Not as many poops

I have a 7 month old Holland lop named Toby. This past Friday and Saturday I noticed he wasn't eating as many pellets as usual. Then on Sunday I noticed he started eating more and then he eat more today (Monday) too. Finally, tonight I refilled his bowl and he immediately ate some and he's been drinking water and eating lots of hay but I just noticed that he has a few tiny poops in his cage and I'm becoming extremely concerned. I'm wondering if it's possibly GI Stasis? Since he's so young he hasn't been introduced to fruits and veggies yet so he's on a strict pellet and hay diet. He's been just as perky as usual and he was running around and flopping for a couple hours today. Every time I open his cage he runs up to me. I'm not sure if I should take him to the vet, any advice? I've attached a picture of his normal poops compared to his smaller poops. Any advice helps... thank you!

Small poops aren't stasis. When the rabbit is in stasis, you don't have poops anymore. Generally, the rabbit is in pain, so he takes a characteristic hunched position (a bit like a hen on a nest) and is reluctant to move or eat. He might grind his teeth.
What you've got here is a slow guts episode. Is your rabbit moulting by any chance?
My guess is that your rabbit eats too much pellets and not enough hay. Honestly, a few small poos don't warrant a vet visit if the rabbit is eating hay and moving normally. It's something you've got to keep an eye on, but there is no need to panic yet ^^. I would reduce his pellets intake and start to introduce vegetables soon.
My rabbits have all eaten vegetables from their 8th week and I never got as much as a soft poo. Personnally, I'm not at all convinced by this new mantra that rabbits shouldn't eat vegetables before their 6 months (it comes from petshops rabbits whose parents are incorrectly fed - a rabbit in the wild will eat grass and greens as soon as he gets out of the burrow, so around 4 weeks and serious breeders feed vegetables to the mum... the babies will eat some of them with no problem). As long as they are introduced one by one and by increasing the portion over the course of 3-4 days, there is not much of a risk. I would start with some chicory, which is easy to digest. Vegetables have longer fibers than pellets and they help to hydrate the guts. It will also allow you to give a lot less pellets, which aren't very good for stasis.
The best prevention for stasis is hydratation (I give the vegetables slightly wet to increase the water intake and give mainly leafy greens during moult), long fibers (hay) to push things toward the exit, and moving around to stimulate the guts.

Of course, if your rabbit shows signs of not eating well or being in pain or if the small poops continue for more than 2 or 3 days, you will need a vet.

I'm glad to hear it doesn't sound like stasis... he has been moulting but not heavily only a few clumps here and there. Honestly, I don't brush him that much and I'm really trying to get in the habit. Should I introduce veggies immediately or wait for his poops to go back to their normal size? Also should I reduce his pellet in take immediately as in tonight - from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup or is it something that needs to be transitioned? Thank you in advance!

If he's eating plenty of hay, then cutting back on pellets right away is just fine. Wait until he's back to normal poos before introducing any greens.

Think in terms of "greens" moreso than fruits or veggies when he's ready for that. Think of herbs like basil, mint, cilantro and dark green lettuces like romaine, green-leaf or red-leaf. Introduce just one type at a time and just a small amount. You'll be checking for any changes in poos. If he's good, then offer more of that one type. This is how you test each new type -- one at a time.

Ever since his poops have been smaller he's been flopping more... is this normal? I'm starting to think it may be something more.

My 7 month old holland lop, Toby has recently started eating less. I noticed he naturally reduced his pellet intake which is alright because he was being fed 1/2 cup every night but now we're transitioning to 1/4 cup, but I noticed he's also pooping less and what he is pooping seems to be tinier than normal. I dumped his litter box out last night and by now he would usually have a lot more poops than he actually does. I truly thought it was the early stages of GI stasis, but he's still super perky, loves running around, and comes up to me every time I open his cage. However, I did notice he's been flopping a lot more than usual... He's eating lots of hay and drinking water and eating his pellets just not as many. Any idea what could be wrong? I feel like I should take him in to the vet. Thoughts?

Do you free feed hay(unlimited amounts)? Also what type of hay are you feeding and is it soft, coarse, or a mix? Have you verified the exact amount of hay your rabbit is actually consuming and not just being stepped on and wasted, and about how much is he eating(estimate the amount consumed in relation to the size of his body)?

Does he drink from a bottle or dish? If he drinks from a bottle, have you verified it has good water flow. If he does drink from a bottle, you might want to also try offering a dish of water to see if it makes a difference. Water bottles can sometimes not have good water flow, so it can be a chore for the rabbit to get enough water out of it. When a rabbit isn't getting enough water, it will cause them to not eat as well as they should.

Have you noticed any odd chewing behavior, dropping food from his mouth, or drooling/wet chin?

Yes, Toby is fed an unlimited amount of Timothy hay from a feeder attached to the side of the cage where his litter box is, so none of it is wasted. He usually finishes a completely full feeder by the end of the day but the last time I refilled it I completely stuffed it so he still has some left. He drinks out of a bowl so I'm not too worried about his water consumption. He's currently out of his cage playing with me like he usually would. It's just his poops that concern me.

As for the chewing he has a little wooden hidey house that he chews on but he's been doing that. And drooling wise, several days ago I noticed his mouth was overly wet and I assume that was drooling because we were in a heated car, but it went away fairly quickly and he hasn't had it since.

I also have a picture of the small poops vs the normal poops in a separate thread...

It could be that his tummy hurts a little (think about how you feel when you have diarrhea!) but so long as he is pooping and eating (both of which are EXTREMELY important) I would not rush him to the vet or anything.

paytonjkp said:

I also have a picture of the small poops vs the normal poops in a separate thread...

Click to expand...

Hi Payton, can you please try and keep related issues to 1 thread. You have posted about the same problem in multiple threads. This not only makes it more difficult for people to help you but also for those learning for themselves. This makes it easier for those helping you to see all updates.
Adding updates, changes or related questions to 1 thread you initially created is the best thing to do.
It also helps to not re-ask your questions in someone elses thread.
I have merged your threads.

Sorry I'm new to the forum... update: Toby has been running around for a couple hours now and I picked him up because I was going to putt him away and I notice under his mouth area/chin it's totally wet. I'm extremely concerned now... I looked it up and could it possibly be ptyalism? View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1486617872.085080.jpg

He could have been drinking just before you picked him up? If not, a wet area around the mouth can generally be linked to dental problems. It would be very unlucky for him to have developped that at his age and eating hay, but you never know.
If you are concerned, go to the vet. No use in you worrying yourself sick : you go, if there is a problem the vet will treat it, if not your rabbit will have had a check-up and you will be able to stop being anxious. Honestly, I'm the kind of person who will be dead concerned everytime one of my animals sneeze. I know have had rabbits for long enough to know when it warrants a vet visit or not but I have been there for 'nothing' a few times before. I just feel better knowing for sure, even if I risk paying a visit for nothing much.

Hi. I wanted to ask in the same area of concern -- if my mini rabbit is refusing to move for the whole day, which is very unusual for him and is the first time this has happened, staying in a corner of the room, is it possible he may need to sleep a bit more, or is it that he is in pain. If it is pain, I assume in his abdomen, because he has had a bit of a more watery stools, how will a vet help me?
I put a blanket on top and some heating, so that he is not going to become too cold. Here is winter and in the room is warm, but where he is is much cooler. I noticed his head slightly as if vibrating.
I also presume he may be becoming of age to mate.
Thank you.
Sonya

Agree, the wet chin could be he's just had a drink and hasn't cleaned the water off yet. However, if it is wet specifically after he's not just had a drink but has been eating and chewing, it could be drooling from dental problems. Then considering the small poops he's been having, this could account for that as well, as it would affect his chewing and he would not eat as well.

As Aki said, if you are concerned and unsure if it's dental issues or not, I would suggest taking him to an experienced rabbit savvy vet to have his teeth checked.

Maxi said:

Hi. I wanted to ask in the same area of concern -- if my mini rabbit is refusing to move for the whole day, which is very unusual for him and is the first time this has happened, staying in a corner of the room, is it possible he may need to sleep a bit more, or is it that he is in pain. If it is pain, I assume in his abdomen, because he has had a bit of a more watery stools, how will a vet help me?
I put a blanket on top and some heating, so that he is not going to become too cold. Here is winter and in the room is warm, but where he is is much cooler. I noticed his head slightly as if vibrating.
I also presume he may be becoming of age to mate.
Thank you.
Sonya

Click to expand...

Lethargy, reluctance to move, head vibrating(teeth grinding?), can all be signs of pain, especially if your rabbit is also not eating well or at all. If he also has actual watery diarrhea, this is an emergency and you need to get him to a rabbit savvy vet immediately!

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

If the poop isn't watery diarrhea but is just a small bit of mushy poop and your bun is eating, drinking, and pooping fine otherwise, then it could be he's just sleeping. Rabbits sleep during the day usually. Try offering him some of his food to see if he will eat. If he does then he may be fine. If he doesn't want to move or eat, that can indicate he is unwell, and like I mentioned, it could be an emergency at this point.

However, I can't actually see what is going on with your rabbit and can only offer one possible explanation and opinion. When in doubt it is always best to seek the advice of your rabbit savvy vet.

He wasn't drinking water and he wasn't eating he was just running around and I picked him up and he had a wet chin... I'm thinking that it could possibly be dental problems?

In that case, go see a rabbit-savvy vet. Do it now, it won't get better on its own.

MAXI : what you describe has nothing to do with mating. As JBun said, it is an emergency. A rabbit not moving (thus not eating and pooping) and grinding his teeth is probably in stasis, which can be a manifestation of another problem. If you don't take him to a vet, he could die in 48h. Go see a vet immediately. Explain that your rabbit has GI stasis on the phone and ask for a appointment as soon as possible (I mean TODAY).

DEAR MEMBER,TRY THIS WEB ADDRESS IF ALL FAILS http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html:hug2::runningrabbit:sincerely james waller