Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Pregnant doe has wet poo

Viewing 11 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Pansbunny
      Participant
      10 posts Send Private Message

        Hi, I have a rabbit thats nearing 1 years old, I adopted her recently and i’m pretty sure she is pregnant as she is digging a lot and nesting. I’ve noticed her poops are wet and squidgy and all stuck together, it smells horrible so i’m assuming that mild diarrhoea as its not watery. Just wondered if anyone knows what I should do? I know normally I would need to take away her pellets and have her on grassy hay and a little big of veg. Im not sure which veggies are best to give her and what quantity, also is it still safe to remove pellets from a pregnant doe? and how long should i remove them for? Im assuming shes due soon as i’ve had her for about 3 weeks now. I currently give her a mix of selective and burgess rabbit feed. Will be switching her over to selective as shes fussy with burgess. I switch up her hay between timothy, meadow and the burgess dandelion one. Can anyone help give advice? If i need to take her to a vet i will i just dont want her too stessed as shes pregnant so thought i would ask on here first.


      • Bam
        Moderator
        16838 posts Send Private Message

          Thank you for adopting!!

          How certain are you she’s pregnant? Nesting generally takes place only a couple of days before the doe gives birth. You should be able to feel babies in her belly – if she lets you touch it. (Touch it very gently, obviously). The reason I ask is because girl rabbits are prone to false pregnancies. They then start to dig and nest and pull fur from their chest in prep for babies that aren’t there. This condition always resolves on its own, but it can reoccur. It’s best to have girl rabbits spayed because they are prone to diseases of the reproductive organs.

          If she is pregnant, I’d sooner cut back on the greens to a pregnant doe than pellets – she needs extra protein and calories when she’s expecting. Sticky poop is not the same as diarrhea, and you are right, normally it’s remedied by cutting out pellets and treats and put the bun on hay only for a bit, until it clears up. But I can’t say if it’s safe to do that with a pregnant doe.

          Sticky poop is not a veterinary emergency, It’s over-production of the strong-smelling cecotropes that the bun is supposed to eat. A change in the gut pH makes the cecum produce surplus cecals that don’t form nicely like they should. This change in pH is often a result of stress. (It’s of course stressful to be pregnant, esp in a new home). You can reduce stress to some extent by giving her a nest box. That works both if she is pregnant or if she’s just pseudo-pregnant – either way a nest box will make her feel more at ease. If she’s having a false pregnancy, the nest box can of course be a very simple dummy of some sort, since there won’t be any actual babies.

          I have no experience with actually pregnant buns, but there are some people here that have and I hope they’ll see this thread.


        • Pansbunny
          Participant
          10 posts Send Private Message

            Thankyou for replying!

            I have given her a nest box and shes been making a very poorly made nest bless her. I read sometimes they practise a nest before they are due to give birth when they are pregnant so maybe shes doing that? Obviously im not 100% sure but i read that you shouldn’t palpate a pregnant doe later than 14 days into pregnancy and if she is pregnant shes definitely near the end of the pregnancy as like i said i’ve had her 3 weeks so im scared i will hurt the kits if i feel her tummy. I might just have to wait another week or so and see what happens in terms of that.

            So sticky poo is pretty common then for rabbits? Ive never had it with my other rabbit and a rabbit i adopted a few years ago. I have no idea how i will need to adjust her diet then if i cant take away pellets, shes on minimal greens at the moment anyway, maybe try a different hay? i read alfalfa is good for pregnant doe’s but not sure how it will be for her sticky poo. 


          • Deleted User
            Participant
            22064 posts Send Private Message

            • Bam
              Moderator
              16838 posts Send Private Message

                The difficulty here is that she must have extra protein and energy for the babies, and to produce milk for them. The best thing would be to call a vet. And you are right about palpation, I meant more like gently placing your hand on the tummy, without palpating.

                It’s true that first time moms are often not so good at building a nest and they can be not so good at taking care of the babies – but as a rule they do fine. I will alert a leader I know has experience with pregnant does, she’s probably away at work now but she’ll see it when she gets back home.


              • jerseygirl
                Moderator
                22338 posts Send Private Message

                  Great advice given. I brought a pregnant rabbit home about 4 years ago now, but her droppings remained normal from memory. I do wonder if an increase in progesterone could have an effect on their poos? Were they looking like normal healthy droppings up until this point?

                  Was she eating the combination of Burgess and Selective before? Is it the Adult formula of each?


                • Chelsea
                  Participant
                  189 posts Send Private Message

                    As a child we used to occasionally (and mostly accidentally) raise rabbits, and it was common for the does to get softer poops. Generally speaking it seemed to happen because they ate a lot more pellets than normal. I will never forget when an unspayed female house rabbit managed to briefly get outside a week later started stealing dog food. It gave her horrible diarrhea. The vet said rabbits (and many other animals) tend to crave protein when pregnant and so will eat more of it than their digestive system is used to.

                    That said, false pregnancies are really common, and cause the same hormone fluctuations and behavior changes. So I don’t think softer poop is a reliable pregnancy sign. Some rabbits are just prone to digestive troubles. We are constantly fighting soft poops like you describe with Silas, who is a neutered male.


                  • Pansbunny
                    Participant
                    10 posts Send Private Message

                      Thanks, looks like cecotropes, come home from work this morning as I work nights and the big bit she has done before i left work is nowhere to be seen so maybe she ate it like it says they do in the description of the link 


                    • Pansbunny
                      Participant
                      10 posts Send Private Message

                        Adult burgess and junior selective as its good for adult rabbits that are lactating and if she is pregnant the babies will be safe when they start eating it to eat it too. She used to only be on burgess but im mixing it to get her used to selective for when the kits are born 


                      • Pansbunny
                        Participant
                        10 posts Send Private Message

                          Yeah her nest is terrible bless her. And exactly its not easy, someone linked to a bunny poop page and she poop shes producing is cecotrope or something like that. I shall call a vet to see what they recon. I tried to look at her bum to see if any is stuck a little while ago but she run and hid behind her 2 tier cage which isnt so easy to move… will try and look later and sort it out if it is messy. I bought a little bottle thing for is she is deffo pregnant and isnt feeding the babies well so i can use kitten formula and feed them myself. Just in case! And i shall have a feel, so far nothing, hasnt fur pulled but still is messing about with fixing up her nest x


                        • jerseygirl
                          Moderator
                          22338 posts Send Private Message

                            If it’s like properly formed cecatrophes in the picture, then that’s most likely due to her current diet. I dont think it’s anything to worry about.

                            I was reading yesterday that rabbits will often reduce their food intake a day or so before having the kits. Just something to be aware of.

                            @Chelsea, good to know this is something you found was common.


                          • Bam
                            Moderator
                            16838 posts Send Private Message

                              If her nest is terrible (common with first time moms) you should try and be there for the kindling and supervise her as she beds them down. They are supposed to lie in like an almost cocoon of fluffy hair, because a rabbit mama doesn’t spend much time lying next to her babies, she leaves them and comes twice a day to feed them. That’s very different from how a rat mama or a dog does it – rats and dogs lie with their babies and keep them warm with their own body-warmth.

                              It’s important that the nest box has high enough sides so nobunny can crawl out and get cold, but mama bunny must of course be able to jump in for feeding time.

                          Viewing 11 reply threads
                          • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                          Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Pregnant doe has wet poo