Bunny acting normal but not pooping?

[funnybunnymama]

Hi everyone! I’m new here. I just got a baby dwarf named Poirot (like the Agatha Christie character) and he is so sweet and very friendly!

I’m worried about him though. I got him Sunday afternoon. It’s now Wednesday and I haven’t seen any poop. My friend got a bunny at the same time and hers hasn’t pooped either. Both bunnies are very active, eating and drinking normally, and peeing just fine. They run around and don’t appear to be in any pain (not hunched or grinding teeth). By all accounts they seem totally normal! Just no poop. I know rabbits eat their poop but I don’t think they’d eat ALL of it.

So far his diet has been: pellets (no interest), alfalfa hay (eats it), a small piece of orange (no interest), a tiny bit of banana (ate it), a small slice of zucchini (no interest), a small piece of carrot (ate it), and today I gave him a little parsley (he ate some but not all). He has water in a bottle and a bowl. I took out his pellets so he’d go for just the hay and he has still been eating it.

I was thinking maybe the stress of coming to a new home has affected the bunnies’ tummies so they haven’t pooped. I plan on calling a vet as soon as I post this, but I’d still really appreciate any info and advice more experienced owners could give me! I’m really scared and would be heartbroken if anything happened to him…

[jerseygirl]

Welcome to Binky Bunny : )

Loving the name. I can’t help but picture a bun with a twirly moustache!

How old is he? Is your friends rabbit the same age and from same place? I wonder if they go into habit of eating their own normal poop at place they were at? Young rabbits do eat a bit of their normal poop and or their mothers but as you say, normally not all of it. That would be more of an indicator they were needing fibre.
You could try add some grass hay like timothy or orchard to their alfafa. Maybe they were more used to that?

Have you checked under the pile of hay for poop??

I have heard quite a few time about rabbits not toileting in the 1st 24hrs when they’ve come to a new home. Just a bit of a stress reaction. This seems too long, but as they are eating normally, it does make sense that they’re completely eating their droppings. If they weren’t pooping at all, I think they would be acting very differently and their appetite would change also.

[Luna]

Hi! I agree with jerseygirl. It seems like there has to be some poop hidden somewhere. If he truly hadn’t pooped for 36+ hours, he would be in noticeable distress. Maybe cut out the fruit from his diet until he poops so he eats more fiber? While fruit is a tasty treat, it should only be given sparingly because of the high sugar content .

[funnybunnymama]

Posted By jerseygirl on 2/28/2018 7:19 PM
Welcome to Binky Bunny : )

Loving the name. I can’t help but picture a bun with a twirly moustache!

How old is he? Is your friends rabbit the same age and from same place? I wonder if they go into habit of eating their own normal poop at place they were at? Young rabbits do eat a bit of their normal poop and or their mothers but as you say, normally not all of it. That would be more of an indicator they were needing fibre.
You could try add some grass hay like timothy or orchard to their alfafa. Maybe they were more used to that?

Have you checked under the pile of hay for poop??

I have heard quite a few time about rabbits not toileting in the 1st 24hrs when they’ve come to a new home. Just a bit of a stress reaction. This seems too long, but as they are eating normally, it does make sense that they’re completely eating their droppings. If they weren’t pooping at all, I think they would be acting very differently and their appetite would change also.

hi and thanks for the welcome!! my friend’s bunny is from the same place and i believe they’re both about 8 weeks. I had dug around in the prison (the cage I put him in at bedtime which, from the name, I’m sure you can guess how much he likes it! ) and my dad did too but nothing! nothing in the bun run or in the room he runs around in.

But wouldn’t you know, he finally pooped! It’s funny because of COURSE he poops after I post this and call like three vets. But, hey, small blessings! The poop is small and not perfectly round, but I figure after how long it’s been they wouldn’t be the ideal poops? I gave him a bit of pumpkin puree and it helped things along. I’m going to follow your advice and pick up some Timothy hay, too, to give him some variety and keep his hay interest.

This may be a silly question, but do you know how big a baby bunny’s poops should be? He’s a small boy, about the size of a baby guinea pig. I can scoop him in my palms, for size reference.

[jerseygirl]

But, hey, small blessings!

It really is! Hooray for poops!
Yes, it’s not unusually they’re not the most perfect looking poops. Hopefully they’ll become larger and rounder.

This may be a silly question, but do you know how big a baby bunny’s poops should be? He’s a small boy, about the size of a baby guinea pig. I can scoop him in my palms, for size reference.

Not a silly question. For a rabbit this size, I’d expect the poops to be about the size of baby peas, perhaps a bit smaller? And lots of them, baby rabbits have fast metabolism!

As they are this young, I recommend looking over the diet guidelines here for rabbits under 12 weeks of age. https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/2/PID/940/Default.aspx
You’ll want to be careful with fruits and vegs at this age. If they & the Mum were already eating it at the other place, they may do alright with some. Their guts are changing at this age so keeping diet basic with just pellets and hay helps encourage good gut flora to flourish. This will set them up with good gut health for the long term.

[funnybunnymama]

thank u both so much for the advice!

a happy update: he’s started pooping and hasn’t stopped! little poop machine is back in business! now to start the process of trying to potty train

[Author]

Messages