or sugar! Tea bags were then hung on the line to dry (looks very odd). When dry a teaspoon or so was sprinkled over the rabbits food twice a day. All of my rabbits got this as a preventitive and it did seem to help, but it is not a cure, so go to the vets too. And as an added bonus the rabbits LOVED the stuff.
2007-03-06 14:29:37 · answer #2 · answered by Fred 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Feed your rabbit only dry food for the next few days, make sure they always have access to hay and fresh water. Diohorrea is common especially when you feed them things like lettuce etc. If you don't start to notice an improvement take him to the vets because he may need medicine.
2007-03-06 16:28:26 · answer #3 · answered by Maj 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
1. Don't feed vegetables, fruit or grass. Too much can cause diahrrea by accelerating growth of certain bacteria in the cecum.
2. Pull of feed for 24 hours. The bacteria that causes diahrrea grows/reproduces off the food in the stomach.
3. Give your rabbit plenty of fresh clean water. Diahrrea causes them to get dehyrdrated.
4. After 24 hours feed them stemmy hay such as timothing or straw. Then can possibly go back on 1/2 normal pellet diet.
5. Return to full feed after diahrrea stops.
2007-03-07 12:57:26 · answer #4 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The appearance of 'diarrhoea' in rabbits is common. If you are seeing true dark brown liquid then your rabbit has diarrhoea that is life threatening and it needs to see a vet now. If you are seeing any hard faeces at all then read the following. Rabbit faeces are made up of the hard faeces (day faeces) and soft faeces (night faeces or cecotrophs). You usually wont see the night faeces as youre rabbit will eat them. If you are seeing these faeces (soft spheres bunched together a little like grapes, they are sticky and smell) then youre rabbit is unable or unwilling to eat them. If your rabbits diet is high in protein ie lots of lucerne, pellets etc then it will be unwilling to eat the night faeces - it just doesnt need to. If your rabbit is overweight or arthritic then it maybe unable to eat these faeces. When these faeces are not eaten they stick to the rabbits bottom, feet and in the cage. In some cases the cause may be infectious. If youre rabbit is otherwise well and eating try the following. Clip away the soiled fur CAREFULLY. Rabbits have very fragile skin. Wash and dry thoroughly. Fed low protein diet ie grass hay. No grains, fruit, nuts, seeds, cereals or pelleted rabbit foods. Regular exercise. If it continues, see a veterinarian. Hope this helps.
2007-03-06 04:34:41 · answer #5 · answered by Callie 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Stop feeding him fresh fruit and veggies for a few days. make sure he is still eating well, and give him lots of hay. if after a a day it hasn't cleared up then take him to an exotics vet.
HOWEVER, if it is watery, rather than just loose stools then you should get him to a vet immediately, because rabbits can die within days from severe cases.
2007-03-06 06:39:45 · answer #6 · answered by Katie C 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The smaller the animal, the more quickly they deteriorate when they are ill. Might be something quite simple like something he ate, but surely its best to get it checked out by the vet. Better to be safe than sorry, as the saying goes. Just think how miserable he might be if he has a terrible tummy ache and the vet would have an instant remedy to perk him up.
2007-03-06 03:46:20 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Feeding wet greens can cause this, always make sure they're dry befor you give them. Or it could be an infection.
Give the vets a ring and see what they say.
Hopefully your rabbit sleeps in a cage so he hasn't eaten anything he shouldn't last night.
For now make sure he has water, and don't give him any treats or greens for 24 hours, see if it clears up.
If he still has it in 48 hours he needs to see the vet.
2007-03-06 04:35:02 · answer #8 · answered by sarah c 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Only give him dry food today and make sure he/she has plenty of water. But I recomend giving your vet a call alot of receptionists know a bit of advice for common animal problems and they will be able to advise you better if he/she needs to see the vets.
Hope your rabbit gets better soon.
2007-03-06 04:00:20 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Had a rabbit myself could be something he ate but i would take it to a vet as i thought that was what was wrong with mine and he got worse over night and when i took him to vet there was nothing they could do as i should have took him earlier. i do have other rabbits and they can be loose sometimes but they where eating the one i lost wasnt.Good luck
2007-03-06 03:35:18 · answer #10 · answered by cujo 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋