Constipation? Digestion Issues?

[Kelly]

Hi there!

This is my first time posting, but just about any time I’ve had a bunny question and I’ve searched the interwebs for answers, a thread from this forum comes up in my search and I’ve found the public posts helpful.  This time, I’d like a little more personal insight.  😀

Background: I have a half Dutch half Lionhead female named Cinna.  She’s almost two years old.  I call her my little hay monster – she loves to eat hay.  Well, she loves to eat anything.  haha.  Her basic diet is unlimited first cut Timothy hay, a cup full or so variety of fresh lettuces and herbs, and a small (less than 1/4 cup) Timothy hay based pellets (from Small Pet Select).  She does get a small bit of fresh fruit now and then.  maybe a tablespoons worth a day, but honestly, it’s not always even daily (blueberries, apples, and a rare banana – because her human doesn’t like banana haha).

On Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, she boycotted her litter tray in her enclosure and she high tailed it to her litter tray that sits out in the living room when I let her out Wednesday morning.  There was urine in her tray, but no poos.  She left a pretty large pile of poos in her out of closure litter tray that morning.  They looked normal.  She went fairly normal that day, but maybe a little less.  I cut back her pellets that night and gave her an extra lettuce leaf.  No fruit.

Fast forward to last night.  She again boycotted her enclosed litter tray.  and this morning, she pooed very little in her outside litter tray.  She is molting.  I admit I’ve not brushed her as regularly as I could have, so I’m trying to do that more today.  I massaged her tummy.  I got gas drops and have administered three doses, one hour apart.  Throughout the day, she has pooed a little, but not her normal output.  Otherwise, she’s acted her normal self.  She stretches and yawns (which I’d assume would hurt a gassy/digestion issue tummy), she’s run around and has flopped on her side and back when she lays down, she’s eaten hay on her own throughout the day, she’s run me over when I brought out her lettuce and cilantro and cleaned them right up like normal, she’s drinking water. ETA: I’ve seen her eat cecotropes, today, as well

I just gave her dose three of the gas drops (which she loves, by the way, haha) about 20 minutes ago. She ran around a little bit and then hopped into her litter tray and left a decent, but small pile of poos.  Probably the most she has gone today.

Am I missing anything?  Should I be worried about the small output at this point?  I did also pick up a fresh pineapple today because I read that that can help break down hair in a bunny’s digestion system.  I haven’t given her any yet.  At this point, I’m wondering if she’s slowed down with some hair.

I appreciate any input here! Thanks so much everyone!

[Louiethebunny]

She might be slowed down by some hair, but because she is eating and behaving pretty normally, I would just keep an extra eye out for a few days. What you have going for her seems really good, so maybe monitoring her through the next day and make sure everything is good. As long as she is still eating hay, then she is doing pretty fine, and hopefully the fiber will help and tummy troubles. Some wet veggies could help move things along too.

[Bernard2020]

First I’d just like to mention I’m not an expert at all, I’ve only had a rabbit for 3 months. But my rabbit has a sensitive stomach and gets gas occasionally, so I thought I’d share what has helped me.

Do the gas drops have simethicone? That’s the kind that really helps. One thing that seems to always help Bernard is making sure she keeps moving. She would prefer to sit in her bed all day when she has gas so I have to make her move around a little. Of course, if it becomes 12 hours and she hasn’t pooped that is serious because it leads to stasis (which Bernard has had, it’s not fun.) In my opinion, (again I’m not an expert at all) just keep an eye on her and use the gas drops but if she gets worse and stops eating or pooping take her to the vet.
Ive heard great things about the pineapple but I’ve never tried it. Let me know how it works, if you want 😊 I hope  she starts feeling better!

[Kelly]

Thank you, both!!

Overnight, she had again boycotted her litter tray in her enclosure. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I went to bed later last night and got up earlier than I’d have liked, so she went about 6-7 hours holding poos. She came out and immediately ran to her other litter tray and left a small but respectable pile. I offered pineapple but she just isn’t a fan. She nibbled some last night and barely a bite this morning. But she did gobble up two wet pieces of lettuce and a cilantro sprig. Lots of hay grazing this morning. She’s been pooing pretty regularly so far and eating cecotropes. Running around and being her normal self. Tolerated some brushing and seemed to enjoy a tummy massage.

Silly girl. I don’t know what to make of the overnight boycotts (she did graze her hay all night, it appears). I’m just happy for more poos all morning! 🙌🏻🐰

[Kelly]

Oh, and yes. The drops have simethicone.

I’m always so nervous about GI stasis. I’m sorry Bernard and you have dealt with that! It seems it’s a slippery slope once it starts.

[Bam]

It’s great that she is grazing on hay again. Hay will make the poop ample again, if she keeps eating it. It’s difficult to say what could be the cause, hopefully it was just the odd bout of gas brought on by the molt. As you know, many buns get a bit of tummy trouble when they molt. They can also be grumpy during a molt. The best “remedies” are hay, hydration and a daily brushing.

If she was feeling a bit under the weather, maybe she wasn’t moving during the night, and when you woke her up and she came running, that could’ve set the intestines in motion so she pooped as a result. Exercise is very good for the tummy!

You can keep giving her simethicone gas drops for as long as you feel she might need them. It isn’t taken up into the body, it just passes through and gets pooped out.

I hope she’ll steadily get better now, otherwise you will have try and identify an underlying cause.  Common causes of persistent inappetence and tummy trouble are dental issues or pain due to f ex a UTI. Hopefully this was just a (very commonly seen) molt-related temporary stomach slowdown/upset.

 

[LBJ10]

Hmm… it sounds like she is preferring the litter box outside of her cage for some reason. Some bunnies can be very particular about going in their litter box, sometimes holding their poop if they are unable to get to it. You could try putting the preferred litter box inside her enclosure at night to see if that makes a difference.

As for the slow down, I will agree that it probably has to do with her molting. As long as she is still eating/pooping, I wouldn’t be too concerned. Just keep an eye on it. Try to increase her water and hay intake. The simethicone is probably helping if she has gas.

[pinkiemarie]

So I think it’s weird that she’s waiting for the other tray but we knows why animals so what they do sometimes! One of my buns has had issues with stasis and my vet recommend Petromalt a couple times a week to keep things moving. Some people swear it works, some people swear it doesn’t but the vet suggested it so he gets it. It supposedly helps keep fur moving through the gut. I mention it because you said she’s molting.

[DanaNM]

FYI Petromalt is a controversial with rabbits. Because it is oil based, if there is a mass of food and fur, it will prevent moisture from getting to it, so could actually make it harder to pass if it dehydrates further. If your vet recommends it then that’s fine, just wanted to mention this for any others that read the thread.

Hydration and fiber are really the name of the game when it comes to keeping everything moving. So giving a big pile of wet leafy greens is a safe bet if the bun is still eating and you suspect things might be a bit off.

I notice you said the litter tray she is boycotting is enclosed. Is it hot where you are and is the box maybe due for a cleaning?

If it’s warm where you are, being in that enclosed box might be very unpleasant for her (thinking about porto-potties in hot weather!). So maybe take the top off and see if she goes back to it?

. . . 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.  

[Kelly]

Thank you again for all the suggestions and the helpful advice!  I apologize for not returning here to update everyone and/or properly acknowledge the new responses.  She’s been doing better and that combined with a very busy couple of weeks at work, I have not logged on to the computer in days.  🙂

Cinna has begun to slowly poo a little more overnight while in her enclosure.  We did switch out the litter trays, one for the other.  The first night, she pooed a slight amount, but still ran out for the secondary litter tray the next morning and left a much larger pile.  She has continued on that routine since then.  I feel like her night time poos are less than they used to be, but she’s still eating the same amount of hay she always has and she grazes on it all day and all night.  She has never once turned her nose up for any offering of food.  vegetable greens, the occasional fruit (well, except the pineapple lol), her small ration of pellets, hay, and water are all on track.  She runs and plays and is her normal sassy, attention demanding self.  Her daytime poos seem to be more on the level they should be.  She especially likes to leave a big pile first thing in the morning.

To answer a recent question — it is warmer in our house than I’d like  — old house, ancient air conditioner, no insulation, summer time.  But, she has a fan directed on her all the time.  Her litter tray does not have a lid, so she’s not trapped under an enclosure while in her litter.  I have started putting a handful of hay in her litter tray (she has entire huge hay rack in the enclosure as well, though) and that seems to be a favorite munching spot, which I know is normal.

Thank you again for the help and the questions and the suggestions.  I truly value your input!

[Author]

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