New Bunny Not Pooping

[dontyouforgetaboutme]

Hi there,

We just adopted him 48 hours ago and he’s our first, so it’s hard to tell what is normal. Our bunny is a 3-year-old big boy. The first night he ate hay, a handful of pellets, and a handful of veggies. He was chomping incessantly. He also pooped a lot (about 1/2 to 1 cup within 24 hours).

Today, however, during the previous 12 hours, we’ve only found 3 normal poops (including 1 that looked small and dry–lighter in color than usual; it was almost the color of hay pellets).

It doesn’t seem like conventional GI stasis since he is still eating hay and veggies (mostly when we “remind” him by hand-feeding him), and avidly exploring (a pleasant surprise, since his foster mom had said he is extremely timid). We’re concerned but we watched him binky for the first time in our care today, so perhaps everything is fine?

If he pooped and ate a LOT the first day, and pooped very little but is still eating and actively exploring today, which is his “normal”? Should we take him to the emergency room for possible gas?

Also, in case it helps, we don’t think that his poops are disappearing because he’s eating them.

 

Thank you for your help!,

New Mom + Pops

 

[Roberta]

Can you feel his tummy to see if he is bloated… Try some gentle massages stroking down the sides and rubbing your fingers in circles.. Most bunnies go through a transitional stage but this is when they can get dehydrated…. I would suggest a trip to the vet for a check regardless as it is always good for your vet to have a point of reference for any future treatment… He may be able to give some fluids to help things get going again or something for motility in general. In the interim I have found most bunnies have trouble resisting fresh basil soaked and shaken so it’s still a bit moist.

[Beka27]

If it would make you feel better, I would take him in to your vet for an initial exam/check. Do you have a vet you are planning to go to already, one who is rabbit savvy? You want to take him in for that initial exam within the first month, but in the case, you might want to make it sooner.  Did his previous owner have a rabbit vet for him?  Are you taking him to the same doctor?

Generally it takes some time for you to figure out what their normal is. As long as he’s eating SOMETHING, and eliminating SOMETHING, you could wait another day or two to see if things normalize. When there is nothing going in and nothing coming out, that is when this becomes an ER situation.

Is he moving around normally, exploring his new surroundings, or does he seem especially skittish? Sometimes they get so overwhelmed by the new place that eating is the last thing on their mind.

[dontyouforgetaboutme]

Thank you so much for your responses! I had trouble accessing my post after submitting it (I’m new here and not great with technology), but I wanted to provide an update even though it is late.

Turns out, we were unnecessarily nervous about his poops! He must have gone into his litter box and machine-gun-pooped while I was writing my post, since I found a good amount of normal poops waiting for me just after hitting “submit.” I tried to follow-up on my post, but it hadn’t appeared yet since it had to undergo an approval process. Anyway, he is thankfully normal + happy now!

It could have been the moist basil we gave him (you’re on to something there, Roberta!). Just in case, we will be taking him to the rabbit vet very soon as you guys suggested. Luckily, it is the same doc that his foster mom had used (I’m tempted to walk in asking, “What’s Up, Doc?” Sorry, couldn’t resist).

Thank you again for your responses. We have been lurking on your boards for at least 5 months before adopting our big boy, and are so happy to finally be a part of such a supportive community.

[Author]

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