soft poo?!

[Jamm]

i just now was checking up on donut as usual, and noticed one really long and dark soft poo. i picked it and and it was soft and mushy and.. sticky. donut had coccidia but just yesterday the vet said he doesn’t have it anymore! so why does he still have soft poo?? i’m going back to the vets soon about this!!

[katie, max & penny]

did it smell realllllllly bad? it could be an uneaten cecal.

[MooBunnay]

Was it just on? And did it look like it might have been a bunch of little clusters of poop? Like Katie said, it might have been a cecal. They are very smelly, and very mushy. If there is just one and all of the rest of the poops are normal, than I would think that it is a cecal. If it is not the only one and all of the poops are like this, then there is probably an issue with his digestive tract. Is Donut getting a lot of alfalfa, or a ton of veggies? Both of those things could potentially cause digestive issues and soft poops.

[Jamm]

um, it did not look like a bunch of poops stuck together. but there was only 1 on this. also it stinks really bad.
just now i looked at his litterbox again. there were about 2 or 3 uneaten cecals left lying around.
is it bad for him to leave uneaten cecals around? he doesn’t eventually goes back to eat them, just leaves them there until i clean it up.

he is also pooping normal round poops though.

[katie, max & penny]

uneaten cecals happen if he’s getting too many pellets or treats. i would cut back a little on those- it definitely sounds like a cecal.

[Jamm]

aww now donut has poo that looks normal- but really soft, and doesn’t go hard as normal :/ also stinks!
i’m really worried if donut has some kind of intestinal problem
should i call the vet to ask them about it and most likely book an appointment?

[BinkyBunny]

If you do not think it is diet related, then this does sort of sound like it could be symptoms of  coccidia, as normal poos will be soft and stinky.  Coccidia is not an emergency, but something you will want to talk to your vet about very soon especially now that it is affecting your other bunny (coccidia is highly contagious).  How does your vet know that he does not have it anymore?  Was your bunny treated? (Sorry if you answered this already somewhere else and I missed it)

[Jamm]

binkybunny, donut was treated since last saturday and just yesterday i brought another fecal sample in to confirm that he doesn’t have coccidia, and the doctor said he doesn’t have it anymore.

[BinkyBunny]

AH okay! hmmmm. (scratches head) We could explore the diet aspect. What’s their diet? Anything new? Note: Some bunnies have stomachs of steel while others are very sensitive so this is not about figuring out if the diet is “wrong” but to figure out what your bunnies may be sensitive to.

Otherwise, if you feel that there is no way it could be diet related, then I would give a call to the vet and let him/her know it is still happening

[Jamm]

well, he’s only 11 and a half weeks old, so i give unlimted hay and pellets. i sometimes give a carrot stick because the pet shop keeper did that as well.
but that’s about it.

[BinkyBunny]

What kind of hay and pellets? Though IF they are rich (alfalfa based) they should be fine when they are young, but sometimes for some bunnies, the richer diet can affect them sooner.

One other thought. Is Donut exploring more – able to pick up crumbs anywhere? The reason I ask this is I had put my bunny Bailey on a very strict diet because she was very sensitive. But for some reason she’d still get bouts of what I call “poopybutt” with those long messy poops and some squishy poos. Both my husband and I eat on the couch in front of the TV for dinner (I know…so sophisticated) anyway, crumbs would sometimes fall to the floor in front of the couch and I caught her scavenging there. Needless to say we made sure to use the shark after every meal after that to clean up and that helped.

Otherwise, if none of this makes sense in your case, I would call the vet and let him/her know that it is still going on.

[Jamm]

yeah.. i let him run around and he usually looks like he is eating stuff off the carpet :/ i know it’s not the carpet because he’d have to dig and pull the carpet fibres out using a lot of force… i don’t eat at that room, usually it’s just abit of dirt here and there…and maybe some crumbs when i eat in front of donut.

i’ll try to clean the room and see if it helps. thanks!
oh and, how long will it take to see him stop pooping soft poop if the cause is because of the stuff on the carpet?

i buy his hay in a really big white bag. i can’t find those that with brands , i.e. timothy, oxford etc. i’ve been to a few pet shops and i’ve only seen these big bags, so i just buy these. same goes with the pellets. they come it a really big ziplock bag with no brand.

[BinkyBunny]

Next time you go to the place you buy the food and hay from – ask them what hay type it is (both the hay and pellets). Also, in the pellets, is it JUST pellets, or are there seeds, dried fruit and/or any cereal bits in it?

IF the result is from carpet scavenging, it depends on how long he’s been doing it. Normally, it to should take 3 days to a week to clear up, but if this has been an ongoing thing then it could take a few weeks.

The other thing I just thought of, and I don’t know WHY I didn’t think of this earlier is….some bunnies can be sensitive to meds! And so you might be just seeing a reaction to the meds he was taking for coccidia, which should clear up after a few days.

[Jamm]

about the pellets- do you mean things in the pellets? or like.. a mix that comes with the pellets? :/

& i doubt that it’s the meds because the last time i gave him his meds were on saturday… and it’s been quite a while already.. :/

thanks anyways!

[jerseygirl]

I had thought meds too. Even if his last dose was on Saturday, side effects may only just now be presenting themselves. The cecal sort of ferments in the cecum and the meds in the mix may have this affect. Also, him being so young, his gut may be sensitive to meds.

Still – diet is something to watch. Do you feed him one of those pellet/grain/seed mixes? They really aren’t that great for rabbits, cause more problems then it’s worth. Just a plain pellet (lucerne for his age) would be better. I use Barastoc pellets ( the protein to fibre ratio is the best I can find in Australia so far.) You’ll find lucerne pellets are readily available.

The hays mentioned on this site aren’t easy to find in Oz. There is an Oxbow distributor but the products are expensive because they’re imported. Lucerne hay, a good meadow hay and oaten hay are the best types for Donut. Lucerne only while he’s young, as a treat when older. Oaten hay is really good – high fibre, low protein – it would be a good staple in his diet.

[BinkyBunny]

TWO question about the pellets:
1. In the bag of pellets – do you see ONLY pellets or are there are other things that are mixed in that bag – like nuts, etc

2. Now just talking about the pellet part only – Do know what kind of hay the pellet is made from? (If not, then that’s what you would need to ask the store you get it from )

EDIT:  Jersey – just saw your post when I posted.  We were posting around the same time!

Well, I’m done for the evening – it’s waaay past my bedtime now…..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Jamm]

i feed donut the plain bag of pellets. hmm, i’ll ask the store owner what kind of hay and pellets they are!
thanks a lot!

[RabbitPam]

He’s very young, so his body is still developing. It does sound like cecals or a sensitivity (I’m wondering about the pellets too). See how his poopies look first thing in the morning. If they are still mostly mushy, I;d say call the vet to report it and ask what the vet thinks you should do. Maybe you need to bring in a fresh sample for one more test.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

If you have your bag left from you pellets-you could just read the ingredients. If he’s 11 weeks old he can certainly have alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay, but as he gets older (around six months) you can start switching to timothy hay pellets.

Thats PERFECCT that the pellets are plain!!! *jumps around* we *all* fall for the packaging “gourmet” and the pretty colors of the pellets mixed with seeds and colored things-then find out we’ve been feeding junk food all along!! Kudos! Plain pellets are perfect

Well keep us posted on if you find any more stinky mushy poops and how he’s doing

[Jamm]

well i just went to check on donut’s poop again and saw 1 really really small cecal and 2 black circle poops. aside from that, there were tons of normal poops.

[BinkyBunny]

Well, if it continues looking normal then it may have been just a reaction to the meds.

[Jamm]

i called the vet just in case (i worry too much ) and they told me to bring donut and a sample of his poop in
hopefully nothing serious and it’s me just me worrying too much as always!

update: my mum is going overseas for a week or less to renew her visa.. so i can’t go to the vet and the vet is really far away. but the vet said that it COULD be just side effects from the meds considering donut is still a baby rabbit. also told me to watch that he eats, drinks and exercises the normal amount and if he still poops soft and black poo by the time my mum is back, i’ll bring him in

[Author]

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