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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
HELP!! BUNNYS TUMMY IS HARD AND BLOATED!!! SHE HAS BEEN EATING AND DRINKING BUT HASNT POOPED OR PEED IN HOURS AND HASNT BEEN MOVIN MUCH AT ALL SHE HAS A VET APPT. TOMORROW BUT WILL SHE MAKE IT TILL THEN WUT CAN I DO TO MAKE HER BELLY FEEL BETTER
PLEASE HELP!!
Start gently massaging her tummy. This might help to get her gut moving. Also, if you have some baby gas x on hand by any chance, you can give her some of that.
Does your doctor’s office have an emergency vet number for you to call? I know it’s dangerous if they are not expelling pee/poos. I hope your baby is better soon.
me too im so nervous… she got out just a couple but it was all at once little different mushy poops!! and 3-4 hard bigger sized poops. she’s starting to move around just a little bit.. i been massaging her belly and tryin to give her hay and steer her away from the pellets right now.. is that the right thing to do?
she has her hay rack always, but she just doesnt like to eat it as much so i been tryin to hand feed her some pieces and she’s nibblin on it a little.. but she doesnt really like it as much for some reason?
Well, it *is* good that she has some poops coming out. Her gut is trying to work. If she’ll eat pellets, lettuce, or treats over the hay, then give her that for right now. The main thing is to keep her eating so her gut continues to move. Keep massaging her tummy. If she’s gassy, it will help break down the gas and help her gut move along as well. If she doesn’t get back to normal by morning, I’d take her first thing to the vet if you’re able to. The only thing you can really do now is tempt her to eat, rub her belly, and monitor her pooping.
Some bunnies aren’t big hay eaters, especially if they are only buns. Eddie wasn’t a big hay eater until I got Lolli. Then he saw her eating her hay and decided he needed some too. Goofballs. lol Another way to encourage more hay eating is to limit the pellets. Then they are forced to eat hay if they are hungry enough. Of course some bunnies are just stubborn about it. lol I’m not sure how old your girl is. If she’s a baby then you don’t want to limit her food as a growing bunny needs all the food they can get.
Thank you guys so much!!! this helps greatly!! ive heard so many things about how much to feed her, she is still just a bun, and i’ve heard just an oz per pound. and an oz doesnt really last her very long at all..
If she’s a baby, she gets unlimited pellets. And always unlimited hay. Greens should be started in moderation as well as treats. But in this case since she’s having gut problems, if she eats greens or treats better than pellets and hay, then let her have what she wants.
I’ll be around tonite for a while if you need more advice! And please update us!
No… don’t let her have what she wants. Limit the treats and greens and give her smaller amounts of pellets. She needs the hay. if she doesn’t like the hay rack, put some in a pile in her litter box. My buns prefer having the hay down low to having it up in a rack.
If it helps, my 1.5lb nethie gets less than 1/8 cup of pellets per day
MB – I was only thinking giving her whatever she’ll eat right now because she’s having gut problems. To keep her gut moving. Once she is back to normal, everything should go back to normal with very limited treats, etc.
Just a thought but does anyone know about giving a small amount of plain, organic yogurt to buns? The bacteria in that should be the same/similar to Bene-Bac which could help break down that mass in her tummy. I know dairy is basically always a no-no for any animal, but could a tiny amount in a time like this help?
No, yogurt is not good for rabbits.
This rabbit needs hay to push things through the stomach.
gut problems could get worse with soft mushy food that can get stuck together with whatever is in her tummy already. She needs the fiber from hay.
You’ve gotten fantastic advice here! (Guys, thank you so much for helping this new member!)
Please update us when you get a chance, after the vet visit today.
Diet is a very delicate balance for rabbits because of the need for constant gut movement. Fiber, in the form of hay, is the single most important thing our rabbits eat. You did the right thing by posting here to get advice! Once we get thru this situation, we can discuss her diet with you, and offer some alternatives, tips, tricks for getting her to eat hay.
I agree- she needs to see the vet ASAP- it sounds like you have an appt. And NO YOGURT- after bunnies are weaned, dairy is just not a natural part of their diet. There are other probiotics out there that are suitable if your bunny should need one- and you would want to find one that is more natural to a bunnys normal gut flora than what is in yogurt.
Thank you guys so much!!!! i really appreciate all the advice!! she’s the sweetest little girl in the world, i only had her for 2 weeks but i dont know what i’d do with out her!! she’s as sweet as punkin pie <3
Hope everything’s okay, please do let us know how you get on.
IM such a nervous wreck right now!! this is her first vet appt., they had to keep her overnight… she was scared when i had to leave.. will she scare her self sick.. she’s in very good hands i just miss her so much, and i just cant get this anxiety out of me, over her… she’s my best friend!! i’ve been pacing back and forth, now im just tryin to relax but .. idk. do you think she will be okay by her self over night, do you think this could cause her to get sicker?? she has to stay there though
What did the vet say exactly?
You’ve done the right thing, she’s in the best place possible.
She will be ok overnight. They are giving her medications and monitoring her. Hopefully she’ll all healed up tomorrow and you can your baby home!
Well he said that the pet store told me the wrong sex just found out bonnie is a BOY????!!!! NOW I DONT KNOW WHAT TO NAME HIM, BECAUSE HE’S USED TO BEIN BONNIE….. EVERYTHING CHECKED OUT OKAY, HE’S GONNA RUN SOME FECES SAMPLES, HIS MOLARS ARE FINE, HE DOESNT HAVE ANY INFENCTIONS… CAN ANYONE HELP ME WITH THE FACT THAT HE’S A BOY NOW??
Glad he’s fine. I say call him whatever you want – if you like Bonnie, call him Bonnie. The reality is, he doesn’t care what his name is and doesn’t know that any name is gender specific.
Pet stores are notorious for mis-sexing animals.
What would you say behavioral differences are between raising a buck compared to doe?!
A male versus a female…not much in my opinion. I don’t think that, in my own personal experience, I can say that one is better or more difficult than the other. That majority of my rabbits have come to me as well as adults or young adults although I’ve had the few rare babies from shelters as well.
I don’t see alot of very specific traits for males vs. females.
okay great!! thank you guys so much!! this is the first time i ever owned a bunny and i just want to make sure im doing everything right.. my man tells me im being neurotic and overly caring, but i dont think it’s possible to overly care with anything lol!! i think im just going to call him bonner lee now.. i dont know . he responds to bonbon so im just going to change it up a bit.. i was so relieved to find that he doesnt have anything wrong with his teeth, or anything wrong with his ears… lets just hope the feces and cecal tests go right!! i dont even know what to do with myself.. im so used to just havin him here.. now its like ihave nothing to take care of
i even cleaned the house twice since i been back from the vet.. just tryin to stay busy. lol
how can u resist that face, and those lil paws <3
Awww, that’s so cute! Yeah, try keep busy, he’ll be watched overnight. Sending positive thoughts your way!
Thank U Ladies so much!!! im gonna read my favorite book over again, “Watership Down” if none of yall have heard about it you ladies would LOVE it. It’s about a warren of rabbits who go through alot of hardship and struggles, its about 500 pages of pure good reading.. It’s such a quick read you get locked into it and you cant put it down!!!!!
No probs, sugar!
I’m a new bunny mammy too, so I understand how scary it can be!
No matter how experienced we are in bunnies, it is still scary and nerve wracking when they have any health problems.
Thank you Girls for the support its making the coping with the fact shes there .. a little easier
Hi! My bun was missexed too, but by me lol. I didn’t know what I was doing lol. Anyway his name was Sara. And still is. And Hunney Bunny. And coot coot (my hubby calls him that) and he doesn’t mind at all. We can call him whatever we want as long as we don’t call him late to dinner! He is my first bun too, and he is the sweetest most precious angel ever. Truly a lovey bunny. I am praying for your little bun. By the way, he is absolutely adorable! I just want to smooch him!
How did you get on with your bunny?
How is bonbon doing? Our Bunny Stu was first thought to be a boy aswell. Turns out hes a she!
ChaCha – I think by Yoghurt, they actually meant “fermented milk drink” we have it here in Australia, and its called “YAKULT” its very good for healthy bacteria in bunnys gut – when Stu was sick it helped her keep going and also fattened her up a lot too, and bunnies LOVE it. there is a limit of 5ml a day, but it is very good for them. Not real yoghurt though, only yukult.
Bonbons is doing wornderful!!! he’s bakck reallly happy he’s been binkying for the last hour!!!!! im so happy to have mommas little boy back <3 i missed him so muc!!! thank you ladies so much for your support!! that joke is awesome!!! <3
I agree with everyone else, a bunny isn’t going to care what you call them. Actually, just about any animal is that way. Our house came with a cat and the neighbor told us what the cat’s name was. I hated the name, but he responded to it when you said it so… haha!
I think Bonner is a good name or BonBon, either one works. And BTW, I absolutely LOVED Watership Down. That was my favorite book when I was younger!
I can tell you that when you suspect something is wrong with your bunny, the anxiety and worry does not get easier even after many years of having a bunny.
I can tell you that the moment I think something is slightly wrong, the anxiety filled vigil begins. I look, examine, stare, listen, then walk out of the bunny room, blab to my husband my concerns, who then says it’s probably nothing to worry about, and then I give him the “wadda ya know!” stink eye, then I go back and stare at the bunnies, realize I am not breathing, take a deep breath, walk out, go have some orange juice or something, stare off into space thinking about what could be going on while I am drinking the OJ, then walk back in to the bunny room looking at them with concern. Then I’ll give bunny massages, listen again to the gi tract, and the whole worry cycle continues. Most of the time, all turns out fine, and an hour later, the bunnies are running around being perfectly normal. (probably laughing about the trick they pulled on their big worry wart human.) But it’s those few times when those symtpoms are serious and noticing behaviors and health issues is extremely important
Being so in tune to your bunny’s health and behavior is lifesaving as rabbits are very good at hiding problems, and by the time we actually notice them, it can be serious. And it can turn VERY serious in such a short amount of time. So good for you for noticing an issue. I’m sorry this happened to you so soon (being such a new bunny mum and all), but it just shows she’s lucky to have you as her human.
The symptoms you noticed were serious, and so kudos for you for really noticing and getting your bunny the help she….her HE needed.
I love HIS new name too. Great gender transition.
My experiences with male vs female is so far females I have had make it more overtly known what they don’t like and like. Jack also lets his opinions be known, (as was my male bunny “Forrest” I had many years ago), but there seem to be fewer things that he has opinions about. LOL. I personally love all the opinons…just more bunny communication. Now, with that said, my experiences do not generalize ALL bunny genders as you will find that members here have some very opinionated and bossy males, and easy-going females. I really don’t think you will find a huge difference. All of my bunnies, highly opinionated or not, loved to be pet and loved affection and so I am happy about that.
Tell us what the vet says about the fecal test. Did they say what was going on with her being so bloated originally?
I’m sure they gave her fluids and maybe a gi med or something when she was there overnight? That might have set her system back on tract??Good to know she is feeling better now though!
Hey bb,
I do the same thing that you do in the first paragraph when u were explainin ur anxiety with it.. My man is always like he’s fine you’re worry way to much lol. i start pacing and staring into space not listening to anything else just thinking.
The fecal test came out good negative for worms and parasites, they did give her a little medication, and some fluids, and now he’s running around and back to his normal self, thank god! i was crying for a little while, cuz i thought he was going to die for some reason. it scared the poop out of me!! i dont know what i’d do with out my bunbun, he’s become my all time best friend. he follows me everywhere . i hope he doesnt grow out of that cuz its so cute to see him run to try and keep up with my walking around . They said the reason why he was bloated, was cuz he didnt eat any of his hay, and only ate his pellets. But he’s been drinking and eating just fine now, he finally manned up and started eating his hay !!
thank you so much for your concern, and good positive words !!!
I hope your buns had a wonderful easter, my 3 year old niece asked if my bunny laid the easter eggs outside the house.. that was so cute, i told her yes lol
Love n Light,
Ellen
Awwwwwwww I am SO SO happy everything worked out well for you!
Glad he is okay!
Good Health Vibes to Bonner – he’s adorable!