Small poops last night

[bun1992]

My older bun, Miley, (9.5 years old) finished taking antibiotics 5 days ago and I noticed last night she made a bundle of really small poops just outside her litter box. She has a bonded mate so I can’t tell if the rest of her poops in the litter box were normal, although this morning she had regular sized poops after eating breakfast. I’m extra paranoid because I’m going on a trip for 2 weeks and have a pet sitter coming in 2 times a day to feed them, but she probably wouldn’t notice changes in poops like I do. She was eating, drinking, and causing havoc like usual this morning. The last time we went to the vet (2 weeks ago), I had to force feed her critical care because she was so stressed from the car ride and check-up that she wouldn’t eat so I’m very hesitant to bring her in again this close to me leaving (I leave in 2.5 days). I’ve read on other posts about small poops to reduce pellets and increase hay; however, she has never been a good hay eater so I buy her Oxbow’s Garden Select pellets because it had the most timothy hay in it. If I take away the pellets she wont intake any hay. She sometimes munches on botanical hay so I’ll get some of that after work. What should I do – just keep an eye on it?

[bun1992]

Also of note: she binkied for the first time in ages this morning. I did change her pellets a few days ago because the pet store was out, I put in an order on Amazon for the Garden Select and its out for delivery now

[bun1992]

[Deleted User]

The drastic change in pellets could be affecting her. When you say changed, do you mean a different brand/type of pellets? I know you didn’t have any of the old left, but typically bunnies need to be gradually transitioned to a different type of pellet to avoid GI issues, so it could be that.

Also, if she’s not a good hay eater, what’s her feeding schedule like? How often does she go without non-hay food items? A good rule of thumb is non-hay items should be given every 12 hours. If there’s nothing for her to eat but hay, she’ll eat hay (unless obviously a tooth issue is a play).

[bun1992]

It was a complete change in products, I suspect it’s probably the pellet change that’s caused the changes in poop.

She eats her greens and pellets at 6:30 am and 6:30pm so exactly 12 hours apart, but she’s a grazer and doesn’t tend to eat it all at once (usually over a few hours). 

When the usual pellets arrives today (it’s been a few days having the other kind), do I mix them both before going back to our usual stuff?

[mschoonover11]

Pretty sure it was the pellet change…

[Deleted User]

I’d definitely transition slowly back to the usually pellets, just to make sure her GI tract isn’t really overwhelmed with so many changes all at once. Do it over the course of 1-2 weeks.

For hay, have you tried other brands and types of hay? Some bunnies are just really picky.

[sarahthegemini]

Usually smaller poops do indicate that less hay was consumed but it could have been the pellets too.

What hay types have you tried? I’m sure you’ve probably tried a lot but I’d like to recommend orchard just in case. It’s soft and sweet and usually a big hit with fussy hay eaters!

[bun1992]

We’ve tried all the Living World and Oxbow types of hay and the pet coop near us has hay from various farms we’ve tried (all 3 of my buns rejected the farm stuff). I picked her up some botanical on my lunch break and put some in her litter. I’ve tried orchard before with limit success, but maybe I’ll try mixing the two, she loves the smell of botanical but fairly crunchy -maybe the mix might yield some results.

[mschoonover11]

My bunny is also extremely picky. I’ve tried over many different hay brands until I found which he liked. Does your bunny like soft hay, or hard crunchy hay? My bunny personally prefers soft hay. At Tractor Supply, they sell this really soft hay and it’s compressed. Compressed hay is softer than regular hay. The brand I purchased was Dumor. I am currently feeding my bunny the Oxbow Timothy Meadow hay that I also purchased from Tractor Supply. He loves the stuff. It’s very green, soft, and smells delicious. Oxbow also sells the Western Timothy hay, but it’s very crunchy and fibrous. My bunny hated it. The Timothy meadow hay from Oxbow is much softer.

With bunnies, it’s not so much the brand of hay that they’re picky about. It’s the texture. Just let us know which texture of hay your rabbit likes so that we can recommend brands to you.

[Wick & Fable]

I will also mention that whenever you present a new food, whether pellet or hay, a rabbit may not always immediately adopt to eating it, whether or not it becomes a favorite. Give it some time before deeming it “unlikeable”.

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.

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