my rabbit is making weird gurgling noises in his stomach? is he sick?

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

 i heard that loud gurgling in the stomach might be gas. i researched on the symptoms of gas and GI stasis and blockage. but he doesnt seem to be experiencing any of the other symptoms besides the gurgling. it is very loud and happens somewhat often when he is out of his cage and playing around. (when i am home, the only time he is in his cage is when he is asleep) . i have introduced new a vegtable but ive only given it to him once, (i gave him another piece today but the gurgling started yesterday and maybe the day before that).

i got some kale a few days ago and for the first day i gave him a TINY leaf, and today i gave him a normal sized leaf. i know that this is high in calcium so i decided to feed it to him every other day and once i am out i wont buy it for another month or 2. i also have been giving him lots of willow leaves lately that ive gotten from my neighborhood. i doubt they use any pesticides (for one lots of bugs like to be on it during the summer; cicadas especially. i can hear them and its very loud ha.) but now there are no bugs since its somewhat cold out… but i’ve been giving him “raw” and dry leaves. now that i think of it i shouldnt have given him raw leaves but that was a few days ago. now the leaves are all dry. 

he drinks a lot, and has been eating a lot of hay recently, today i decided to mix in some orchard grass. my allergies arent going crazy so MAYBE i got my cold the same time i first bought the orchard grass…? (if youve read some of my older posts then you’d know what i was talking about.. but if you dont: i bought some orchard grass around a week ago and i mixed it in with my rabbits usual hay and that night i had an irritated throat and the next day i felt sick and now im just stuck with a bunch of congestion). he eats all of his veggies and pellets as usual. he also gets very excited. he has fresh water and hay 24/7. his poops are round and dry, and he has been peeing a lot with no “straining”. the gurgling started around… 2 days ago or yesterday… but it just very recently happened.. help? 

[peppypoo]

How loud are the sounds? If everything else is normal, then I wouldn’t worry too much…some bunnies just have louder tummies than others.

[Monkeybun]

Keep in mind that the willow leaves are another food, so you have introduced more than one new thing at a time here

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

they are pretty loud… so i am worried. somewhat louder than a *normal average* stomach growl for humans.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

ha oh right… /: i forgot. -.-.. i actually first introduced willow leaves to him in the middle of last week … i completely forgot about that!

[Monkeybun]

And make sure they are clean. Insect droppings, etc can also cause issues.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

they are, i only get the clean leaves off the tree. (no insect bite marks, no poop from insects or animals, and no yellow/ brown on them, and they are all “full-sized leaves”)

[Monkeybun]

Do you wash them first before giving them?

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Yeah, I gotta say, you can’t physically see some of the stuff that can harm a bun, which is why we all suggested you need to bake anything to 200 degrees for about 30 minutes ish before giving it to him. If its sounds that you’re positive you’ve never heard, you should consider calling your vet and seeing what they think.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

i rinse them off but i dont wash each leaf carefully. also can you bake leaves too? im scared of catching things on fire cause the other day i accidentally ALMOST started a fire ; i was making easy mac (aka instant mac and cheese) and i forgot to add water and our microwave is ruined. lol -__-

[Elrohwen]

A gurgling tummy in general is normal – if everything is quiet and I get near the bunnies I can often hear sounds, especially when they’re drinking. Without any other symptoms I wouldn’t worry and just keep an eye on his eating and pooping.

[Rei]

Yeah I hear those gurgling sounds from Molly sometimes its kinda funny If everything else is normal, like the eating and poo and pee aren’t strange, he is probably fine. I agree with above posts you should bake those twigs just to be sure. Maybe stop giving him the willow for a week and see if the sounds stop.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

thanks, i will stop giving him willow (: i usually give them to him to lure him back into his cage, or just because lol. but i’ll just give him a sprig of parsley instead for now

[BinkyBunny]

It’s good that you are paying close attention and noticing changes. That is very important. Since this is a new behavior, then it really is the change that you want to pay attention to as you find out what is normal or abnormal for your bunny. Now that he is in his forever home, he may be eating more?? You said he drank alot of water — did you notice more drinking in the last few days (and if he was eating more hay, then he would drink more water). Jack drank a lot of water and his tummy would be louder than normal after drinking. So try to pay attention to when his stomach is gurgling the loudest. It is a good sign though that he doesn’t seem to be bothered by it and is still running around but it will good to put some of the things you are worried about to the test. Like taking away the willow (Though I have heard fresh leaves are okay, I personally prefer that the leaves and the sticks be completely dried). then if that isn’t causing the gurgling, then take away the kale, etc. Or by observation, you can find out if he just drank alot of water.

Good job though for keeping an eye on your bunny’s behavior and noticing changes. Even if this turns out just to be a loud grumbly stomach with no signs of illness, that watchful eye is what will help you watch out for any illness in the future.

 

EDITED TO ADD:  I am not saying that any other family members gave your bunny extra treats but it has been known to happen.    So you can also double check with other family members to make sure they haven’t been feeding him anything extra that you are not aware of. 

[narkut]

The vet once told me that hearing grumbling noises from your bunny’s belly is actually a good thing because it shows the gut is working and processing food. I think you should only start worrying if your bunny shows signs if pain

[Bam]

This is an old thread from 2012. We ask members not to revive old threads, because it can cause confusion. I do agree though that there should always be some noises from a bunny tum – but loud, gurgling noises that you can hear from a distance is an observandum.

I’m locking this thread now.

[Author]

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