Mushy poops

[Mom to Minx]

Minx is having mushy poops today snd bum very messy
This is a new thing
Sorry I’m not familiar with the proper threads
I mostly just enjoy other people and their buns
This is mom to Minx

 

[JBun]

If it's just the cecotropes that are mushy and there are normal fecal balls, it's usually a dietary issue. Have you introduced any new foods, changed any, started a new bag of hay or pellets, or have any veggies you feed gone bad? Stress can also affect a rabbits digestive system. Anything that may have stressed your rabbit?

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952892

If all poop is mushy and not just mushy cecotropes, but no normal fecal balls either, your rabbit may have diarrhea, which is a medical emergency, and I would strongly recommend getting your rabbit seen by a knowledgeable rabbit vet immediately.

www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Generalities/Enteritis_en.htm

 

[Mom to Minx]

If it's just the cecotropes that are mushy and there are normal fecal balls, it's usually a dietary issue. Have you introduced any new foods, changed any, started a new bag of hay or pellets, or have any veggies you feed gone bad? Stress can also affect a rabbits digestive system. Anything that may have stressed your rabbit?

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952892

If all poop is mushy and not just mushy cecotropes, but no normal fecal balls either, your rabbit may have diarrhea, which is a medical emergency, and I would strongly recommend getting your rabbit seen by a knowledgeable rabbit vet immediately.

www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Generalities/Enteritis_en.htm

If it's just the cecotropes that are mushy and there are normal fecal balls, it's usually a dietary issue. Have you introduced any new foods, changed any, started a new bag of hay or pellets, or have any veggies you feed gone bad? Stress can also affect a rabbits digestive system. Anything that may have stressed your rabbit?

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952892

If all poop is mushy and not just mushy cecotropes, but no normal fecal balls either, your rabbit may have diarrhea, which is a medical emergency, and I would strongly recommend getting your rabbit seen by a knowledgeable rabbit vet immediately.

www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Generalities/Enteritis_en.htm

Thank you for your reply ! It is just the cecotropes! No nothing new in her diet. Minx isn’t a big hay eater. She does have an exotic vet, thank goodness and has treated her for a couple of GI stasis!
Because she doesn’t eat much hay he suggested I give Minx Kale. This began about two months ago. I brought some for her to try and she loves it! But I think perhaps I’ve been giving her too much!!!
It is her main food along with carrot tops and parsley and she’s been fine with it. I give her usually 4 servings a day…breakfast, lunch, supper, and bedtime with no issues. She does also get fresh hay every morning and eats about half of it through the day but not the amount I see other buns eating! It’s Orchard and she does like it but NOT TIMOTHY!
So I’m wondering if it’s maybe too rich and too much Kale? She does love it very much but I don’t want her to have issues with it!
This happened yesterday with the mushy CC’s but later in the day I saw that she was eating some and I haven’t seen any on the floor or in her litter box since then!
Once I saw this yesterday I added more hay plus I only gave her a very small handful in her dish twice as I didn’t want her to go on strike and not eat anything! I also stopped all he4 pellets!
A friend is coming over this afternoon to help me clean her little bum better, as she wasn’t impressed with me yesterday and much easier with two people; one holding and the other cleaning! She’s never had this issue before! PS her poops are good
Thank you again for responding
Mom to Minx

 

[Blue eyes]

Parsley and carrot tops are high in calcium. They should only be fed occasionally. Kale may also be a bit high in calcium. Daily feeding of all 3 is probably not a good idea. Only one of those three should be fed every few days. In other words, if she gets parsley one day, she should not get any more parsley OR carrot tops OR kale until a few days have passed.

I suggest introducing her to some other greens that are recommended for daily feeding. That way you can safely offer her greens every day -- greens that are safe for daily feeding.

What amount of greens is she getting per day (in cup volume)? How much hay is she eating per day? Is it equal to the size of her body?

Hay is the great fixer. A rabbit eating a good amount of hay is much less likely to have any digestive issues. It does wonders for their gut.

 

[Mom to Minx]

Parsley and carrot tops are high in calcium. They should only be fed occasionally. Kale may also be a bit high in calcium. Daily feeding of all 3 is probably not a good idea. Only one of those three should be fed every few days. In other words, if she gets parsley one day, she should not get any more parsley OR carrot tops OR kale until a few days have passed.

I suggest introducing her to some other greens that are recommended for daily feeding. That way you can safely offer her greens every day -- greens that are safe for daily feeding.

What amount of greens is she getting per day (in cup volume)? How much hay is she eating per day? Is it equal to the size of her body?

Hay is the great fixer. A rabbit eating a good amount of hay is much less likely to have any digestive issues. It does wonders for their gut.

Wow this has been very helpful! I didn’t know about the parsley and carrot tops being hi in calcium
She does love romaine and will continue with that
She does love the kale but instead of four small kale dishes I will give her one small dish per day along with the romaine!
Minx probably eats one cup of hay per day
She’s not a fan! When younger she ate almost none ( was on Timothy)’she didn’t like it
Fir the past year she’s been on Orchard and will tolerate it but maybe consumes one and a half cups daily
And I have to sometimes aggravate her to begin to eat and other times she will just nibble at it through the day!
My exotic vet who is very good told me to give Minx the Kale because it works something like the hay and she does love it!
Her poops are good and I’ve seen no problem with the cc’s today looking at her litter box and no marks on the kitchen floor
Thank you so much for this information
It’s been very helpful
She is about 6 pounds and such a lovely girl
Thank you
Yvonne
Mom to Minx

 

[Blue eyes]

One way to encourage more hay eating is to refresh it throughout the day-- 2 or 3 times per day (or more). Don't wait for it to get low before refreshing. There is something about newly added hay that often gets them to eat it.

In addition to that, another way to get them more interested is to limit the greens to just once per day (at most, twice per day). The same daily amount can be given-- just give it all at one time. If she's used to getting greens 4x per day, then no wonder she's just waiting for the next feeding of greens and mostly skipping the hay. But if she only gets her greens once per day, then she'll be more likely to eat the hay throughout the rest of the day. Just know that it may take a couple weeks for her to realize that she is only getting the greens once per day. Consistency is key. The once per day (possibly twice per day) routine should be like clockwork-- always the same, day after day. I'd really lean toward just once per day and stick with that for a couple weeks to see if she begins to eat more hay (with that refreshing of the hay). If she does well, you could then add in that 2nd feeding at a later time and then stick with the twice per day feeding of greens. I think she's not eating enough hay because she just waits for her frequent feedings of greens.

 

[Mom to Minx]

One way to encourage more hay eating is to refresh it throughout the day-- 2 or 3 times per day (or more). Don't wait for it to get low before refreshing. There is something about newly added hay that often gets them to eat it.

In addition to that, another way to get them more interested is to limit the greens to just once per day (at most, twice per day). The same daily amount can be given-- just give it all at one time. If she's used to getting greens 4x per day, then no wonder she's just waiting for the next feeding of greens and mostly skipping the hay. But if she only gets her greens once per day, then she'll be more likely to eat the hay throughout the rest of the day. Just know that it may take a couple weeks for her to realize that she is only getting the greens once per day. Consistency is key. The once per day (possibly twice per day) routine should be like clockwork-- always the same, day after day. I'd really lean toward just once per day and stick with that for a couple weeks to see if she begins to eat more hay (with that refreshing of the hay). If she does well, you could then add in that 2nd feeding at a later time and then stick with the twice per day feeding of greens. I think she's not eating enough hay because she just waits for her frequent feedings of greens.

Well isn’t she clever!!!
And what you are saying makes total sense!!
I will certainly start that and here’s hoping and praying!
I love this precious little bun!!!
Thank you so much again!!