Tiny Poop Pellets

[arizmary]

Does anyone know what it means when the rabbit’s poop pellets suddenly get tiny — like half their original size.  We have three rabbits and I’m fairly certain I took the right one to the vet.  Dr. is an experienced rabbit vet but could find nothing.  What do you think?  Thanks.  Mary

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Small poops are generally a sign that the gastrointestinal tract is slowing down and is possibly the start of GI stasis. Is your vet a good rabbit vet?

GI stasis is very serious, keep a good watch on your bunny now (all three since your not sure who has the small poopies) Make sure they are all eating and pooping. Give them some fresh pineapple if you have some, and try to increase their hay consumption (try hand feeding hay to make them interested in it).
If one of them stops eating (presumedly the one with small poops) they’ll have to go back to the vets.
If they are going to treat for GI stasis you’ll want them to do a ‘palpatation’ of the intestines and/or an x ray to ensure there is no blockage. Treatments that are effective for GI stasis can be fatal if there is a blockage.
Treatments include giving subcutaneous fluids, pain medication and GI motility drugs.
At this point you can harmlessly dose your rabbit with a bit of baby gas medication (like Ovol) -1-2 ml.

Here’s some articles/info on GI stasis that may help you especially if you have to go to the vet.

http://www.mybunny.org/info/gi_stasis.htm
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

[Sarita]

It is hard when you don’t really know which rabbit has the problem. I would definitely encourage more hay eating.

[arizmary]

Thanks.  Fortunately, our rabbit are hay eaters and we keep a huge fresh supply available for them 24/7.  That’s why this doesn’t make sense, especially when the vet didn’t find anything wrong.  See my other reply.  Mary

[KatnipCrzy]

Posted By hpyhopi on 11/20/2008 11:16 AM

Thanks for all the info.  Of the three we know which one it is not, so I’m going to take the other one to the vet asap.  Our vet is listed on our local rabbit rescue site as one of a handful in our area (Phoenix, AZ), so I’m comfortable with her.  The one I’m taking next is our male, and he turns his nose up to all fresh fruit except apples.  I’ll keep you posted and thanks again.

 

Mary

TRIED TO DELETE A DOUBLE POST AND IT DELETED BOTH- SORRY

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

{{ Vibes }}

[MooBunnay]

Its great that you have a rabbit savvy vet nearby that you can go to. I would recommend keeping a close eye on your bunnies to monitor their eating habits. If the one getting the tiny poops is about to go into stasis – you will be able to know as soon as he or she stops eating. If one doesn’t seem as excited for pellets, or for treats, than that is a good way to know which one is the sick one.

On the other hand, sometimes with the change in the season, my bunny’s poops will change as well. Taking the bun to the vet was the best thing you can do, so I’m afraid I don’t have much more advice other than keeping a close eye on their eating habits for the next few days.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hi hpyhopi, you’ve got some great info here from the others but I just wanted to pop in and post a good article called The Mystery of Poop which is a great guide to keep in hand.  Rabbits are such silent creatures, especially when they are hurt they like to hide it because of the prey instinct so we really examine what goes on in the litterbox.  I think I can say no-one talks about poop more than we do.

Here is the link:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

For GI Stasis read, print this out and keep it on hand.  I find it invaluable and give it to all of my bunny-sitters:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

[arizmary]

Thanks to all for the replies, info and articles.  The vet said Max was constipated — no blockage, no gi stasis thank goodness – and to get him to eat more greens and fresh fruit (which he is pretty finicky about).  I’ve done those things and the consistency of he pellets is not as dry, but still pretty small.  We’re keeping an eye on him to make sure he eats, and so far, so good.  I about died laughing at the post about how nobody talks about poop more than we do!

Mary W. (arizmary)

Maximus, Mischa and Muffin

[Spacehopper]

Have you tried parsley…gets things moving rapidly, and keeps them nice and rounded.

[Scarlet_Rose]

That’s good to know it wasn’t stasis. Yes, we do joke about how much we talk poop around here (literally ) How is he on eating hay? I add chamomile flowers to the hay I give my two and it encourages them to eat more as they hunt out the flowers and eat them (make sure they are organic and dried is O.K.). Sometimes you need to experiment with veggies to find that right combination to get your rabbit interested. Have you tried kale or cilantro?

[arizmary]

Hi all,

Thanks again for all your helpful replies.  We feed our rabbits organic Italian and curly parsley, dandelion greens, cilantro, packaged fresh herb salad and spring mix, fennel, blueberries, apples, and a little dried fruit for treats.  They get spinach, frisee and arugula in the packaged salads.  I fed them kale once, and they weren’t wild about it, but will try it again because it’s easy to find organic kale.  I have to drive across town to the nearest Whole Foods at least weekly to get anything that’s not pre-packaged (have used two organic delivery services but they rarely come through, i.e., they’re always out of what I order, they’re delivery didn’t come in, etc.).  They also eat 1/8 c. of Oxbow hay Timothy pellets 2X a day.  We keep four litter boxes of Timothy hay available 24/7, clean and change it out 1 or 2X a day.  All our rabbits are chow hounds, so you can imagine my surprise when they started turning up their noses at their fresh veggies, usually a big treat for them.  It coincided with it being cool enough for them to play outside, so they must be eating foliage out there and not as hungry for their veggies.  The tiny poop pellets still appear smaller than I’d like, but they’re getting bigger.  I’d say the vet was probably right about the constipation, so he’s on the mend.

Mary W. (arizmary)

Maximus, Mischa and Muffin

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