Digestion problems

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BleachedJam

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I'll include some backstory but its long, so if you don't care just jump to the TL;DR.
About three years ago my mom adopted a bunny from the pound. She was there for something else, they also have a used pet store built in, and the workers guilt tripped her saying this bunny was about to be put to sleep, ect. It was almost Easter and he's missing a piece of his ear, he had been there for about two months.
Anyway she adopted him, even though none of us had any idea about rabbits.
We built him a nice cage, about 4×4. She fed him unlimited hay but also pellets. That was pretty much it. Very little out of cage time and no greens. About 4-5 months ago we noticed a huge mat on his bottom, it was a lot of poop and fur. We had to shave him.
I looked into why and realized all the things we had been doing wrong.
Since then he gets about 3-4 hours a day out of his cage, a custom salad everyday, unlimited hay, far less pellets, and I'm working on building him a bigger/better cage. His poopy butt has gotten a LOT better, but still not completely gone. He's gotten more muscle tone and gained weight, got a lot of energy, and he's a whole new bunny. Plus, I learned apparently I'm a bunny person! (Despite being allergic. I have to use a ventilator to clean his cage)

Okay so problem time, last week I noticed a huge slowdown in poops. I'm used to how much he poops during out of cage time, and it was about half. Otherwise he had great energy, was eating really well, and seemed normal. He had a bale of hay in his cage as a gift, and I thought maybe it was stale so he wasn't eating it. So I switched it out with his usual hay. Next day he was better so I thought he was fine. Today's out of cage time I noticed his poops are really small. Again, he's eating fine and has good energy. I gave him a little tummy massage, I looked up a video on YouTube, not sure if it helped or not. He's staring at me asking for more pets.
What should I do?

TL;DR
Bunny with history of poopy butt has small poops. Eating and drinking normal, has good energy. Welcoming all suggestions, still new to bunny care.

Also, he seems to be heading into a molt, not sure if that matters.


Thanks for reading this! Sorry it was so long. I know backstory is usually helpful when figuring out health problems.
 
Backstory is SUPER helpful- so thank you for making it long. Small poops can be a bad sign, but as long as he is eating normally, I would not be worried- sometimes they just happen. If he stops eating however, then it's an emergency and needs to be addressed ASAP. The small poops can be anything, and are often not something to be too worried about. It sounds like he's getting a LOT better care now, and that is the most important. Keep him from ingesting too much fur during his molt and he should be good!
He looks sort of dwarfish in your profile picture- so teeth might be a problem with him as he gets older. I'd get him checked out at a rabbit savvy vet if his eating decreases- and make sure the doctor looks at those teeth!
 
Small poops indicate a slowing in the guts movements. It's not a life threatening condition as long as it doesn't last and that the rabbit is still pooping and eating. Nevertheless, it's generally the sign that something else is wrong - it's often pain or something making it hard for the rabbit to eat as he should. Considering the rabbit comes from the pound and that he doesn't seem to have have seen a vet in quite a while (from what you said), I would try to find a rabbit-savvy vet (indicate where you live, maybe someone in here knows a vet close by) and have him get a check up. It could be a dental problem or something else - one year ago, one of my rabbits suddenly had stasis and then had small poops problems for weeks despite the treatments. In the end, I found out her eyesight was getting bad and that she was stressed and had trouble reaching the hay in the rack (she's 8 years old now so she was only suffering from the 'getting old' syndrom). Once the problem was found, it only took minor changes to make everything OK and she has been right as rain ever since. In the meantime, to avoid the slowing becoming real stasis, I would give him lots of hay (rabbits can be very picky so a big pile on the floor and throwing out a lot of it is sometimes the only solution). Some fresh grass if you can get some. And I would give lots of wet greens (herbs, leafy greens...). Hydratation of the guts and long fibers are the key for a problem free digestive transit ^^.
 
The pound told us he was lop and American sable. He's about 7lbs.
I actually know a vet, the problem is I'm a broke disabled college student, so I have to convince my mother to help out. I've been trying to get him a check up for two months, but I'll keep at bothering her.
I'll up his greens and keep an eagle eye on him. Thanks for the advice guys!
 
Poopy bum problems in rabbits is most often due to cecal dysbiosis from diet issues(excess sugars/starches in the diet and not enough roughage), though there can be other causes from medical issues such as dental problems, arthritis, liver disease, etc.

What amount of pellets is your rabbit getting per day, what type of pellets are they(brand, ingredients), and what type of hay does your rabbit get and the amount you think he eats in a day(eg. pile the size of his body, half his body size, etc)? It may just be your rabbit is still getting too many pellets and not enough hay in the diet, or it may be a change of pellet type is needed depending on what he's getting. These articles describe the issue pretty well.
http://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/
http://rabbit.org/disorders-of-the-cecum/

The slowdown/decreased poop size could have had to do with the other hay. What kind of hay was it and did it seem off at all(sour or musty smelling, blackish/whitish spots or bits of hay, whitish dust to it, damp or wet)? If his poop size was reduced because he wasn't eating that other hay well, and now he has his usual hay he is back to eating normally, his poop size should get back to normal provided he is back to eating his normal amount of hay. It can sometimes take a few hours for things to get back on track once there has been reduced eating and gut slowdown.

The molt can also have something to do with the gut slowdown, and if so lots of hay/roughage is the solution, as increased indigestible fiber in the diet means increased gut motility and better movement.
 
My female, Brandy, has smaller poops periodically- she has a very sensitive gut but not a sensitive mouth, so to speak. She usually has this issue after getting into the trash (which is covered and taller than her, so we aren't 100% sure how she does this) or eating things off the floor (usually something the cat dropped from her bowl). Or when she molts and we aren't completely on top of brushing her. Unless it progresses, we don't worry about it. Like everyone else said, lots of hay is best (but it sounds like you guys are already on top of that). If it continues, you could try to temporarily cut out pellets all together, along with veggies and just give hay- that works well for Brandy.

How are the poops looking today?
 

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