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Forum DIET & CARE Frequent stomach issues?

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    • liza
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        I have had my rabbit for about 6 months now, and he has already had about 4 different episodes of stomach issues. He had GI stasis about 4 months ago when we took him to the vet. The other issues I assume were gas/digestion issues, but did not turn into GI stasis. These episodes lasted for maybe 2 – 4 hours. He would be lethargic and press his belly on the ground. He was obviously uncomfortable. I would rub his belly and try to encourage him to eat and drink. Eventually he would perk up and begin to eat and act like a normal bunny again. There was at least a month or more between these tummy issues.
        He just went through this two days ago. After a maybe 6 hours he started eating again and he was normal. His poops were a little mushy, but it was not diarrhea. Now again today he has the same thing. He ate his greens this morning, but he is uncomfortable and pressing his belly against the floor.
        Is is common for a bunny to have issues like this, this frequently? I only give him rabbit appropriate greens, and he gets pellets and hay. I am definitely going to take him to the vet to get checked out, but I want to know if it is common or if this is not normal. Are there any common causes of this issue?


      • sarahthegemini
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          I’m not sure how common it is but it’s not completely out of the ordinary. My Buttercup actually has a sensitive tummy too and had 3 episodes of full stasis between Oct 2016 and May 2017 (altho I’m sure her first episode was at the beginning of the year so 3 episodes in 5 months)

          I was advised to keep her on a hay only diet for a couple of months to get her tummy back to normal. Then start introducing things verrry slowly, be vigilant and immediately cut out anything that causes any kind of reaction. I first introduced a probiotic pellet and when she was steady on that, I started on veggies again. Now she has cos lettuce, coriander, carrot tops and dill daily. I tried kale but it gave her an audible tummy grumble so I cut it out.

          I don’t know if you have seen my thread about diet but basically what I’ve decided to do is keep veggies very simple. I don’t want to complicate matters and overwhelm her stomach. I’ve decided instead to focus on and variety of hay and start some dried forage which is much more natural (and her tummy might be better developed for it)

          What I would do is cut out pellets and veggies entirely. Just hay, hay and more hay. Monitor his weight of course. In a month or two, start bringing things back in slowly. I do think veggies can cause a lot of problems in some rabbits and it’s safer to limit them.


        • Wick & Fable
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            What are the greens you are giving him specifically? Some rabbits have bad reactions to some rabbit-approved veggies, just as some humans may have weird reactions to foods other humans eat fine and swell.

            For example, I can’t feed Wick parsley (makes him pee a lot and in massive volume) and I cannot feed him cucumber, even in the smallest (quarter of a dime-sized) amount because it will make him have runny poop (though cucumber is considered safe at relatively larger quantities than that).

            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.


          • liza
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              Thanks for the suggestion! I hope he just has a sensitive tummy and its not a more serious issue. Maybe the veggies are causing him issues?
              In general he does not eat a ton of hay. I try to get him to eat more, but some days he devours it and other days he is not as interested.


            • liza
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                We tend to give him a pretty good variety. He usually gets romaine, kale, parsley, cilantro, carrot tops, mint, dill, basil. Not all in one day, but we try to switch it up every so often. He gets kale most days. He LOVES it. I have been researching a little and apparently kale gives rabbits some stomach issues. Maybe we are giving him too much? Should I cut that out of his diet? He doesn’t really have reactions to specific foods, not that I have noticed. His poops are normal every day, except on days when he has tummy issues.


              • Wick & Fable
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                  1) You want to encourage hay appetite. If that means reassessing how much veggies you give, that’s fine. Also looking at the meal times. Go one big or two small presentations in a day. Don’t give veggies throughout because that will continually discourage eating hay. It’s like someone giving you cookies throughout the day, so you’re not going to eat your salad in the fridge.

                  2) Yes, cut down on the variety. Remember that rabbits actually get the majority of nutrients from pellets actually. Veggies are mainly water content with some vitamins and calcium here and there. You should start with just romaine and slowly add another veggie, one at a time. It can be cumulative or it can be a swap. You want a good amount of time (some days) to accurately assess the veggies affect. It could very well be a veggie, like kale.

                  Also, how old is he? That’s a large variety of veggies, and typically you want to introduce any new veggie slowly. If he’s less than a year old, you may have introduced one/a few vegetables too quickly and could not assess that your rabbit actually doesn’t take it well.

                  Wick only gets romaine, and he’s quite happy regardless, so if the variety makes your rabbits stomach upset, don’t think foregoing variety is bad. Wick loves his romaine.

                  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.


                • tobyluv
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                    You didn’t mention giving simethicone to your bunny. Infant simethicone drops can be very helpful when a rabbit is having gas, which is evident if a rabbit is pressing his stomach into the floor or is shifting around repeatedly and can’t get comfortable. The dosage is 1 ml every hour for 3 hours. The few times I’ve had to use it, one dose usually does the trick.

                    It might be helpful to start back at the beginning with the veggies. Your bunny will likely miss the variety, but it would be a good way to discover if one or more particular veggies could be causing a problem. Only give one or two different veggies a day, for several days or a week, then switch to another veggie the second week, and so on. Most rabbits do love kale. My rabbits get some every day, not in huge quantities though. They get a variety of other veggies too. I know other people who feed their rabbits kale every day with no problem, but every rabbit is going to be different, and you sometimes have to tailor their diet.


                  • liza
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                      I will try to get him to eat more hay. We give him his veggies twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. We do not give throughout the day. I think cutting down the types of veggie is a good idea.

                      He is about a year and six months old. I don’t know exactly how old but he is definitely more than a year old.


                    • liza
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                        I have never given him simethicone. I will have to ask the vet about it. From what I read they really don’t know if it is helpful or not.

                        I am going to cut back on the veggies. see if any are the ones causing him problems.


                      • LittlePuffyTail
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                          I had a bunny who was like this. Every other monthly he would go into stasis or get really bad gas. The vet suggested I drastically cut down his pellets. He now only gets about 1 TBSP per day and it has helped immensely. Obviously, every case is different but definitely worth trying. My vet is quite anti-pellet. She feels bunnies are not able to handle the recommended amounts.

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                      Forum DIET & CARE Frequent stomach issues?