Any remedies/ways to keep my bunny not stressed/nervous (especially at night)? (diarrhea/loose caecotrophs)

[Emilio]

Hello everyone!

We have 2 bunnies at home. We adopted the male 3 years ago, and the female about a year ago.  The female had multiple previous families/foster homes before we adopted her.

The issue we have with her is that she is having diarrhea/loose caecotrophs.  The vet thought it was because she was eating too much fruits/carrots  (the vet said that more than 1/2 a inch of a carrot or more than a strawberry a day was too much).  So we did not give her any fruits/carrots for the last 6 months. There was 0 improvement even if the vet said that we would see some improvements within 1 to 6 months.

The truth is that I believe she is very nervous (maybe because of the fact that she had been abandoned multiple times before). About 75% of the time we try to approach her she runs away.  Also, her nose is moving at the speed of light (that shows her stress).

We gave the bunnies the whole living room  (we secured everything and blocked access to the couches with a fence), so they are free 24/7.

What I noticed was that she is having these diarrheas/caecotrophs mostly at night (we sleep in our room and close the door) and when we’re not home.  So we think she’s having these issues because of nervousness/fear of being abandoned again.

Any clue on what we can do to keep her clam?  (She won’t drink tea, in fact my bunnies won’t drink water at all since we have central A/C and use it all summer long)  

p.s. We also installed a nightlight last night, didn’t notice any magic improvement today.

[ThorBunny]

Hmmm… it may be that she is nervous but I’ve not heard of chronic digestive problems being caused by chronic stress, someone please correct me if I’m wrong?

Some buns are just prone to digestive issues and soft stools unfortunately Have you tried cutting out veggies? Some leafy veggies can disagree with certain buns. It could also be her pellet intake, what kind of pellets does she get/what amount?

[sarahthegemini]

II’ve also not heard of chronic stress causing such strong continuous digestive issues but I could be wrong! Have you ruled out all foods as being the culprit? Pellets and veggies etc? I wonder if Oakley’s mama will chime in as she has a bun with soft stool syndrome (I think that’s what it’s called?)

[Emilio]

Yes, she didn’t eat Kale, Carrots or Fruits in the last 6 months. She’s limited to 1/8 cups a day for pellets.

I know my bunny, and I know she’s 5 times more stressed than a usual bunny. Also, these caecotrophs are happening at night…

Any ways I can use to calm her?

thanks

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Emilio on 7/29/2017 7:50 AM

Yes, she didn’t eat Kale, Carrots or Fruits in the last 6 months. She’s limited to 1/8 cups a day for pellets.

I know my bunny, and I know she’s 5 times more stressed than a usual bunny. Also, these caecotrophs are happening at night…

Any ways I can use to calm her?

thanks

Have you tried giving her a blanket or something that has your scent on it? Also this might be a bit extreme but you could get a camera/intercom thingy set up where you can speak to her while you’re out. 

[Emilio]

Have you tried giving her a blanket or something that has your scent on it? 

I like this idea.

Also this might be a bit extreme but you could get a camera/intercom thingy set up where you can speak to her while you’re out. 

I don’t think it would work. We tried speaking to our bunnies through Skype once (with a laptop on the floor);  I don’t think they even noticed what was going on. 

[tobyluv]

You didn’t mention if she is a good hay eater or not. Hay is what rabbits need for their digestive system, and to form good droppings. If she doesn’t eat a lot of hay, you should try different varieties and brands and cuts of hay until you find one that she really likes.

You said that your rabbits won’t drink water. Rabbits need adequate fluids to keep their digestive system working well too. Are you wetting down any greens that they get? They do need an intake of fluids somehow.

Did the vet do a fecal test? That should be done to rule out any parasites or medical problems. Are her droppings normal during the day?

Maybe you could try having a radio playing soft music at night.

[Emilio]

Posted By tobyluv on 7/29/2017 9:41 AM

You didn’t mention if she is a good hay eater or not. 

Yes, she’s an excellent hay eater! Not like the other one…

You said that your rabbits won’t drink water. Rabbits need adequate fluids to keep their digestive system working well too. Are you wetting down any greens that they get? They do need an intake of fluids somehow. 

Yes the greens are rinced (so yes, they are wetted)!  I always give them water in a bowl, but they won’t drink from it.

Did the vet do a fecal test? That should be done to rule out any parasites or medical problems. 

The vet wasn’t worried about that.

Are her droppings normal during the day? 

I would say that they are normal from 8AM to midnight, except the days we’re both not at home (once in a week).

Maybe you could try having a radio playing soft music at night.

Sounds like a good idea!

[Author]

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