my rabbit has been having frequent diarhhoea recently.....?

Question

could this be because of something she ate in the garden? or would it be all the cardboard she eats? perhaps too much fruit?
plz help!

tgrnicole - some of her diarhhoea WAS like liquid.
does this mean she will die?

Answer 1

Make sure she is getting plenty of free fed hay, and lessen her amount of vegetable/fruit intake for awhile and see if that clears it up. Great website about rabbits below. Hope she gets better.

Answer 2

Question: Could this be because of something she ate in the garden?

Answer: Yes. Eating fresh plants can definitely give a rabbit diahrrea. So no veggies or green plants or if you do ration them to just a little each day. Too much will give your rabbit diahrrea.

Question: Or would it be all the cardboard she eats?

Answer: No, the cardboard should not give your rabbit diahrrea. It is mainly fiber and actually might even help prevent diahrrea. But be careful about putting cardboard in with your rabbits. You never know what chemicals might have been inside the box and those chemicals could hurt your rabbit.

Question: Perhaps too much fruit?

Answer: Yes, fruit can give your rabbit diahrrea too, especially if given too much. I suggest not feeding your rabbit fruit.

Helpful hints:

1. Quit feeding the fruits and veggies and stick to just pellets and water and possibly timothy hay

2. Adding timothy hay to the diet adds fiber to the diet which can help prevent diahrrea

3. Make sure the rabbit has plenty of water when it has diahrrea. A rabbit loses plenty of water when it has diahrrea and that water needs replenished or the rabbit will get dehydrated.

4. If the diahrrea persists, pull the rabbit off its feed for 24 hours, then put it on half feed or just a small handful of timothy hay the next day. This helps flush what food that is in the rabbit's system out. The bacteria that cause diahrrea live on that food so it helps flush that bad bacteria out too.

5. Keep your water, water bowl, and pen clean. These are good disease preventatives.

6. If you still have trouble, you might consider treating your rabbit for coccidiosis by medicating the water with liquid amprolium.

7. If the diahrrea is severe, adding Neomycin to the water can help.

8. Don't keep your rabbit pellets too long. If they start smelling moldy, that mold even if you don't see it can cause your rabbit to get diahrrea.

I'd say if you cut out the fruits and vegetables and stuff like that it should be fine.

Answer 3

It could well be caused by something she has eaten in the garden, although generally rabbits don't eat things that they know will make them ill. Has your rabbit been stressed/scared by something? this can cause diarrhoea too. It is most likely a result of her eating two much watery fruit. Cut out all the fruit, and just feed her hay and water for a day (this should clear up the diarrhoea). In future your rabbits daily diet should include: fresh hay, with two small portions of different vegetables, and smaller amounts of carrots and fruit. Also, apple and pear twigs, dried grass and dandelions are a great source of fibre. In addition to the diet above, a handful of dried mix or pellets can be provided too. If you have grass in your garden, your bunny might like to graze. Fresh water should of course be available at all times. Good luck, but if the diarrhoea persists, its probably best to get your vet to look at her, better safe than sorry!

Answer 4

When do you notice the diarrhea? Every morning? Once or twice a week? If you see soft poops that are sticking together every morning, those are cecals and she is supposed to produce those...and eat them for the nutrients they provide. If that is not what you are seeing, then most likely her illness is a result of what she is eating.

Too much sugar (yes, lots of fruits and veggies have natural sugar) can cause a rabbit to have diarrhea. Cut back on the fresh fruits and vegetables that you are allowing her to eat. Feed her just dry pellets and hay for a few days and that should dry up the illness. Watch her carefully though, because if any of the following occurs, you need to get her to a vet ASAP:

1. diarrhea continues for more than 48 hours
2. poop becomes VERY runny...like liquid
3. she stops eating for more than 12 hours

All of the above are signs of an extremely sick bunny, and can lead to a dead bunny in only a few hours. The good news is that it sounds as if your bunny is probably eating too many fruits and vegetables, so as I said above, just cut back on those for a while.

Answer 5

Stop the fruit and fresh stuff. Replace them with Hay and alfalfa pellets. Too much fresh items such as fruits, carrots, lettuce WILL give rabbits an upset stomach and obviously diarrhea. Go to the nearest feed store, get a variety of hay, timothy hay is the best for them, alfalfa hay is fatty for them, but still a good one, their favorite. and pellets, get both alfalfa and timothy, but feed more timothy then alfalfa. Only feed fruits and vegetables once a day, and only as much as they can eat within two minutes, then remove. They are to be treats ONLY. As your rabbit gets older you can vary her diet, and allow some seeds, they like seeds, and increase the amount of fresh veges and fruit. If you want to raise her in your yard, provide her with many safe areas to find shelter in case of predators and she will forage food on her own. By now, she should respond to a call or a name, start now by calling it everytime you feed her. This way, when you let her out in the yard, supervise the first couple of times before you bring her back inside, increase the hours spent outside slowly until she gets used to it. Now when you want to feed her her constant diet of hay and pellets and provide her with a treat, like an apple slice, banana slice or carrot slice, all these are favorites, then she'll come running up to see what you brought her that day, and you'll interact with her often. Good luck!:)

Answer 6

If I were you, I would just give your rabbit very plain food, and check her water. Take a break from the cardboard and fruit Also, make sure that it is not to hot. If it is hot, put on an electric fan in the room, or put an iced water bottle in her cage.

Answer 7

I agree with Kat - diarrhoea is very serious in rabbits, and they don't have much stamina to withstand illness. They die surprisingly quickly. Cardboard would not give your rabbit the runs, and too much fruit wouldn't cause frequent diarrhoea. Take her to the vet.

Answer 8

if bunnies eat too many greens they get soft sticky poo! also you should really only give them apple or carrot as atreat as apparently they are to bunnies what sweets are to kiddies! my vet told me off when i said my rabbit was having carrot and apple every day he had abad tooth and this was not good for him! too much sugar! i would really suggest that if you have only given her dry food and hay for a few days and she still has diarhhoea take her to the vets as she may get dehydrated. hope this helps

Answer 9

I have lots of experience with rabbits because I have grown up with them. Yes, if your rabbit eats to much grass, or lettuce, or anything like that she will get diarrea. So stop letting her eat stuff out of your garden and her diarrea will stop. No need to take her to the vet. Just let her body run it's course. If the diarrea continues even after you have stopped letting her eat those things (like if it continues after a week or so), then you probably should take her to the vet. I hope I have helped you!

Answer 10

Stop all treats for your rabbit, and give her grass hay, pellets, and dry oatmeal (Quaker oats is just fine). See if the diarrhea stops. Diarrhea is bad in rabbits, they can die from dehydration. Usually the cause is their diet.