bloated ~8 week old girl bun

[karenleslie]

I’m hoping a veteran bunny owner (or two) might be able to offer some advice…

My fiance and I just got a second bunny, we were told she is 8 weeks but she is much smaller than our other rabbit was at 8 weeks. Anyhow, we’ve had her for a couple days and she seems to have a bit of a belly.  I noticed it a little when we brought her home but now that I’ve observed her for a few days, it seems pretty big in proportion to her body and if she tries to flop onto her side, her tummy is so big she can’t put her outer leg down…it just kinda sticks up in the air.  (Kinda cute, actually. :p) When you feel it, its very roundish but not hard.

If she were acting sick I would take her into the vet in a second but she is very chipper and constantly munching away on baby pellets and alfalfa and drinking plenty of water.

Any thoughts or suggestions? We can’t help but worry about our new little baby.

Thanks bunches!

[jerseygirl]

This does not sound normal and I would urge you to get her to a vet asap.

I do not wish to alarm you and I am definately not a bunny veteran.   If it is actually bloat, the reasons can be many and varied but despite the reasons, bloat needs attention right away. As you  have observed, her tummy does not seem right. Bunnies are so good at hiding illness. Illness can creep up so suddenly too.

Please keep us posted on the little one and my best wishes for her good health.

[Sarita]

It’s hard to know by what you describe but I do agree with Jerseygirl that it would be very wise to get her to a vet if you are worried.

[Beka27]

i also recommend you take her in to be seen by a rabbit savvy vet. do you have a vet for your other rabbit? if not, we can direct you towards some in your area.

in general, it’s a very good idea to have any new bunny taken in for an exam by a vet shortly after bringing home. they can pick up parasites from their mother or littemates, which could then be passed on to your healthy bun if they are allowed any interaction.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

A bloated belly in horses generally means worms; Not sure in rabbits, I know they can bloat from gas as well as “bloat” so I’ll quadruple ditto the vet exam.

A typical exam here costs about sixty dollars but prices vary; It shouldn’t be too expensive, and you may just save her life!! Keep us posted!

{{Baby bunny vibes}}

[karenleslie]

Thanks everyone for all the replies!

Message well recieved…and I called and made an appt at good bunny vet this morning (referred from HRS and I’ve been there with my other bun for his neuter).

So, we have an appt for 2:30pm today. I’ll keep everyone posted!

Thanks again!

[bunnytowne]

Great.    Keep us posted we do care about you and your bunny.

[Deleted User]

glad to hear you made an appt. keep us updated!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

That’s great you have a good vet close at hand!! {{VIBES}} Good luck

[BinkyBunny]

Sending out vibes that whatever it is, it’s easily treatable! She is lucky to have such caring observant bunny parents !
Keep us updated!

[karenleslie]

So far so good. The vet said she was great physically…but her bowel motility sounded a tad bit slow, so I’ll be poops monitoring, just in case. However, she’s guessing its just because of her age and the fact that the place I got her from doesn’t feed hay (boo!).  And they are running tests on the poops to make sure there are no parasites or worms, etc.

Fingers crossed!

I’m going to try to post some pics of her tonight because she is just too cute. You all know how it is.

[BinkyBunny]

Can’t wait to see pictures!

It could be due to diet change – even when going to a healthier diet, it can cause digestive upset. There are actually different kinds of bacteria for different elements of food.  Bacteria that is used to digest a  particular  food begins to die off if it no longer has that food.(its more about the types of nutrients, sugars, etc – at that level) .    If there was a major change in the diet,  then larger amounts of the bacteria for a particular food can die off all at once and that will create gas. Some rabbits can handle changes without a problem, while others can’t, but younger bunnies are usually rather sensitive. Was there a complete change in her diet and if so, what was her diet and what is her diet now?

Let your vet know if there was a diet change so they can decide whether or not that might be part of the problem, and may have a different treatment for that.

Gas and bloat can be very painful. Does she seem fine in that regard?

 

[MooBunnay]

I’m glad to hear that you had some positive news from the vet Bunnies tummies are very sensitive and if there is anything wrong with their digestive system it can be harmful, so it is definitely good that you got her to the vet.

Hopefully her new healthy diet with you will improve the situation with her bloating – I can understand how switching from no hay to hay might have an effect.

Let us know how she progresses and if you need any more help!

[Beka27]

i’m happy to hear you got her in. i’ll cross my fingers and a couple pairs of bunny ears for you too! lol!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Had to check before bed Glad she’s doing well!!

[jerseygirl]

Also relieved! Can’t wait for pics…

[karenleslie]

The vet called me this morning and told me Baby has Coccidia! Boo!

I am so glad I brought her in! Thank you all for your advice and support!

The good news is that they caught it and now we can treat her and make her all better!

[Deleted User]

what is Coccidia??

[xParadise]

I believe it’s some kind of parasite, is it not? I think I’ve heard of dogs having it..

[karenleslie]

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/parasites.shtml

Yup, its a parasite, actually called Coccidiosis. Usually passed around in dirty conditions. Yuck!

The vet said Coccidiosis is only really a problem in baby buns because their immune systems aren’t as strong, adult buns can usually fight it on their own.

[BinkyBunny]

Oh, yes, it’s very treatable. I’m glad to hear that that is all it was!

And even with clean conditions, baby bunnies can pass it to each other because they basically poop everywhere and so it’s easy for it to be passed onto each other.

[jerseygirl]

So was it this that was causing the round tummy??

[Jude]

My little girl had the same thing when I first adopted her. She was 3 months old and she acted normally but nevertheless was sick. The vet treated her with medication and she was fine and has never had difficulties with Coccidiosis again. I advised the place where I got my rabbit that she had Coccidiosis so that they could seek treatment for any remaining rabbits that they had but they did not care so I doubt that they did anything. Glad to hear that you took you bun to the vet and she is ok.

[karenleslie]

jerseygirl – sorry to take so long to respond! It does seem that the parasites were causing her bloating. I’m not sure if it would be as noticeable in adult rabbits though.  We have been giving her the medicine for about 4 days now and the bloating has most definetly decreased. It could also have to do with the fact that she was getting enough fiber since they weren’t giving her hay.  So, its hard to tell for sure.

But she is doing great!

Thank you everyone… again!  I’ve attached a picture of Baby too!

 

12114195454.jpg

[MooBunnay]

Yay! I’m glad to hear that she is doing better

[jerseygirl]

What a darling! . I can see why the belly looked cute. The little ones do sort of have some roundness to them but obviously, in Baby’s case, it was more than the norm. Glad to hear the update too.

[MimzMum]

Oh she is precious! *squee!* So glad to hear the problem was nipped in the bud!
More healing vibe coming your way! ((((((((((Baby bun))))))))))

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

Glad to hear she’s doing well now. Gotta say, she is really adorable!

[Deleted User]

cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

OOOOOHHHH She’s prescious!! So cute!! I’m glad she’s doing better that’s great!

[BinkyBunny]

Oh my!! She is so cute. I too am glad to hear she is doing better.

[MarkBun]

Have you contacted the place you got the bunny about her diagnosis? They may want to treat the other buns if any of them are showing signs.

[wendyzski]

I’m so happy to read that she is feeling better!  You did a great job getting her to the vet as soon as you noticed.

[Author]

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