Rabbit poop

[Vicky]

Hi, my rabbit has suddenly smaller sized poops. I don’t know what happened because nothing changed in her diet. She has these poops like day and half. In between some normal sized ones.

But could it be some blockage that she ate something she is not supposed to? Or a lot of pellets?

Can you give me advice?

[DanaNM]

Were those from separate “batches”, or one pile? And are they consistently looking like that?

Sometimes buns will get a few smaller poops during a time of day when they haven’t been eating much hay. Bun Jovi will often have a batch of smaller poops in the afternoon, when he wakes up from sleeping for a while (because he isn’t eating while he’s sleeping). Then he’ll got eat some hay and they go right back to normal.

Most of those poops look very normal, so I would prob just encourage hay consumption and monitor for now.

. . . 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.  

[Vicky]

That sounds just right because she usually gets them in the afternoon/early evening after she slept.

I read smaller poops could be when something stressful happened or she got scared is it right?

[LBJ10]

Poop can vary in size a bit. Finding a few smaller poops mixed in with “normal” ones isn’t usually a cause for concern. It can simply mean a little less food moving through at different times of the day, as Dana suggested.

[Vicky]

Can i ask a question from different topic on here?

I have no idea what breed is my bunny so I don’t really know how much she should weight. She’s always growing and I weight her every week. Now she has a little over 2 kilos. But I don’t think she should go really higher than that. I know I should check her ribs or spine if I can feel them and I still can so I don’t want to overfeed her but underfeed too.

She really likes to eat haha, she is growing every week by few grams and this is probably not right as she is almost 8 months old.

[Bam]

Here is a web page with some pointers on rabbit weight:

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-weight.asp

At eight months rabbits will have reached their adult height and lenght, but the adult muscle mass will not yet be fully set. So its normal and good for a young bun to keep gaining weight slowly for quite some time still.

[Vicky]

Ohh okay I didn’t know that she still can grow a bit.

Thank you!

[Bam]

They will “fill out” rather than grow. (It’s the same with many humans, we go through a stage when we’ve reached our adult height but are still long legged and skinny like foals). Muscle mass needs time to form, and bone density will also increase during, say, the first 2 years.

[Susanne]

Since you’re talking about buns filling out, I was wonder what you think of Elmer? I found a picture from last year and didn’t realize how much he has filled out! Do you think he filled out or just gained weight?  It may be too hard to tell. I am not sure his age so I’m looking for clues. The shelter said he was almost 3 last year when I got him, but the vet thought he was much younger. Of course I’d rather him be younger but I see signs of both being ~4 or 2.

[Bam]

It is always a bit difficult to assess from a picture, it’s way better to feel the rabbit over. I think I see a dewlap tendency under his chin (although on the pics it’s spread out so it rests on his “shoulders”. If it is a dewlap you can feel it, it’s like a pouch with soft and squishy contents.

If that is the case with your bun, it is a sign that he is overweight. Male buns shouldn’t have dewlaps. Unspayed adult female rabbits tend to get dewlaps even if they’re not overweight, and the dewlap may or may not go away after spaying. The dewlap on a doe is often firmer and looks somewhat like an Elizabethan collar.

Desexed rabbits can however develop physical traits that are similar to what’s commonly seen in the opposite sex.

I’d tentatively say he may be a bit on the plump side and might benefit from a slow tapering down of his daily pellet ration, which hopefully will encourage him to eat more hay. (Hay is, as you know, the ideal bun food!)

He does look very happy and relaxed though 🙂

[Susanne]

Thanks for your input and sorry for hijacking the thread, it was just something I’ve been wanting to ask! I agree, I think he is a little bulky in spots. I took some more pictures (Elmer was not too thrilled and stuck his tongue out at me ;)) I don’t think he has a dewlap, it’s more like spread across his chest and then spreads on his shoulders when he lays down. I feel his spine well, so overall I think he’s getting up in the 5-10% higher than ideal range.  It’s been a challenge with the second bun to keep him from eating more than his share of pellets, so I agree and have just recently cut back. I hope that helps him. Luckily they haven’t been as interested in the pellets anyway so are down to 1/8 cup to split. I honestly think the bigger culprit is their treats (timothy hay chew sticks) because they apparently have 1% wheat. I’ll go to even less pellets before taking away the treat though, haha, it honestly is their favorite thing. This also makes me think he really is 4 ish and not 2..

 

[BZOO]

Gorgeous bun, love the tongue!

[SweetPotato]

Aww Elmer is beyond adorable! He looks so fluffy!!!! 😉 😀

[Susanne]

Thanks! But is he chubby, or fluffy LOL. He is very soft for sure 🙂

[Author]

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