Noise from tummy

[hoang]

Hello everyone, my girlfriend and I have adopted and raised two bunnies for the past 6 months. We named them Egg and Bacon. Egg is active and energetic but Bacon is completely opposite. The problem is when Bacon laying down, he keeps making noise from his stomach. We can see his breath goes along with the noise. Bacon is eating normal and everything seems good with him. We both just feel bad that he makes noise every night and sometimes it could be a bit loud. I wonder whether Bacon has any health problem. We feed them hay and treats of pellets throughout the day. My girlfriend has cut down on pellets since she thinks they are the cause of Bacon’s tummy noise. What should we do about it? We appreciate any advice and tips from everyone.

P/S: Here is the Youtube link to Bacon’s video. Thank you.
https://youtu.be/G3z1oCMcE3w

[Sirius&Luna]

It sounds like it could be gas. Is he eating and pooping normally?
Do you give them any veg? Some rabbits are very sensitive and might get gas from certain veg, so it would be good if you could work out what was causing it. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and kale are the ones I know of that cause gas in some bunnies, but it could also be another veg. I doubt it would be the pellets, but it is possible I suppose. How many pellets do you give them?

You can try massaging his stomach, and also giving baby gas drops (simethicone) if he looks really uncomfortable.

If it’s been going on for a while, it might be worth checking with a vet too if dietary changes don’t make a difference.

[Sirius&Luna]

(I didn’t watch the video since I’m at work, my advice is based on your written description)

[Wick & Fable]

He literally sounds like a trumpet each time he breathes, and whether that’s air exiting his bum bum or his nose, it seems like something you need to investigate seriously.

Is he sneezing or showing any nasal discharge? I can hear blockage in his nose when he breathes. He may be clogged up in multiple ways. Please take him to a vet.

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.

[Wick & Fable]

Im also not familiar if that’s a vocalized rabbit sound, but I recommend everyone watch the video because it’s not tummy grumbling.

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.

[hoang]

Hi Sirius & Luna, Bacon is eating and pooping normally. We fed them celery and apple to celebrate their 6 months old mark and they seemed to enjoy them. We usually fed them pellets until we feel that it is enough. So the amount might vary. My girlfriend is currently not feeding them any pellets after 9 because she believes that could cause trouble for Bacon’s tummy. Both Egg and Bacon do not like to be touched too much so I doubt Bacon would let us massage his tummy. I will look into giving him some gas drops to see if that can solve his issue. That sounds like a good idea.

Hi Wick, we want to take Bacon to vet but we are busy with work and school. In addition, Egg and Bacon do not like to be touched. They will go away if we try to pet them too much. The only time they stay with us for long is when we feed them pellets because they love them. Hence, we could not cut their toe nails because they just keep moving. We are afraid they would do the same when we take them to the vet. My girlfriend is also afraid that the vet would give them some kind of medicine to make them stay till and that would threaten the bunnies’ health. That is why we do not even consider to neuter them because they might die. We are really serious in treating bacon’s stomach problem.

Thank you Sirius & Luna and Wick for your advice. We appreciate it.

[Wick & Fable]

Taking any animal to a vet is a scary idea, but if you have a **rabbit-experienced** vet, there is absolutely no chance of a vet using a drug to sedate a rabbit. Sometimes, rabbit-experienced vets do a better job handling the rabbit than their owner because they are so experienced and collected when handling rowdy rabbits. Also, no rabbit-experienced vet would prescribe something fatal or dangerous to your rabbit

In terms of neutering, a rabbit-experienced vet can easily do a neuter. It’s a very straight-forward procedure of minimal risk. It’s highly recommended to neuter, and REQUIRED if you have two rabbits who will be interacting with each other. Both need the procedure, or else they must be permanently separated.

It is imperative to take Bacon to a rabbit vet. The volume and frequency of that noise seems very unnatural. I understand it’s nerve-wracking, but put trust in rabbit-experienced professionals. They’ve come a very long way.

From personal experience, Wick is a runt who’s smaller than the rest and has overcome a bacterial infection, tooth infection, fungal infection, neutering, and 3 dental procedures under the wonderful care of his rabbit-experienced vet. There’s no doubt that without Wick’s vet, he would not have lived past 3mo. I fully entrust Wick’s life to his vet. Every decision made has proven to be worthwhile, with little to no suffering/pain for Wick— only recovery and relief.

In regards to being picked up, you can start at baby steps, which is just do a few pets, then stop before they run away. This teaches them you are not over-bearing and trying to be controlling/predatory. Always stop before they tell you to, that way they feel secure that you respect their boundaries.

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]

Are you never going to take them to a vet then? With all due respect, whether they like being handled is irrelevant – I was unable to watch the video but based on Wick’s description, it is a serious matter that needs investigation.

[Bam]

I’ll watch the youtube video tomorrow when I’ve access to my PC. But if a bun has trouble breathing, it really does need to be investigated by a vet. I’m sorry your girlfriend doesn’t feel that a vet would have your buns’ best interest at heart. If you tell us your general location, someone here might be able to recommend a vet clinic to you. It is really important to have a good bunny vet that you can trust, as Wick says.

[hoang]

I talked to my girlfriend and we agreed to take both Egg and Bacon to the vet as suggested by Wick and everyone. It seems like the best solution for us right now. She is afraid because she said the bunny’s heart is small and weak. We will also try to pick them up a bit at a time as Wick suggests. We will try to Google or Yelp for the a good vet’s clinic near our location and take both bunnies there for checkup. I will post update once we get results of their check up. Thank you everyone for giving us useful advice and tips. I appreciate it guys.

[Bam]

That is a wise decision. I watched your video just now, and I think the sound is respiratory. Lungs and heart work together closely, so if Bacon has a weak heart, his lungs would be affected. He could need meds to help him breathe, maybe he needs a diuretic. We’d really appreciate updates.

Many good-healing-vibes for (((((Bacon)))))

[hoang]

Hi everyone,

My girlfriend and I just took Bacon and Egg to the doctor’s clinic this morning. It turns out Bacon has mucus inside his respiratory system and he needs to be treated with antibiotics. Egg happened to have red eye infection the night before so we took him along also, and he got eyedrop for now. 

They both freaked out when the doctor’s assistant tried to hold and put them in the scale. They moved very ferociously at first, but stayed still when the assistant held them firmly. We are trying to get them used to being held and pet. We got prescribed medicines for both bunnies and were on our way to go home. It was a entirely good experience, and we recommend it to everybody. Thank you for the advice and good healing vibe everyone.

Here is the picture of Bacon and Egg say hi to everyone,

Greetings from Bacon and Egg!!

[sarahthegemini]

Get well soon Egg & Bacon, let your human take care of you, love Peanut and Buttercup xxx

[Wick & Fable]

Get well soon Bacon and Egg!

For antibiotics, make sure you really stay with the dosing schedule. If your vet said once a day, choose the same time every day. If it’s twice a day (one in the morning, one at night), try to make it 7AM and 7PM, or as close to 12 hours a part as you can. Clean your syringes after every use too.

What antibiotic(s) did you bring home? Some are tastier for rabbits than others, so if Bacon puts up a fight, you need to be gentle, but firm with giving him his medication. He needs it to get healthy, and he’ll be happier when he’s treated, although he may feel very uncomfortable and stressed while being treated for it.

Also, did your vet give you probiotics or mention them? Antibiotics may affect a rabbit’s digestive system, so he may get gassy, uncomfortable, and/or stop eating as much. You need to be on the look out for this and inform your vet if this occurs, because the antibiotic’s affect on his digestion needs to be addressed.

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.

[hoang]

Yeah we are trying to time as close as 12 hours a part as we can. The ones Bacon get are Baytril Suspension and Mexilocam which have the taste of banana and Bacon loves them. So we do not have issues with Bacon’s resistance for the time being. The vet did not mention anything about probiotics. Bacon does not seem like he s having any problem with the antibiotics. Thank you for advice and get-well wishes guys.

[Bam]

Thank you for the update! My Bam needed antibiotics for his lungs in August, he was fine after a two week course. He also made weird sounds that I didn’t like, that’s why I took him to the vet.

If you notice tummy trouble, a probiotic can be given. Benebac is a bunny appropriate probiotic that’s available in many countries.

I’m so glad you had a good vet experience ?

Swift recovery vibes for both ((((Bacon)))) and ((((Egg))))

[Author]

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