Mushy mushy poo…

[the 57 bears]

Hello again…

my buns are being quite unlucky with their health lately, I have to say…

My Molly has been making mushy poo and leaving cecum in the floor quite a lot since I got her a week ago. At first I thought this was just because of the new environment and of the different types of pellets and veggies she’s started to eat (even though I have only introduced a bit of kale and of watercress along the carrots she’s already used to). Because of the poo problem I cut her veggies to just carrot, but it doesn’t really seem like the situation has improved… I will take her to the vet soon because she needs her jabs, but should I worry about this diarrhea thing? What other problems is diarrhea symptomatic of?

Like we didn’t have enough problems already… She’s a temperamental girl and grunts and bites quite a lot… I’m actually quite scared of checking her teeth and I am not going to do it until she stops being so aggressive…

[osprey]

Excess cecals are almost always a dietary problem.  She is also adjusting to a new environment and new food, so that will contribute to the problem too.  Each time I have pulled a bunny from a shelter or taken a new foster into my home, the bunny has had cecal problems for a few days to a week.  You mentioned that you were feeding carrots – you could try eliminating those as they contain lots of sugar and starch and can cause tummy trouble for bunnies.  Is she eating hay?  If so, you can try cutting down on her pellets until she gets over the problem.  New veggies can cause this problem too, so you could try cutting her back to just a couple of veggies until her system straightens itself out.  In my experience, dark leaf lettuces, romaine lettuce (cos) and flat leafed or italian parsley are well tolerated, and are good choices to start out with.  Many bunnies also tolerate cilantro (coriander).

[the 57 bears]

Great advice, thanks!

The reason why I’m giving her carrot is that I know for sure that that’s the veggie she’s already had at the rescue, but I’ll try with your suggested ones and see what happens. So it’s normal for her cecum to be a little upset, since she’s still adjusting to her new life? She’s eating more fresh grass than hay, I think. She has unlimited access to hay but doesn’t seem to eat much of it.

Incidentally, could Metacam be upsetting my Eliot’s digestion? He’s left a couple of stinky blobs since yesterday (nothing major)…

[rabbitsmba]

She may like carrot but due to the sugary content, it could be upsetting her tummy. Did she have hay where she was previously? I am always amazed at how many bunns have never had it and will stare at a pile of it for weeks before trying it, and then they can’t stop eating it!

It’s normal for a bunn to be a bit nervous and have mushy poops when they arrive somewhere new. But make sure this doesn’t go on for too long, it can be very dehydrating for them to have diarhea.

As for the metacam, I have always been told to give it with food, not on an empty stomach. Are you giving it on an empty stomach? If so, this might be the problem. If not, the problem is something else.

[the 57 bears]

I am also giving Eliot Metacam with food… Mmmh. I’ll keep an eye on him then.

As for Molly, she did have hay; I reckon her diet was mainly hay, veggies (mostly carrots) and a bit of fresh grass. I have been giving her quite a lot of fresh grass, but I don’t think that can cause rabbits any problem (isn’t that what they generally eat in the wild?)…

Thanks a lot again!

[JK]

I would definitely stop giving her kale. It can cause tummy problems too. I would stick to things easy on the tum – romaine, parsley, chard, mint. I would also make sure she is getting unlimited timothy hay and not fresh grass. That’s the most important food of all. Make sure the pellets are 1/4-1/2 cup per 6 lbs. of bunny weight. Carrots are only to be fed sparingly and we are talking a sliver! Please read Diet under Bunny Info above for details.

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

I would definitely reduce the carrots. Carrots are treats and should not be used as a main veggie. From my experience, cilantro and Italian parsley is always good. Those are two veggies that I would swear by to not give poopy butts.

Assuming that you are feeding the right pellets and hay, I would push for more-hay-diet.

[the 57 bears]

Wow, ok, thank you very much…
Being Italian I have no clue what lbs. and cups correspond to in grams and liters, but it’ll take me a sec on the Internet…

What is your experience with basil? I am now giving it as a treat (4-5 leaves) but both Eliot and Molly really seem to love it!

Ok then, less carrot, more hay. Thanks!

[babybunsmum]

from what i’ve read on this forum it seems that diff buns respond to greens in diff ways.  i think that the best route would be to stick to the same 3 greens (not calcium rich types) for a week to get a baseline going and even reduce pellets slightly to encourage more hay consumption.  

it seems that if buns are filling up on starchy / sugary veg like carrots or filling up on pellets they will turn their wee noses up at hay, which is the best thing to reduce mushy poop in my experience.  when i brought pinky home from the shelter she lots of stinky mushy poops which cleared up within a few days… she ate hay like the dickens because it was the first time she’d had her pellets restricted to 1/4 cup / day (she’s 7lbs).

[Sage Cat]

Hey Y’all

According to the Colorado HRS: Diarrhea is not common in house rabbits, but it can occur. Diarrhea means liquid. It does not mean soft pills or caecal droppings. Rabbits with diarrhea dehydrate rapidly. Dehydration is a threat to a rabbit’s survival; you must get the rabbit to a veterinarian quickly.

It sounds to me like mushy poops are a new environment + new food = stress issue.

From what I have heard most Bunny’s do very well with most leafy herbs: parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, tarragon – sounds like a good treat!

[babybunsmum]

yes… good to clarify that sage cat!  my earlier response assumed that mushy poops means excessive cecal pellets are being left behind & thus smooshing onto things.  in this case there would be normal poops too.  if ALL the poop is runny then i would get to a vet.

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