Stomach Gurgling?

[mochibunii]

I recently got a new bun from a rescue Friends of Rabbits. I am fostering to adopt
and I got him 12/30/18. So far he is doing great and warming up to me quickly!
I’ve been giving him pellets, of course lots of hay (he doesn’t seem to be eating enough
hay though and I’m trying to get him to eat more), parsley sprigs, and some lettuce
and mixed greens every now and then. I’m starting to hear gurgling noises from his
stomach somewhat often. It’s fairly medium volume and not too loud, but I’m scared
he may have indigestion or something even worse. I read about GI Stasis and I’m
really scared for him. He seems fine mood wise and is eating and exploring normally
but he is also mostly under this bench we got him from a thrift store. It has different
natural woods and he has started to chew it and I’m wondering if that could also cause
some indigestion. When I read online that if your bun is laying with half closed eyes,
relaxed hind legs, or if he is sitting up with straight posture, he could have
blockage I sorta had a mini freak out. I’m scared for him. This gurgling is only recent
and I’ve only started hearing it this morning. Please help me. Should I remove the
bench? Should I change his diet? It seems like he is pooping normally. He is drinking too,
and eating his pellets. I’m a bit worried on the hay situation but hopefully he will eat more
soon. Any suggestions that can be given will be highly appreciated. I feel
sick to my stomach that my bunny could be sick.

[Bam]

Thank you for adopting this rabbit!

The gurgling is most likely due to him adjusting to changes in his diet. You can give baby simethicone gas drops, 0.5-1 ml every hour for 3 hours and see if that helps. Simethicone is not absorbed by the body, it just acts locally in the GI tract and gets pooped out. Many of us bun owners use it as a first measure when a bun displays symptoms that could be related to gas.

A bun that lies down with his eyes half open and his legs behind him is usually a content and relaxed rabbit. If a bunny sits up in a hunched position and looks uncomfortable, refuses to eat and tries tio hide away or refuses to move at all, it’s cause for concern. You can do the “treat test” – offer a treat, if the bun takes it and eats its without hesitation, he’s most likely just resting. Most rabbits rest during the day. They can very well sleep in a bunny loaf position with their eyes open, it’s perfectly normal for a bun but can look uncomfortable to us humans.

What type of wood do you think the bench is made of? Many types of woods are fine for rabbits to chew on, provided they don’t eat really large amounts of it. Because wood is hard they often don’t eat a lot of it per day, but it’s good to keep an eye. Buns often like to sit/lie under benches, chairs or foot stools, because the “roof” protects them from attacks from above, from for example birds of prey.

It’s good if you can get him to eat more hay. Sometimes you have to try various hays before you find one that your bun will like.

[mochibunii]

Oh ok that makes sense. I think I’ll try and limit greens and veggies a lot more and instead give more hay. I followed your advice and actually we bought some new timothy hay that he loves so much more! He is finally eating it by himself and eating from his hay rack! His stomach is still gurgling a bit but I ordered some critical care and we might get the gas drops. I gave him some treats and he seemed to love them just as usual! I’m not sure what types of woods are in the bench, but it is untreated. He is chewing it a bit but I got him some wooden toys safe for bunnies which I’m hoping he’ll chew instead of the bench. Thank you so much for the reply! It helped calm my nerves a lot.

[Asriel and Bombur]

It’s better to limit the pellets. not the greens. Pellets are only really supplementary and depending on the breed, shouldn’t be more than 1/4 cup. Breeds under 5 pounds should be given 2tbsp a day, and greens should be about 2 cups per 1 cup per 2 pounds of bodyweight. Hay should be 80% of the diet, greens 10%, pellet and treats 5% each.

Another good hay strategy is feed non-hay items every 10-14 hours. It forces them to only eat hay for that amount of time. For example, I feed my boys their 2 tbsp of pellets at 6am as I head out for work, and they get greens at 7pm just as I’m getting home.

[Author]

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