Buns with Runs?

[DannyGirl]

 Alright, so my husband and I just got a bunny maybe two weeks ago from a pet store and we have both noticed a change in his poops. 

It has been getting softer and softer and runnyish and there are next to none hard pellets anymore. I don’t know if it is because of the switch in food from the petstore to what we have for him or what. We feed him timothy hay and timothy hay based pellets. We went to the pet store and asked what they fed their buns and they had a mixed pellet feed that had nuts and other things in it that they fed in the morning and then guienie pig pellets for the evening. (they shared a cage with the piggies) 

 

Any one have insight as to what might be the cause? 

 

Additonal info: We did start out with some cheap bunny food but switched about two days ago to the timothy pellets to see if it helped. We are gradually mixing the new food in with his old but so far no improvement. 

[jerseygirl]

How runny are his poops? If he’s a young rabbit this can get serious very quickly as they get dehydrated. Do you have an idea of his age?
It could be related to his diet but also to a common parasite (coccidia), or them having been weaned too young. Sadly that is all too common. They may stop drinking their mothers milk and start eating solids but it is important they stay with the mother still. They build up the good bacteria in the gut by ingesting her cecal pellets. You might want to get him checked out by a vet.

Changes in diet should be done gradually. So mixing the old and new food for a few weeks and gradually reducing the old one. ETA: sorry, I see now that is what you’ve been doing.

[DannyGirl]

It varies in runniness but it ranges from big round soft poops to liquidy non shaped poops. He is eating and drinking just fine from what I have watched and pees plenty. I am not certain of his age but I don’t think he is too old, but I’m pretty sure he is under a year. The guy at store asked if we wanted him sexed and commented that he might be too young to sex. He checked but then ended up checking for what the breeder had sexed him as. I don’t know if that helps in aging him for you.

If it is the bacteria thing why would he have been good at first? I sure hope it just the change in food. :/

[Sarita]

I would have a fecal test on him from a vet. Coccidia is very common but cureable. It is fatal if not treated.

It is always a good idea to get your new rabbit examined anyway from a vet.

As for your question, it is not something you are going to necessarily notice and you have only had him two weeks…better to be safe than sorry.

[jerseygirl]

Bacterial overgrowths can take a while to show. The gut may normalise and then go out of balance again many times. I ditto Saritas suggestion of the fecal test. Something like coccidia is easy enough to treat but it can have recurrences too.

So it’s just pellets and hay your feeding? No treats or veggies (which is probably good to avoid at first)? Some rabbits don’t cope that well with pellets or an ingredient in them so it can be a bit of trial and error.  Water source is another thing to consider. He could be sensitive to something in it.
 

[Beka27]

Your diet sounds fine. It is most likely coccidia. This is very common in young bunnies that come from pet stores. The vet will test the fecal sample and prescribe medication that should clear it up quickly.

It does take awhile to manifest, sometimes a couple months. What may happen is the rabbit breeder (who is usually aware of the issue!), medicates all of the rabbit water with a low-dose of medication, just enough to suppress the parasite, but not eradicate it. I’m not sure why they do this, maybe they believe it’s too expensive and time-consuming to daily medicate every rabbit individually, so they just dose everyone. This “fixes the problem” temporarily. Once the baby bun goes to the pet store and then home with a new family and is away from that water source, the parasite has a chance to return, which is when you would start to see symptoms.

A baseline exam with a new rabbit is always a good idea, and the vet will be able to answer any specific questions you may have.

[DannyGirl]

Alright I believe we are making a vet visit.

As far as feeding we did pick up some cilantro and parsley for him and I gave him a small amount of the parsley yesterday but wasn’t sure if I should considering he was already having issues. And for water we give him tap water or bottled waters that don’t get used up.

[Monkeybun]

Hold off on introducing new foods while he is having these issues.

[KatnipCrzy]

I agree- make a vet visit and hold off on any more changes while the bunny is having soft poo unless advised by a vet. Going to a new home can be stressful so coccidia can take advantage of a stressed immune system to flare up- OR the bunny could have been exposed at the pet store from the other animals it was around in a pen or from improperly clean cages/equipment.

[DannyGirl]

 Went to the vet and got him some meds for the runs So, hopefully this will clear it all up!

 

Also found out he is about 2 months. Haha, poor little guy. 

 

We still don’t know what he is though….if anyone wants to take a stab at it here is Gus’ picture. And he says thanks for the help!

 

 

 

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[Roberta]

Poor little man, only 8 weeks old, no wonder he had the runs… His poor little tummy probably wasn’t ready for the new foods.
My rescue babies Piglet and Pepper were only tiny when I got them and I suspect now much younger than yours. But it was be rescued or end up as local cat breakfast. They only had pellets and hay for the first few weeks and a little fresh basil.

As to his breed I’d call him “gentle bunny who wants love and adoration cross”

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By Roberta on 12/01/2011 04:16 AM

As to his breed I’d call him “gentle bunny who wants love and adoration cross”

Love it.  Such a popular breed — seems we all have that one. 

[Author]

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