Posted By DaisyBun on 11/21/2017 5:45 PM

Hello!
I noticed that Daisy’s pee looks very odd, and I from what I’ve read, is it because I’m giving her too much pellets?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiwPqQlvEPI
I hope this helps

Ooh is that bladder sludge?

I’ve just read this about Romain. lettuce.

Darker, more leafy and fibrous varieties (e.g. romaine lettuce) should be fed, as they are higher in fibre and actual nutrients. Introduce gradually to avoid digestive problems. Large amounts of lettuce, for a rabbit unused to it, can cause digestive upsets.

This does look like bladder sludge, I would take her to the vet. Here is a link from the HRS: http://www.rabbit.org/health/urolith.html
There is a list of things that could cause it, and veterinary help is always needed.

It does look like bladder sludge. It’s sometimes seen with a urinary infection and if it is, it clears up with antibiotics. Have you seen her strain to pee? Don’t give her kale or parsley or spinach or any other high calcium vegs. Try to get extra water in her by giving her wet greens. If you think she’s sensitive to romaine, stop romaine. A good low-calcium veg is fennel. Bunnies can get too much calcium from their food because their bodies absorb all dietary calcium, it’s not regulated by vitamin D like most other mammals’ calcium uptake is.

Get bunny checked by a vet, bladder sludge is extremely painful, I know, I’ve had it.

It’s not the dark color that indicates bladder sludge, sludge is about the consistency of the urine. Normal rabbit per comes in a wide range of colors.

This webpage has good pictures of normal bun urine as well as bladder sludge. Bladder sludge is thick and pasty. Take a look and if your bun’s pee is like the sludge-pic, see a vet:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Uro_gen_diseases/generalities/Sludge.htm

Posted By DaisyBun on 11/22/2017 11:43 AM

So in the morning I wiped up the pee in her litterbox. It looked rather dark, similar color to the first picture I sent. I gave her wet lettuce and she was more than happy to eat it. Soon afterwards I gave her some water from a syringe and after that she hopped into her litterbox, immediately munching on hay without a sign of straining. Afterwards I took a look at where she peed, and the pee was not visibly dark in the litterbox, and once I wipe it up I noticed it was much more of a yellow lighter color. After that she peed again and she peed in an area where the hay had been shifted so it was an empty spot with no hay, and when she began to pee I heard it go down.

Thanks Wick for posting the photos for us

That last pic does look better. Is bladder sludge something that can vary from sludgey pee to normal or is it a case of once the bun has it, it’s always sludgy til treated?

Thank you, Wick!

That doesn’t really look like bladder sludge. There is chalky residue, but that’s normal, it’s how rabbits expel the calcium they don’t need. Most other mammals get rid of excess calcium via their poop.

If this is happening all the time, you could perhaps try and find a pellet with lower calcium content. If you’re giving alfalfa hay, stop that and replace with grass hay (Timothy or orchard for example).

Sarah, I haven’t had a sludge bunny myself but I’ve heard from others that sludge can be intermittent. I’m not sure how grave those cases of sludge have been, because so many people confuse chalky pee with bladder sludge and it’s not the same thing.

Ah interesting, thanks Bam!