Worried about Casper’s poop

[Floppy]

I got Casper on the 29th of April when he was 8 weeks old and he was vaccinated for myx and RHD1 last Sunday. The vet said he was really healthy. Casper is a male (I think) Lionhead cross, he weighs 0.8kg.

Today I found several soft stools in Caspers cage area. Casper usually uses his litter tray, but these were in strange places such as where he sleeps and on top of his big wooden arch thing! Some looked like tubes. Some look like proper cecals. They smell foul. I offered a cecal for Casper but he declined it! I have seen him eat some pellets, a little bit of grass hay. He’s been acting normal, exploring, running and jumping, drinking water and napping.

I have been giving him half a banana chip and half a “vegetable drop” OR a pets@home Timothy hay treat a day. Could this be the cause? Or could I be feeding too many pellets? I have taken the pellets away just now. He gets meadow hay, burgess grass hay and a little bit of Alfalfa hay everyday.

Casper has been eating Pets@Home Junior Nuggets. I know these are not healthy and I’m planning to change him over to Science Selective but I didn’t want to make the change too quick incase it upsets his tummy.

Does he need more fibre? I could give him some brocolli?

Is this serious and should I call the vet?

I did some hoovering today could this have upset him?

[tobyluv]

Casper may be overproducing cecals or having some GI upset due to the banana chips and other treats. Stop those for now. He can still have some pellets. At his age, he may need the vitamins and nutrients in pellets to give him everything a growing rabbit needs. You can feed  him small quantities of pellets throughout the day if you think he is eating too many at once, or scatter then so that he has to forage for them.  Don’t start him on any veggies yet. Wait until he is at least 12 weeks old and just start with one, such as Romaine lettuce, then you can introduce a new veggie every few days or every week. Make sure that he eats plenty of hay and drinks his water.

It doesn’t seem like the vaccinations would be causing the problem, since a few days have elapsed after he got them. I’m not familiar with the side effects of those anyway, since they aren’t given where I live.

Did he seem frightened by the Hoover? If not, this is likely due to diet (the treats) and should clear up when they are stopped. If he continues to have out of the ordinary poop, you could take him to the vet for a fecal check, but wait and see if stopping the treats does the trick.

[tobyluv]

https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/VeggieList/tabid/144/Default.aspx

http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

Those are 2 good links regarding the best greens and veggies for your rabbit. Broccoli can sometimes cause problems with rabbits, so it’s best to try other veggies first.

[Floppy]

Aw no I’m such an idiot! I know he can’t have loads of treats I only gave him a tiny bit I didn’t know it would make him unwell I feel terrible!

To make things worse I already gave him some brocolli! :'( as soon as I read this I took the brocolli away and put the pellets back and put the treats in the bin!! I’m so annoyed with myself!

What do I watch for now? He’s still drinking water and seems otherwise fine. I hope he’s okay poor Casper ahhh

[vanessa]

Sounds like uneaten cecotropes. Could you get a picture of them? Baby bunnies don’t always eat all their cecotropes. Bunnies in general dont’ eat them if they can’t reach them (not likely in this case), or if their food is very rich. I’d agree with switching to Selective Science. The nutrient amounts in the Junior Nuggets look pretty high, and the fiber is low. He definitely needs a higher quality fiber pellet. How much hay does he eat? I’d cut out the banana chip and those other treats. I dont’ know what’s in the “veggie drop”, and the hay treats list the ingredients but not the nutrient count. They look pretty starchy. It doesn’t sound serious to me – but I would definitely change his diet while he is still young, and get him used to a more healthy balanced diet early on. For a healthy treat – you could give him a cookie size piece of bell pepper, celery, or some other veggie. The cookie size piece will introduce the veggie slowly, and not send him into tummy troubles. The starch in those treats gets converted to sugar in his body. not too good for his bacteria/microflora balance. Especially being so young. I wouldn’t offer cruciferous veggies to such a young bunny. They cause gas. I’d focus on hay and good quality pellets. Some bunnies gorge on pellets, (hence excess nutrients and uneaten cecotropes), and in this case, cutting back on the pellets encourages more hay consumption. Normally – you would feed unlimited pellets to babies.

[Luna]

I agree – too many treats. Pellets are good for young buns. And you’re not an idiot. Mistakes happen. When I (unexpectedly) adopted Luna, I didn’t know a lot of things and fed her seed covered honey sticks (they are not good for buns). There’s a lot of information out there about bun care, and you can’t be expected to learn/know everything all at once. The important thing is that now you know, and you have access to more information . 

Keep watching that he continues eating and drinking, and producing poops. Just make sure the poops aren’t diarrhea.

[vanessa]

Hey you would have thought I was an idiot supreme with the way I started with bunnies – despite my best intentions! Glad you are here on the forum 🙂

[Floppy]

Thank you so much everyone! Casper is eating, drinking and behaving normally but his poops are still soft

I just pulled some off his leg that was stuck and it was difficult because he is so fluffy and not that tame yet. Sigh.

I see him nibbling on his hay. I’m going to go to the pets tomorrow and get some nice Timothy hay instead of Alfalfa, and Science Selective.

Should I wait until his poop hardens up before starting a food change?

I’m worried I hope he is okay

[Floppy]

He just did more poops that look more normal! Deffo still wetter than normal, but little circle shapes! Im really happy.

[vanessa]

Do the soft poops look similar to the luster on the left in this picture?

[Floppy]

I have seen Casper eat a cecotroph once so I know he can reach. His poops are looking like pellets again but darker than usual. There is another uneaten cecotroph (left photo) in his litter tray this morning. I forgot. I gave him nettle roots for him to chew! Would he eat them?

[Luna]

Make sure that when you switch his pellets to Selective Science, you mix only a little bit with his current pellets and then next week mix a little more, and so on until all his pellets are Selective Science. Foods like pellets and veggies have to be introduced slowly when they are changed, but different types of hays can be given right away.

[vanessa]

Ill have to look up nettle. The darkness isnt bad. Color is a result of the type of hay / food eaten. No worries there. He might just have a lot if nutrients stored. When humans take more vitamin pills than we need, we pee out the excess and our urine looks bright yellow. When rabbits have excessnutrients they dint eat their cecotropes. Cecotropes are always soft. The regular round poops are always hard and a little sticky when fresh. As long as the round poops r hard, dont worry. Is it the cecotrope or round poop that is soft?

[sarahthegemini]

Not sure about nettle root but nettle leaves are okay, I give my bunnies dried nettle and they are big fans

I sometimes see a partially uneaten cecotrope in the litter trays but it’s not often enough for it to be a cause for concern. Although Peanut left a few the other day but I think that might have been the result of being spoilt at the vets!

[Floppy]

Can’t thank everyone here enough, I’m such a worrier! What a lovely and helpful bunch you all are.

Casper’s poop is back to normal! No more cecotrophs!
I got him burgess dandelion feeding hay which he loves! Have started to put a few pieces of SS in with his food mix.

[vanessa]

Good to hear ?

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Floppy on 5/12/2017 4:12 AM

Can’t thank everyone here enough, I’m such a worrier! What a lovely and helpful bunch you all are.

Casper’s poop is back to normal! No more cecotrophs!
I got him burgess dandelion feeding hay which he loves! Have started to put a few pieces of SS in with his food mix.

You’re not alone there! 

[Floppy]

I thought Casper was better, but I came home last night to this! Litter tray is changed every day, I’m only feeding hay and pellets, have Been mixing only a few bits of Science selective into his food. Is this a concern? He is also sneezing? Is it time to take him to vet? I don’t want to stress him out if it’s nothing.

He gets loads of exercise, fresh food and water and hay (burgess excel dandelion hay and Greenwoods meadow hay ATM) I clean his bowls with boiling water.

How often should you remove old unsoiled hay?

Also his face is changing colour from white to grey.

[Bam]

It’s not very worrying if a young bunny has uneated cecotropes/ a bit of sticky poop. As long as there are round poop as well, it’s not diarrhea. A young bunny’s GI microbiota isn’t fully developped, and needs time and lots of hay to become as sturdy and diverse as it should be. Young rabbits should also eat richer food than adult bunnies, because they need extra protein and calcium to grow. This can result in more uneaten cecotropes. 

This can however still be an effect of the vaccination. It’s not a side effect but a result of the vaccine doing what it should, ie produce antibodies. This puts a certain strain ion the immune defense. But it’s all normal and good. When my Bam (adult, probably rather old-ish) had his latest Myxo-RHD he got a bit of sneezing about a week after the shot. It lasted one week. My vet confirmed it was normal. My dog once had a GI reaction (loose stools) after her doggy-vaccines. 

The change in coloring is normal in a young bunny. It’s the same with puppy dogs. They can change color considerably during their first months/year.

[vanessa]

Changing soiled litter evry day is ideal. It helps keep bunny clean, and gives u a giod idea of the state if his poops.

[Floppy]

Ahh thank you so much! I googled rabbit sneezing and soft stools and found all this information about snuffles and abscesses and got myself in a proper panic! Good to know it’s probably not a big deal! I’ll keep an eye on him sand hopefully it passes!

– I do empty the litter tray and remove soiled bedding everyday; I mean how often should you remove ALL the hay that isn’t soiled? Like all the hay in his bedroom area?

Off topic but I read somewhere that SS food can cause choking in bunnies, is this true?

I’m quite a neurotic person and I love Casper so much already, I’m just mega worried because I know rabbits can deteriorate so quickly!

[vanessa]

I haven’t heard of a specific food causing choking.
I only remove hay that is in the litter box or got scattered on the floor. If there is uneaten hay in the hayrack – I leave it – it will get eaten If it has been more than a week, I use uneaten hay from the hay rack to change the litter box, and give them fresh hay to eat.

[Bam]

Science Selective pellets are rather big, aren’t they? I’ve never used the junior type. Bigger pellets slows down eating, making it less likely that the bun chokes.

Choking tend to happen to buns that eat very greedily, like they more or less inhale their pellets. If Casperis that type of bun you could try FibaFirst pellets instead, they are very big (like 4 inches long).

[Floppy]

Aw thanks Vanessa I keep replacing the hay every few days I have went through 3 big bags of hay already! That’s a great idea to recycle it.

Thanks Bam, yes they are long. I read somewhere (old forum discussion) about the risk of choking and people were breaking them up. Casper eats quite daintily so I don’t think I need to worry then

I was just changing Caspers bedding and put a handful of fresh Carefresh in and he started gorging on it!! Surely Carefresh can’t be that tasty?! Weird rabbit

[DanaNM]

Hi there! Welcome!

Reading through this, it sounds to me like you might be changing too many things at once, so it is hard to pinpoint what is happening with his tummy.

For now, while his tummy gets sorted out after the vaccine and new food switch, think about stability, hydration, and fiber.

So, keep giving his pellets, as you have been, but be sure to make the switch very slowly. You might even just keep him on his old pellet for a bit longer, since it was likely the banana treats that were causing the excess cecals.

Encourage him to eat lots of hay! Stuff it in paper towel tubes, hold out pieces for him, make it interesting. Bunnies seem to go for their hay more when you handle it.

Since he isn’t eating veggies yet, encourage drinking by offering water from a crock in addition to the bottle, and refresh the bowl daily. I never realized how much bunnies preferred drinking from a bowl until mine started drinking from the cat’s bowl every time he was out playing!

You’re doing a good job by looking for advice, and welcome to the world of being obsessed with bunny poop!

Carefresh is safe, but keep an eye on how much he is eating. You don’t want him to fill up on his bedding and not eat enough hay. 

Try putting a layer of hay over the bedding, in addition to the hay in his rack. 

. . . 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.  

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Floppy on 5/15/2017 3:55 PM

Aw thanks Vanessa I keep replacing the hay every few days I have went through 3 big bags of hay already! That’s a great idea to recycle it.

Thanks Bam, yes they are long. I read somewhere (old forum discussion) about the risk of choking and people were breaking them up. Casper eats quite daintily so I don’t think I need to worry then

I was just changing Caspers bedding and put a handful of fresh Carefresh in and he started gorging on it!! Surely Carefresh can’t be that tasty?! Weird rabbit

Carefresh is paper based so it’s not that weird but make sure he doesn’t ingest too much!

[Author]

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