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› FORUM › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › New Bunny – Stomach noises? (UPDATE)
Update provided below….still not sure if he is ok or not?
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Update 11/5/13:
I can still hear the gurgling from a few feet away. He is still alert, drinking well and pooping (mostly they are normal. Had maybe 3 that were small). He gladly will eat pellets but does not seem to be eating much hay. Sunday he ate a good amount of hay, Monday he ate a bit but not too much then today so far not too much. Do I need to “refresh” the hay? Since he will eat pellets and is drinking well should I be concerned? I probably put 3 good handfuls of hay in on Sunday and he still has a lot left (maybe he ate 1 full handful in 2 days – he is 6lbs). I am not sure how much I should expect him to eat….I also don’t know if he was getting much hay at the shelter. I finally introduced the kids to him this morning just for a few minutes as I am trying to keep everything as least stressful as possible.
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Original Post:
So I was visiting some bunnies today and one in particular kept coming right to me. The rescue thinks he may be 3-5 yrs old but are not sure. He is neutered and such a love bug. He doesn’t seem to spook at anything and he comes right up and pushes under my hand so I will pet his head. He has been doing lots of soft tooth chattering and seems to be settling right in. Right now I have him in a XX-large dog crate until I can get an x-pen to give him open space to run around. He has already been out of the crate checking out his room.
So the question. While he was laying there getting some lovely head pets I noticed his stomach was gurgling a bit. He did have a 45min ride in the car and then he was put into a new place and I noticed the noises not too long after. He ate his pellets and is drinking water. He also is munching on hay and pooping (he is using the boxes for the most part – YAY). When I opened the door he came right out and was hopping around checking out everything. So, should I be concerned about the noise? I did not give him any veggies tonight just incase his stomach is upset from the stress of the day.
Here he is. I have no idea what breed he is.

He’s cute – I’m moving this to the Rabbit Q&A Section.
Some gentle gurgling is normal. I often hear my lops tummy gurgle when he is laying down. No noise at all is actually bad, it means there is not much activity in the belly. Loud, angry frequent gurgles can indicate a problem, though, like gas. If he’s eating and pooping good, I wouldn’t worry.
He’s beautiful. What’s his name?
No name yet but I want to name him moo. He just reminds me of a cow. We shall see what mu daughter thinks of it. The kids have not met him yet. I have been hiding him until he can have a few days to settle in and I wanted to make sure he was not gassy/stressed. Although he acts like nothing bothers him! The cat snuck in his room last night while I was giving him more water and he jumped out of his cage and went hopping right after him. The poor cat wanted to take things a little slower but it was really cute to see that he was so outgoing/interested in the cat.
Mine makes gurgling noises too. After he drinks especially. I love the name Moo! Soo cute! ![]()
update. I can still hear the gurgling from a few feet away. He is still alert, drinking well and pooping (mostly they are normal. Had maybe 3 that were small). He gladly will eat pellets but does not seem to be eating much hay. Sunday he ate a good amount of hay, Monday he ate a bit but not too much then today so far not too much. Do I need to “refresh” the hay? Since he will eat pellets and is drinking well should I be concerned? I probably put 3 good handfuls of hay in on Sunday and he still has a lot left (maybe he ate 1 full handful in 2 days – he is 6lbs). I am not sure how much I should expect him to eat….I also don’t know if he was getting much hay at the shelter. I finally introduced the kids to him this morning just for a few minutes as I am trying to keep everything as least stressful as possible.
What a gorgeous bun!
The disinterest in hay could be because he’s just not a big hay eater, so you’ll have to find ways to entice/trick him into eating more- or maybe there’s another type of hay he’d like? My bun will eat her normal timothy hay, but she goes crazy for small amounts of oat hay, or timothy hay with dried mint leaves or other treats hidden in it.
What is his current diet?
It’s always recommended that any new bunny be brought in to a rabbit savvy vet for an exam shortly after adoption. This is something you could discuss with the vet.
Just hay and pellets (the ones the rescue was giving him). I do plan to bring him to the vet but have been trying to make things less stressful for the moment since I suspect the stress of being in the car and a new home may have started it in the first place. I wanted to give him a bit of time before I put him in the car again for a 30min ride to visit the vet. I have not given him any veggies or fruit/treats. One site said to give veggies for GI issues but another said not to so I am just doing hay and pellets to be safe. He is acting normally I suppose (hard to tell as he is new but he is not lethargic at all). If I give him pellets he will gobble them up. He is drinking well also. Poop is normal now. Really, the gurgling is the only symptom. I have been letting him get out a lot to move around and have been massaging his abdomen occasionally.
What about baby gas drops?
Have not tried those yet. Also got conflicting reports. I will see if it is still loud tonight and try that if needed. Do you guys put it in water or give it orally?
Orally. I use the brand “oval”. If he is still eating, I wouldn’t use the drops. I only use them when my buns get gassy and stop eating.
What quantity of pellets are you feeding? If he’s filling up on pellets, he could be avoiding hay.
I agree with going to the vet for a check up. Often when bunnies have teeth problems they will continue to eat certain foods, but snub hay or things that are harder to chew.
when I first got my bun he filled up on pellets and would eat his hay or drink his water, so I had to take the pellets away and am start again slow with his pellets
In terms of getting him to eat more hay, the thing that helps with my bun is giving him more. He could have a huge handful that has been there for twelve hours and won’t touch it but if I add some new strands on top, he’ll eat the whole pile. He just seems to be very picky on freshness so he will only touch hay he thinks is new. Everytime I actually feed him, he eats straight away. I’m wondering if that’s why he ate a lot the first day and then stopped eating as much afterwards. Give it a try, maybe your bun is as weird as mine!
I hope the gurgling settles down soon!
› FORUM › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › New Bunny – Stomach noises? (UPDATE)
