HELP! My bunnies stomach is gurgling loudly

[Burtthebun]

My bunnies tummy has been making loud gurgling noises for a few weeks now. At first I would hear the noises, but his behavior seemed normal. However the past few days I have noticed the his poops are either smaller or larger than normal, and he seems less active. What throws me off is that he is still eating and drinking per usual. I’m not sure what to do, and I need advice??? I contacted around 15 different vets in the area and many of them are full because of the pandemic. I did get an appointment for next month, but I want to help him now. Any advice would be helpful! Thanks.

[DanaNM]

He could be a bit gassy. Can you describe his diet to see if we can identify a cause?

You can try giving a tummy rub and some simethicone (baby gas drops) as well.

. . . 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.  

[Burtthebun]

His diet is pellets and timothy hay. When I started hearing these noises I took the pellets away for a bit but that didn’t seem to help. He normally just ate pellets and was always fine, but I recently started adding hay to his second cage… I have him a baby gas tab, and pineapple juice, now I am limiting his food. I also have been giving him tummy masages.

[Wick & Fable]

I recently realized one of my rabbits seems to have audible tummy gurgles pretty often. I was worried about it, as my other rabbit only has it when he is visibly gassy and uncomfortable. For the female (gurgly-one), she has it, but eats so much hay, drinks a lot of water, poops plenty, sprints plenty, etc.. Since all the health behaviors are there and in good quality, I have decided perhaps it’s just a unique fixture of her that her gut seems louder. Notably, her body is very loud when she drinks water, so unsure if anatomically perhaps something makes things naturally more audible from her. I will say I do plan on getting her checked though because she breaths very rapidly and I have concerns regarding her lungs/nose, but I do believe these are separate concerns from her GI tract, which seems to function normally despite the gurgle sounds.

If he is not showing signs of discomfort, the gas sounds could potentially be completely fine (based on my experience with my female rabbit). If anything, it’s telling you that there is movement happening in the gut. A vet assessment isn’t a bad idea, because perhaps there is something underlying that is causing it, but not problematic enough to affect his health behaviors at this point. Early detection is the best thing for rabbits.

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.

[Burtthebun]

Things seem to be getting much better, I have been watching the amount of food he eats and everything is going well. Thanks for all the help!

[Author]

Messages