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Forum DIET & CARE Update on BunBun’s Poppy Butt

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    • Dee
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        For anyone who has not seen my ongoing posts about my BunBun and his little poop problem, he has had poopy butt on/off ever since I started varying his diet with greens/fruits, which is since about August 2008. Lately it’s been happening every day, starting early morning (about 4-7 hours after his dinner greens/fruit). He used to get all sorts of greens plus some apple and banana every night. I gradually removed everything from his greens/fruit but parsley, and still he kept getting PB every day, same time.

          The night before last a gave him just a little parsley for dinner, and the next day he had just a little PB. Last night I stuck it out and gave them nothing but hay- no pellets either since I wasn’t sure if they were contributing to Bun’s tummy trouble. This morning he was fine- completely stink free! Then, idiot that I am, I had to go and feel sorry for him being so pitifully hungry and I gave him some pellets- Oxbow timothy pellets. A couple hours later, I smell a familiar odor- Bunbun is stinky yet again. Must be from the pellets, since he was perfectly fine before I gave him them.

          I’m relieved in one way, since this is obviously diet related. But I’m also pretty frustrated- can BunBun no longer have any food except for hay? I know Mimzmum has 2 bunnies that can only eat hay, and they weren’t always like that. I just don’t get why Bun has gotten so sensitive- he’s always had a touchy stomache, but this is really extreme. I’m bringing in a poop sample to the vet today to get it tested, just in case there’s an underlying reason for all this. If they don’t turn up anything, I will assume Bun has simply developed a reaction to many foods.

          If the vet finds anything, of course I will be posting about it! Otherwise, I’m thinking that Bun (and Nelli- poor Nell gets starved right along with Bun) will just be fed hay, hay cubes and water for now. I do slip them a couple crumbs of oats/honey granola, which I know is bad, but it seems to be less harmful than giving them bananas. I have stopped the granola for a few days and it had no effect on Bun’s PB.  So after about a week of healthy BunBun belly, I think I will try a small amount of a mild green. I know green/red leaf lettuce seems pretty mild, but I would prefer something a bit more nutritious. I’m thinking maybe Swiss Chard, or carrot tops? Even a tiny bit of dandelion greens? I must be careful with calcium because Bun also has bladder sludge. If those greens can’t be tolerated, is there anything else that very sensitive bunnies can eat besides hay? I’m concerned about a nutritional deficiency with a hay only diet.


      • Sarita
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          You may find that removing the pellets will also help with the bladder sludge problem as they are higher in calcium than veggies. Many times pellets are more the culprit of poopy butt than vegetables.


        • Tate
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            I have the same problem with one of my bunnies. I was advised by my vet to cut down pellets (not out altogether). He was still leaving a ton of cecals, so I stopped the pellets altogether for a few days. After a week or so, I gave him about a tsp of pellets in the morning and a tsp of pellets at night. I added in Bene-Bac which seemed to help him digest better. I’ve been doing this daily or every other day and have been able to increase his pellets a little bit. I’m not sure about using Bene-Bac for longer periods of time, hopefully some one on here knows.
            You can try varying different kinds of hay as well. Right now, I’m feeding both of my bunnies a mix of timothy hay, orchard grass, and oat hay. You may also try a different pellet. There is a rabbit diet by ZuPreem (http://www.petco.com/product/109509/ZuPreem-Natures-Promise-Premium-Rabbit-Food.aspx) that I think is really good! The difference between this and Oxbow is that the ZuPreem has corn but no soy or wheat, whereas the Oxbow contains soy and wheat, but no corn. Honestly, in most domestic animals all three of these should be avoided as all have the potential to cause some digestive upset, but Bun might do better with corn? Again, I know there are people on here that know a lot about rabbit diets, so maybe they can weigh in on the corn vs. soy and wheat.
            I would wait a little while before trying more greens. Let his belly settle and allow it to digest the hay he’s being given. After a few days, you can try adding in some greens, although I’m not sure which one would be easiest on his belly.


          • Dee
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              Hi Sarita and Tate-
              Thanks for your replies . I went to the vet today and they tested Bun’s poop- it came back fine, nothing there that shouldn’t be.

              Sarita, I think the decreased pellets will help the bladder sludge, because since I have been giving him more pellets lately, he has produced a lot more sludge than he had in a while. After his bout with the UTI, I stopped his pellets for a while, then restarted them. I can’t remember exactly when his poopy issue became worse in relation to when I restarted the pellets, but it obviously added to the problem. Today was definite proof that pellets do give bun PB. I do worry about nutrition though- he used to get so many different greens, I figured he was fine, but now I wonder if his diet is varied enough to provide all he needs. Today I made some Critical Care cookies (my daughter has been asking for banana bread for a month now and I haven’t had time but I can make bunny cookies, no problem- lol). I mashed up a tiny bit of banana, a couple little bits of apple, a little granola, some oats and Critical Care with water and made the “dough” into flat patties, then baked @ 400 for about 8 minutes. BunBun was rather snotty about them- nibbled cautiously, then turned away. Nelli, of course, wolfed them down with great enthusiasm. Poor Nell, she can eat anything, but she has to starve right along with delicate little hubby .I can’t even sneak her a treat- BunBun’s ears are only 2″ long, but he sure can hear well! Any rustling of a bag or chopping of fruit and he comes running.

              Tate, thanks for the info on the ZuPreem pellets! I never knew that about the soy and wheat and corn- I always figured all timothy based pellets had pretty much the same stuff in them. I’m gonna try the ZuPreem, since I would like Bun to be able to have a small amount of pellets- they seem to have so many vitamins/minerals in them. I can’t imagine him geting all that from just hay and water! I think that’s a great idea to let Bun’s belly settle for a few days, then try a tiny bit of greens. That’s interesting that your bunny has been able to resume eating pellets- apparently taking a little break and letting their systems get back in balance helps. I like using Bene-Bac too! I started giving it to BunBun when he was on antibiotics, and he loves it- actually licks it off a spoon. That’s amazing for Bun, who hates all medicine and seems to know when something is good for him and refuses to eat it. I wonder if it’s OK to give it longterm- I would think it would be fine, since it’s more of a nutritional supplement than a medication. But I’m not entirely sure- hopefully we’ll find the answer here .

              Basically I just feel like the meanest bunny mom ever right now. BunBun is seriously depressed- he was sitting on his “sick chair” for a while today (that’s the chair he goes to when he’s ill or upset). He’s also been hiding in his box a lot. This morning him and Nell seemed to be staging a rebellion- they were each in a separate box, tearing the cardboard apart viciously. That was kinda cute, but the sad/pitiful behavior makes me feel so guillty. I just keep reminding myself that it must have been awful for him to have poop all over his butt every day, and his belly probably didn’t feel too great either. He must think I’m starving him though- he looks so hurt. I get a little parinoid that he will end up in GI stasis again from not getting ebough to eat, but that is probably unlikely. He has plenty of hay, which he eats, and I’m getting more hay at the farm tomorrow- some 1st cut timothy, timothy and herbs and some meadow grass. I know I’m doing the right thing for him- it’s just hard not to give in and feed him what he likes.


            • Tate
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                I felt the same way after cutting down on pellets for my two as well. They just looked so sad!! Neither of them were big hay eaters either and I think that was ultimately the problem. I started mixing hays from the BB store and then they started eating! They are happy and healthy now, but it took a while! Hehe. Just stick with it- you know what’s best for them. They just know what’s yummy.

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            Forum DIET & CARE Update on BunBun’s Poppy Butt