Diarrhea from transitioning to new pellets?

[my baby max]

My 7 month old bunny is transitioning to Timothy hay and Timothy hay pellets. First day I started with 3 parts of current pellets and 1 part new pellets. However my old pellets just ran out and I didn’t know how to transition, so I gave him about 1 part of the new pellets exclusively. He had diarrhea a few days ago and just today. I’m lost at what I should do. Should I stop feeding him pellets for a few days and then transition slowly again?

[Wick & Fable]

What were the old pellets you were feeding and what pellets are you transitioning too?

If diarrhea is still occurring a few days into the new pellets, yes, I would stop giving them. Please note that true diarrhea in rabbits is considered a medical emergency: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Rabbit_poop#Diarrhea … Can you get a hold of some of the old pellets to aid in transitioning more smoothly?

 

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.

[DanaNM]

I agree it would be good to clarify if he’s having some soft poops, or true liquid diarrhea (which is an emergency).

If he’s eating hay OK, I would give no pellets at all for a bit until his tummy gets back on track. What amount of pellets are you feeding? “1 part” may still have been too much for transitioning if he’s getting a larger portion of pellets.

You could start with like a 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon of the new pellet and feed that for several days to a week, until you are sure they aren’t upsetting his system. Then slowly increase it to 1 teaspoon, then 2, etc.  over the course of a couple more weeks. I only give my adult rabbits about 1 tablespoon of pellets per day total.

If even the tiny amount upsets his system, there could be an ingredient in the pellet brand that disagrees with him, so you could compare it to the old brand and see if there are any new ingredients that could be the culprit.

 

. . . 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.  

[my baby max]

The old pellets are Premium Rabbit Food Pellets from small pet select and new one is Oxbow Essentials Bunny Basics Young Rabbit Food pellets.

Today he hasn’t had diarreah, hopefully it stays like that.

If I were to get a hold of the old pellets, it will arrive in days. So I’m wondering if it will make any difference if I were to do buy old one vs not feeding him pellets for a couple of days and transitioning into new one. Plus, I didn’t like the old ones as it contained so many nuts/seeds and sometimes even small sharp wood. But I’ll buy it if that’s what he needs.

[my baby max]

That was supposed to go to Wick & Fable.

He started off 3/4 cups old and 1/4 cups new. Now I realize that may have been too much maybe?

 

 

[DanaNM]

Yes, I think going to a straight 1/4 cup of the new pellets was too much all at once. But it’s good that his poops are improving. At this point, I probably wouldn’t bother reintroducing the old pellets. At 7 months he is also almost done growing, so you can start feeding him a more adult diet with fewer pellets.

If he’s eating plenty of hay, I would opt to just stop the pellets and then very slowly reintroduce them.

I’m a little confused about the old pellets though, because the name you mentioned is a timothy based pellet that doesn’t have any nuts or seeds in it as far as I can tell?

 

. . . 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.  

[my baby max]

Yes it’s Timothy based pellets, it’s advertised that it has no seeds but it does, even some sharp woods. Which is why I’m no longer buying them.

 

the new pellets are advertised for young rabbits but it says it’s supposed to be for rabbits under 1 years of age. it’s alfalfa based, so maybe that’s why he’s having diarreah? his current diet is alfalfa hay, but I’m trying to transition him into Timothy hay

[DanaNM]

That’s really odd about the Small Pet Select pellets, definitely worth mentioning to the manufacturer.

Switching pellet brands can cause issues, even when the formulas are similar. Is he still having soft poops?

It’s OK to feed an alfalfa pellet for the first year, but some people like to transition to timothy pellets around 6-7 months. He definitely should transition to timothy hay though, because he doesn’t need alfalfa in more that 1 source.

There are causes of soft poops and diarrhea that aren’t due to diet (like parasites, for example), so if he is still having symptoms I think it’s time to go to the vet.

 

 

 

. . . 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.  

[my baby max]

I also found bugs in the Small Pet Select hay I used to give him, I don’t know if that’s normal to see or not.

He’s doing okay now, his poops aren’t soft, but it’s like… dark and wet if that makes sense.

Also, I just found out he has pinworms, which like you said could be the reason for the diarrhea. I’ll be taking him to the vet tomorrow.

 

[Hazel]

So you’re transitioning from Timothy pellets to Alfalfa pellets? If you’re unhappy with the quality of the old pellets I would switch him to Oxbow adult pellets at this point. What breed is he? At his age he doesn’t need Alfalfa at all, unless he’s a giant breed, once they stop growing there’s no need for Alfalfa anymore. Eating both Alfalfa hay and Alfalfa pellets is likely too rich of a diet for him, even as babies they only need one source of Alfalfa, either pellets or hay.

[my baby max]

No, I will be transitioning him into timothy hay, I bought the alfalfa pellets (will now be returning) because it said for 1 year and under, so I assumed that’s what I should give him. He is a dwarf breed. Do you have any timothy hay/pellets recommendations? I was thinking about Farmer’s Dave second cut timothy hay or Sherwood Pet Health pellets.

[LBJ10]

Hazel makes a good point. A rich diet (alfalfa-based) can cause excess cecotrope production. Sometimes this isn’t really an issue and will resolve once the bunny is transitioned to a grass hay-based diet. However, some bunnies can get excess cecotropes that are mushy and it can cause poopy butt.

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