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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 7sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 5 months ago by LBJ10.

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- 09/11/2020 at 9:40 AM
  furballlover
  Participant
  34 posts
  My girl Karou, from January to June, had huge poops. Not abnormal but really nice and big. Then she got a UTI (my fault, fed her too many dandelion greens). Since then, she’s had smaller poops. The vet recommended cutting back on her pellet food from 1 tablespoon a day to 1 teaspoon a day and also cut back on greens (She’s a mini breed prone to dental issues and has already had dental work to correct a minor bur.) I’ve worked back up to almost the same amount of greens she was at before her UTI but her poops are still smaller than before. Granted the poops are all uniform in size and color, not too dark, soft, or tiny and dry. But why are they still smaller than they used to be? Her hay intake does not increase, she’s eating the same amount of hay as she always has, her water intake is the same, her greens amount is the same. Can the amount of pellet she ate make that much of a difference? I know since she’s healthy, eating well, pooping well and acting the same it shouldn’t be an issue but it’s driving me nuts not knowing WHY. And since she’s not eating more hay than before and her greens, while in larger volume like before has less variety, is it okay to go back up the the 1 tablespoon a day like before? I talked to my vet but she’s adamant against feeding more than the absolute minimum pellet amount. I agree with that but I’d feel more comfortable giving Karou the tablespoon of pellet since I am not currently able to give a variety of greens like I would like.
- 09/11/2020 at 12:52 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17029 posts
  First of all, a rabbit doesn’t get a UTI from dandelion greens. Dandelion greens do contain calcium, but they are also a diuretic and for that reason they are often recommended to buns with kidney issues. A diuretic means the bun will pee more, the French word for dandelion is pis-en-lit, which means wet the bed 🤣
  
  Did your vet want you to cut back on pellets and greens in order to make her eat more hay, or because they thought she was a bit chubby? If she was/is chubby, going back to more pellets could be detrimental. I weigh my bun in a bowl on kitchen scales weekly and write down his weight, because it’s very difficult to gauge a bun’s weight by just looking. They have so much fur!
  
  I had a bun who didn’t eat enough hay, he would eat fresh grass though. Depending on where you live be, fresh grass can be a good option. It wears the teeth just like hay (hay is dried grass).
- 09/11/2020 at 2:07 PM
  furballlover
  Participant
  34 posts
  Hopefully this isn’t too jumbled, trying to make sure I include all information I was given.
  
  I brought Karou to the vet in June since she’d been acting a bit off and had a tender stomach and wanted her checked out. She’d been drinking about 30 oz of water a day. The vet checked her over and said she noticed symptoms of a UTI and prescribed TMS and limited greens, romaine and green leaf lettuce only. Karou also had a blood panel done in May which the vet said was “just beautiful, perfect numbers”.
  
  After Karou had her dental work done and an x-ray to check for blockage, the vet said to cut back on the greens to encourage more hay. Then in July, when I was discussing diet with the vet for my other girl, the vet said she wanted both to be on 1 teaspoon of pellet. Alfred is a mini lop and 5 lbs. Alfred did not need to loose weight but had been on a horrible diet and has dental issues also so the vet wanted hay, hay, hay, hay, and more hay.
  
  Back to Karou: since she’s not yet 3, is a mini rex, and has had a dental molar grind, the vet said she wanted her diet to be more hay. The dental issues were from her previous owner not giving her hay because she “didn’t like it”. But Karou eats fantastic, clears her (bigger than her) hay bin every day and honestly I don’t see how she can eat more hay. Every time she wakes up during the day she chows down on hay and even during play time she spends half the time munching on hay. If put on the floor beside her daily hay, the hay pile would be about 1.5 her size.
  
  Huh, did not know that about dandelion greens, guess that was why she was drinking so much water if the dandelion made her need to pee. That means I can give them to her again in small amounts? Dandelion greens are her absolute favorite.
  
  She’s 3.4 lbs, mini rex, getting close to 3 years old and very high energy. Honestly, I’d like her to gain a little weight before winter since last winter it was so bitter cold here and the cold just seemed to seep in no matter how high the thermostat. She is a 100% indoor bun.
  
  There’s not a place around here I would buy fresh grass that I would consider safe for a rabbit. I had thought about growing a wheat grass/ buckwheat tray for her as a snack during playtime.
- 09/11/2020 at 2:26 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  Can you post a picture of her poops? When you break them open, do they have lots of chewed up hay inside?
  
  I would be inclined to slowly reintroduce certain greens and see if that helps (while still having high hay intake), rather than increasing pellets. Fur is really what helps buns stay warm, extra body fat just puts extra strain on their joints as they age.
  
  You can also try to give some additional types of grass hay if you are want to add variety and enrichment. 🙂
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 09/11/2020 at 7:50 PM
  furballlover
  Participant
  34 posts
  I’ve added the picture & it says awaiting moderation. Her poop looks like chopped up hay inside.
  
  Karou is still regrowing her belly fur from her spay in May. Heh, that rhymes.
  
  She loves sweet things so I’ll get her some orchard & oat grass.
- 09/11/2020 at 9:41 PM
  furballlover
  Participant
  34 posts
  [caption id="attachment_1936406" align="alignnone" width="2560"] On the left is Alfred’s & the right is Karou’s.[/caption]
- 09/12/2020 at 9:40 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  Aside from being a bit smaller, that looks like a healthy poop, and still within a normal range (although I don’t have a scale). As long as they are uniform and all else looks good (and your vet isn’t worried), I prob wouldn’t worry too much.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 09/12/2020 at 10:35 AM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17226 posts
  Different bunnies have different poop. I don’t see anything to be worried about.
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