Change in Environment or Diet Concern?

[buddythebunny]

Hello! First of all, I am a first time bunny owner. I had a guinea pig, rest in peace Zee, but other than that, I have never had any experience with a bunny. When I first did research on owning a bunny, I read so much about how owners fall in love with their buns, and boy were they right. When I got Buddy from his breeder, he was ONLY fed pellets. Everything I read said to provide hay for him as well, so I went to my local pet store & bought alfalfa hay (WHAT THE PET STORE RECOMMENDED). I have also provided constant fresh water, and some greens (romaine lettuce to be exact). He was pooping very normally until yesterday when I noticed his poos were connected by little strings. When I googled it, it said that he could be potentially in GI stasis & that it is life threatening. Is it his food, or his new environment? What do I do?

[Bam]

Poos connected by little strings means the bun is shedding and ingesting his own hair. This is common. Rabbits clean themselcves meticulously and if there’s loose hair, they will ingest it. The best thing to do is brush the bunny daily and try to get as much hair off of him as you can. If a bun ingests lots of hair (Here I originally mistakenly wrote “hay” instead of “hair”, fortunately a very observant member noticed!) it can create an intestinal blockage, and that leads to GI stasis. But you can turn it around if you’ve only started seeing this and he’s still eating and drinking and pooping. (GI stasis means a total stop or slowdown of the movement required to push food along in the intestines until it comes out in the form of poop. This stop/slowdown leads to constipation and loss of appetite, and it’s very dangerous.)

A diet high in fiber is also important. If your bun is under 6 months old, alfalfa hay is good. It should ideally be complemented with grass hay (timothy, orchard etc). If your bun is over 6 months old, the alfalfa should be phased out and replaced with grass hay. Alfalfa has a high content of protein and calcium, and that’s great for a young bun, but not good for an adult bun.

Romaine lettuce is fine.

[Wick & Fable]

It’s great that you’re asking questions. You are correct — pellets only is definitely not a good diet. It needs to be a large majority hay (adult rabbits), which just a supplement of pellets and veggies.

How old is he, and is he neutered? This will affect the proportion of pellets fed, as well as the type of hay and pellets fed. Also, unsure if you had a guinea pig-vet, but if you are committed to Buddy as a great pet (which I’m sure he will be!), you’ll need to find a rabbit-experienced vet in your area to take him to for a check-up. Some breeders are more… sketchy than others? Some are not responsible breeders and breed unhealthy rabbits, and some say one thing, such as the rabbit is this old or has this condition, but it’s different when examined by a vet. Rabbit-experienced vet is VERY IMPORTANT. There are so many tales of rabbits who aren’t treated correctly because a well-meaning vet is not experienced and doesn’t know how to examine and check a rabbit.

What bam says is correct. String of pearl poos occur during shedding because rabbits ingest fur as they groom, and unlike cats, they cannot cough up hair balls. It’s important when you see these to begin brushing him daily, as too much hair will clog his stomach pipes, causing GI stasis. Think of it as this: the more hair you brush off him and throw in the trashcan, the less he ingests. You want to really observe your rabbit’s behavior and posture while grooming because some like grooming to a certain intensity/location, while other times they find it uncomfortable/painful if you’re tugging too hard or the brush is uncomfortable.

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.

[Deb]

Posted By bam on 10/30/2017 1:04 PM

… If a bun ingests lots of hay it can create an intestinal blockage, and that leads to GI stasis. …

I happened to notice this typo and wanted to make double-sure it didn’t create confusion.  That should read “if a bun ingests lots of HAIR…”   Ingesting lots of hay is good!

[Wick & Fable]

Deb – Yes, it should be ingesting HAIR not hay.

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.

[Bunnybuzz]

Yeah bam is correct If you just noticed this you and start grooming him right away it shouldn’t lead GI stasis. AHAHAH DEB! Good think you saw that

[Bam]

THANK YOU, Deb, for spotting that!

Bunnies SHOULD ingest lots of hay. It’s HAIR they shouldn’t ingest too much of =D

ETA: I corrected my first post, these forums just can’t have a post saying that too much hay causes stasis. ?

[Author]

Messages