help! i think my baby bunny is sick!

[shaunna and bunny]

ive been reading all about bunnues since i got the little guy (this past thursday) yesterday his poop started getting soft and i noticed that hes grinding his teeth. i know thats a bad sign but is it possible this is at all normal for baby bunnies? i think hes really young but im taking him to the vet at three so i’ll know more then but until then anyone have any ideas with whats wrong with my bunny?

[Beka27]

ii’m very glad that you’re taking him to the vet.  teeth grinding is definitely not good.  the poop problems can be from changes in diet or something more serious, so the vet will be able to see what’s going on.

[babybunsmum]

i’m so glad you’re taking him to the vet!  good for you to notice something was wrong so soon after becoming a bunny mom!

there are a few things that could be going on i think, but unfortunately with buns it can get very serious very fast so it’s always the safest to goto the vet if you aren’t sure.   is your bunny’s tummy bloated feeling?  his tummy should feel sort of doughy if you press it from underneath.  if its bloated it’ll feel more like a baloon.  the grinding teeth seems to indicate that he is in pain which cold be from a bloated tummy.  not to be confused with teeth ‘purring’ which is a softer kind of grinding that you can more feel as you pet them than hear if they were near you.  runny poops can easily happen with changes in diet… which maybe the case since you just got him last thursday.  but the combination of runny poo & teeth grinding is best to let a vet determine what’s going on imho since it could also be the onset of gi stasis… pretty serious if not taken care of immediately. 

hope all goes well for you.  let us know what the vet says!  (((((((((vibes to baby bunny)))))))))

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Keep us posted ********VIBES*************

[shaunna and bunny]

i actually did notice that his belly is bloated. and i was listening for teeth grinding a little while ago and didnt hear any at the time but i did hear his stomach making noise. is the bloated belly just from him eating too much? he was really boney when i got him on thursday so ive been making sure to keep a lot of veggies and and hay near constantly.
another concern is his water intake. he wouldnt drink plain water when i got him so i took the advice of a woman at a local pet shop and added suger to his drinking water but im concerned that thats not a good thing. he drank the sugar water and ive tried several of times to get him to take plain water but no luck.

[babybunsmum]

hmmm i don’t think the sugar is very good for him.  sugary snacks should be avoided… even carrots and fruit is too sweet except for teesny morsels.  check out binky bunny’s diet page (under bunny info)… thats a really good guide with portions well explained.  my vet encouraged me to serve greens really really wet to help with hydration, so i put them in a bowl & then soak them with water.  you can also try feeding watery veg like celery.  (for celery make sure you cut it into short pieces so he doesn’t eat long stringys).

edit to add:  is his water in a bottle or a bowl/crock?  sometimes they prefer one over the other.

[Gravehearted]

I am VERY glad you have an appointment scheduled this afternoon for him. It sounds like it could be the start of something serious, so it is VERY good that you’re getting him in to see the vet.

Sugar water is not a recommended remedy. I’ve found that most pet store employees know VERY little about good rabbit care, so would not depend on them to give you good advice.

Please keep us updated on how he is doing.

[JK]

NO on sugar water! Sugar is not good for a bunny.  That’s one reason fruit high in sugar is supposed to be given on a very limited basis and even carrots only a sliver because of the sugar content.  Maybe try a crock/bowl for water if he doesn’t like the bottle. Glad you are going to the vet!!! Good luck.  Keep us posted.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hi shaunna! Wow this is serious and I am also glad you are taking the little guy to the vet. What did they say by the way? When you said you think he is young, how young do you suppose? How much does he weigh? I am also wondering with the sudden change in diet (giving him so much) since he was boney, upset his little stomach. I know you are being a good mum by giving him all that he needs, but maybe just go a little slow with the veggies and offer up one kind for a little while to see if there is any runny poo or gas from it, then add another and wait to see if there is any reaction and so on. Try the more tolerated ones like romaine and parsely to start.

[shaunna and bunny]

ok im at a loss. im beginning to think i took a wrong step by choosing this vet. she told me to continue the sugar water and progressively make the amounts smaller through the weeks. and she told me that i should definitely not be giving him lettuce and that it needs to have pellets but ive read on every site that pellets arent necessary to a bunnys diet. she estimated that my bunny in around four weeks but like i said im doubting her knowledge of rabbits even though she claims to be a exotic pet vet.
she did however give me a probiotic to help with digestion and she wants me to bring his droppings in tomorrow to be tested for parisites.

[shaunna and bunny]

…oh and i think that the teeth grinding has finally stopped. im going to try and give him one veggie at a time. thanks for all input. i was so scared! but i would also like to hear what you think of the vet we visited.

[JK]

Eee gads. I’m not so sure about this vet either. Please check out Bunny Info above and look at Diet for bunnies under 1 year. There are SO many experienced people here on this site that hopefully will respond to you. I don’t like the sugar water at all. I would think she would recommend Pedialyte over sugar water. I could be wrong on that. I know babies should be eating alfalfa hay and pellets but I don’t know how much for babies. Check that link though. Good luck. It’s awful to feel uneasy about your vet. Where are you located? Maybe someone here can recommend a better one.

[shaunna and bunny]

antelope valley, CA. any suggestions? i called around and there are very few exotic animal vets.

[Hannah]

I agree, no more sugar water. Make sure he has alfalfa hay and pellets, though not a *ton* of pellets– and make sure they’re either timothy hay or alfalfa hay based pellets that have relatively low sugar content. If the little bunny isn’t drinkign still, try some moe “watery” vegetables like celery or lettuce, or as BabyBun’sMom said, switch him over to a bowl of water if he has a water bottle and over to a water bottle if he has a bowl. Also, call all the vets in your area, not just the ones listed as exotics specialists– my vet is from a tiny little clinic that treats mostly cats and dogs but he and one other doctor on staff are both excellent bunny-doctors. So don’t limit yourself, particularly if there aren’t a lot of vets in the area– just make sure they can answer some important rabbit-savvy questions such as “What kind of antibiotics are safe for rabbits,” “What sort of diet is best for a rabbit” etc. Good luck!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Four weeks? Eegad. Babies should be weaned at 8 weeks, I suspect this is part of the problem (weaned too early).  I’m glad to hear probitics were prescribed but when the vet said no lettuce, did they say no iceberg lettuce?  Because that would be true.  You should stick to romaine and others on the Binky Bunny list: https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=144

Pellets aren’t necessary but provide any gaps in nutrients that are missed in veggies that you offer.

Overall the vet doesn’t sound that bad, but there are others here from CA and surrounding areas I think can help you better than I.  Have you taken a look at the HRS web site vet listing? http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

[shaunna and bunny]

well thank you and thank you! im taking all the advice given. everything sounds completely logical…. thanks again. i’ll keep everyone updated.

[Beka27]

if you’re not happy with the vet, i would suggest you look for another one in your area.  you want to make sure to have a vet you trust and is really knowledgable.  did you check the HRS website yet?  it is worth it even if you have to drive a bit further away.  you’ll want a good vet when it comes time for him to be neutered too…

[JK]

Gee where is Antelope Valley? I have never heard of it!

[shaunna and bunny]

southern california. palmdale, lancaster area. yeah its not a very built up place which is why there arent many vets that will even see bunnies. i took the little guy in because it was a friends of a friends who couldnt take care of him. ive fallen in love with him and now i feel like hes sick! not to mention i dont have a job right now so i cant really take him to another vet due to financial reasons. i dont know what to do.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Here’s from my runny poop gassy tummy experience….I’m no vet though!

The reason I think this happened is a) like someone said maybe he was weaned too young. b) If you gave too many veggies too soon.
Bunnies need time to adjust to changes in amount and type of veggies (and all food). I would say for now, don’t change anything in terms of veggies, take the pellets out of the cage and give TONNES of hay. He really needs that fibre to get his system back to normal. What type of hay are you feeding? If it’s possible add a handful of hay at several intervals during the day…The novelty seems to encourage hay eating…If it’s always there, they tend to ignore it-silly bunnies!!

You can try offering pedialyte although it’s a little sugary, if you think he’s dehydrated. (Mine loved grape flavour) Although if he’s drinking and he’s eating veggies (which have a high water content) then he’s probably good.

Do you have a scale? Start weighing so you can tell if he loses weight, my Kokanee lost 0.3kg from being sick!!

If you hear gas or your bunny indicates his tummy hurts from gas (he’ll sit hunched up, ears back) then give him some baby gas meds (I gave 0.25 cc to my 1.45 kg rabbit, she’s a full grown dwarf); I gave OVOL, but just make sure it has semethicone in it.

Keep us posted!! ***Vibes***

[shaunna and bunny]

well that sounds like really good advice thank you…bermuda grass is what im giving him now(is that bad?)
im sure we have a scale somewhere around here so i’ll have to look for it. as for the pedialyte, im going to go get some right now and i’ll continue to listen for bunny gas. thanks again.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

***VIBES!!!******* Keep us posted

[shaunna and bunny]

i feed him bermuda grass. is that an alright grass? i read that alfalfa wasnt very good for a bunny. i also havent noticed any teeth grinding today and im pretty sure his poos are getting a little less soft so that a good sign! i took some advice and now im only giving him one veggie at a time so that i can see if anything inparticular bothers him. and i bought him pedialyte but he doesnt seem to like it…so i’ll try again later.

[skunklionshow]

My vet’s office treats everything…no really everything, except farm animals, though one vet will see pigs.  It is a 5 vet practice and 2 of the vets do bunnies.  If there’s anything that my vet, one of the ones that treats rabbits, feels like a second opinion is needed, he discusses w/ the other bunny vet that is a pro in all small mammals.  She is actually an award winning rat vet!  She has a trophy w/ a big gold rat on it…it makes me laugh. 

My practice was listed on the HRS website.  You may need to ask around and/or contact bunny rescues or bunny people in your area.  I know some people post on craigslist for input.  I always suggest my vet to those people.  W/ that you can always press your concerns to your vet…specifically in regards to “why do you suggest this…etc”.  Maybe the thought is that bunny will drink the sugar water and atleast that’s a way to get water into his system.  She could be trying to get him stabilized or more ok w/ slowly decreasing the sugar.  I recommend Pedialite as well.  I know that my vet has recommended Ensure when Leo has been very sick. 

Alfafa is usually recommended for babies or nursing mamas.  Sometimes, vets will recommend it for certain bunnies of other ages.  I believe Scarlet had addressed Alfafa in other posts, so you may want to search for that.  I want to say, she said it was a calcium thing…sorry to misquote Scarlet.

You will need a food or postage scale since bunny is so young.  I use a food scale for my 2 grown rabbits.  I also recommend hand feeding the hay.  What about pureed pumpkin?  Have you tried that…it may help w/ getting some fiber into him

Keep us posted!

[Scarlet_Rose]

I’m glad to hear things are working out!  What a lucky bunny!

I also forgot to add about sugar water – definately no. You can try a few drops of apple juice in it but even then, it is best to give them plain water.

[Annie Fann]

hope the little bun is getting well quickly! ive had scares with sick baby buns. they’re so fragile when they’re tiny. and 4 weeks? wow. as others said, someone weaned him way too early. simethicone worked well for gas with my buns. it comes with a convenient little dropper and all. =) post some pictures of the little guy when he’s feelin better!

[shaunna and bunny]

ok….what do i do if i have a picky bunny? i think parsley is what gave him a pooey but and and thats all he’ll eat. Also, he wont drink the pedialyte..

[Beka27]

http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html

here is the link to the HRS list of good veggies.  there are many to choose from and i’m sure you will find some that bunny likes and doesn’t make him sick.  isn’t he very, very young?  young bunnies sometimes cannot handle veggies right away.  you may want to keep with a good quality pellet and hay and give him little bits of romaine (or other dark green) lettuce for awhile to allow his system to stabilize.  there will be plenty of time to experiment with different veggies, but right now you need to make sure he’s getting his absic nutrition.  i think someone else recommended making the veggie very wet so he will take in the water.  when you give him that dark green lettuce, leave penty of water on it.  we learned not long ago that rabbits only drink between 2 and 4 ounces of water a day, for a baby it may be a bit less.  i would not do the sugar water at all, b/c that is just going to get him used to that, and when you stop it he’s going to go on another water strike.  are you using a water bottle or bowl?  whichever one you’re using, try using the other one.  he may not like what you chose.

[shaunna and bunny]

i talked to my vet today and my poor little bunny has a parasite….im going to pick up his medication now but i thought id would let everyone know. i’ll let you all know how hes doing soon!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Glad you kept us posted!! *VIBES* Well if that’s what it was, hopefully he’ll feel better as soon as you get some meds in him…

As for a picky bunny…I’ve found that both of my girls will turn their noses up at absolutely everything at least twice. You pretty much have to offer something a few times to get them to eat it. Parsley is a usual favorite for bunnies; Check out the list that Beka provided it’s great.

When your back to trying veggies-> Radicchio, Romaine, Green peppers and oregano are some of my bunnies favorites; You could try those!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Oh my a parasite, poor little thing!

[Hannah]

(((((vibes!)))))

Feel better, tiny bunny!

[skunklionshow]

Poor lil’ baby!  Just out of curiosity…what’s the parasite and what’s the med?

[shaunna and bunny]

well after three days of meds bunny is doing great. he seems MUCH MUCH happier and not more teeth grinding of belly gas. im not sure what the parasite of med is called but i’ll get back to you on that when i get home to all of my paperwork. thanks for all advice it ws much appreciated.

[Author]

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