Rabbit may have eaten things that he was not supposed to- please help!

[henry2809]

Hi everyone. My rabbit is completely free roam in my bedroom while I am at work all day for 12 hours. There is a bathroom attached to my bedroom and the door remains closed at all times so that he does not have access to it. I just got home from my 12 hour shift and the door to the bathroom was open. I have no idea how this happened, but this means that he had access to my bathroom all day. There are so many things in there that he could have eaten- cotton pads and q-tips in the trash can, a rug with fringe on it, plastic, etc. I already found a plastic container with chunks taken out of it. I have no idea what he could have gotten into while I was gone all day. There are normal poops in his litter box and he is eating and acting completely normal. I am really freaking out. Does anybody have any advice? How long until I know that he is “in the clear?”

[LBJ10]

Is anything actually missing? So far, it sounds like the only thing you found was a chewed plastic container. The good thing about rabbits is they tend to chew things thoroughly. So if he ate something, like plastic, it will likely just pass through his system. You can help by encouraging him to eat hay and drink water. If there isn’t a problem for a day, then you are likely in the clear.

[henry2809]

I don’t see anything missing, but there were a few cotton rounds on the floor near my trash can- so I’m very concerned that he could have eaten one of those off of the floor. He just ate a bunch of hay and passed normal fecal pellets in his litter box.

[Bam]

Push hay and water. That means serve fresh hay (hay gets old in 15 minutes if you ask the average bun), preferably in little piles around his area. If he eats more if you handfeed hay, handfeed him hay.  If he gets fresh greens, serve them freshly rinsed and dripping wet. Empty the litterbox and refill will new bedding so you can keep track of amount and size of poop.

Many rabbits get into stuff they really shouldn’t have and come out just fine. I had a bun who under a series of years ate half a plastic cat toy, the rubber lip of a dustpan, pieces of a hot water bottle and chunks of a leather overnight bag. The good thing is that rabbits chew whatever they intend to swallow meticulously. They’re not like dogs that swallow socks and slippers etc whole. Unless your bun ingested sth actually toxic, I think he will be fine, but it’s always a good idea to monitor appetite and output.

[henry2809]

Thanks everyone! He seems okay now, which makes me feel better. I’ll change his litter box so I can monitor his output and I’ll keep a close eye on him tonight and tomorrow. I hope he’s okay.

[henry2809]

My other concern is that I have 3 cats and I’m not sure if one of them could have opened the door to the bathroom, which would mean that they would have had access to my bunny. I know that cat bites can be deadly to rabbits, so I am concerned about this. I cannot see any visible bites or scratches on him. Should I just continue to monitor him for the next few days?

[Wick & Fable]

In addition to a general “by touch/look” exam of your rabbit for obvious wounds, yes, please monitor him for any potential signs of distress if you suspect there may be an injury. Odd movements, swelling anywhere, blood, loss of appetite, lethargy, etc. are all signs (not an extensive list) you might note. The most cautionary approach can be to have your rabbit checked fully by a rabbit-vet!

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.

[henry2809]

Thank you! He seems completely normal today, so I will continue to keep a close eye on him for the next few days!

[henry2809]

I changed his litter box as soon as I got home last night so that I could monitor his output. I woke up this morning and he had passed lots of normal fecal pellets. He is eating and acting completely normal today, but he has not pooped yet today, so I am a bit concerned

[Bam]

They often have a poop “pause ” during the day when they rest , but when they are back to being active and munching on hay towards the evening, there should be poop again. It’s very wise to keep a close eye on output!

[henry2809]

Okay thank you- so it is probably no reason to be concerned and doesn’t mean that he has a blockage? When I got home last night I replaced his litter box and there were probably 30-40 normal poops when I woke up this morning at 6 am

[Bam]

Theres not a complete blockage if there is poop. You can give simethicone gas drops on suspicion of indigestion – it might not help but it wont harm. A bun should produce at least 200 poops per 24 hours, but they wont come out in evenly distributed numbers every hour.

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