Hi, I'm new and I think my bunny might be sick. HELP PLEASE

[Adriana1997]

I've had my baby lionhead for about a week and she seemed perfectly healthy and happy. But I think my mom gave her a lot of lettuce/carrots without me knowing and now she is... "going" a lot more than normal I think. It is not diarrhea, it looks normal, she's acting normal... but the thing is she's a baby and only weighs a pound so I'm really worried I want her to see a vet but my mom says oh she'll be fine

 

[blondiesmommie]

Ya I read your suppose to start them w one veggie at atone, small amount, just to make sure everything goes... Smoothly lol bit then I've read when they're backed up, to feed them more veggies, greens. I'm no expert , I'm new too lol but just keep an eye on her/him. Good luck!!

 

[MiniLopHop]

Rabbits shouldn't be given greens until they are 5 or 6 months old. At that point you can start giving them little bits, one at a time.

Your bun's digestive system is overwhelmed. Please make sure your mom understands that giving vegetables too soon and fast could cause diarreah, which can be fatal, particularly in such a young bun. The most important thing is that she doesn't get dehydrated. Lots of hay to help get things more solid and moving correctly. If you use a bottle for water I suggest giving her a bowl, because rabbits tend to drink more that way. Please keep a careful watch that she is eating and drinking. If the poo does not return to normal in 24 hours I would suggest a vet.

 

[Watermelons]

Veggies need to be introduced slowly one at a time just as Elizabeth has said.

As long as her poops are still solid and normal I wouldn't worry. Shes still eating and drinking normally? If all is well and "solid" then I dont think you need to see a vet just for some extra poops, the more a bunny eats, the more a bunny poops

You can let your mom know if she wants to give her veggies, she can offer a small leaf or 2 a day, control what shes allowed to feed and tell her what could happen if she offers too mcuh. Can you put portions in bags for her?

 

[LakeCondo]

1 & only 1 person should be in charge of feeding this rabbit, so the amount can be monitored. You & Mom need to decide who that person should be. And if it's she, she ought to learn about rabbits, maybe by coming on the forum. Of course whoever does the feeding should also do the cleaning up.

 

[Maureen Las]

If she has diarrhea or the poop is runny it is an emergency. but if the poop is looser just give her a lot of hay and go out and get a probiotic like benebac. Benebac may help restore normal gut flora and is sold in large pet chain stores .I know that Petco sells individual tubes for small mammals but you can also use the powdered benebac made for cats and dogs or even Probios which is a probiotic sold at farm stores for horses( but Ok for rabbits too)

 

[Sweetie]

Just keep an eye on her, she will be okay. But if she starts to have diahrrea, get her into the vet quickly.

Great advice on here.

 

[Adriana1997]

Thank you everyone! She seems to be fine now. No more lettuce for a while and my mom has strict instructions not to feed her

 

[bunnychild]

parents they are like big children

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:wave:

 

[LakeCondo]

If & when you guys are parents, remember you thought this, lol. From a parent's perspective, just an instant ago the kid was a helpless baby & now, more & more, she knows so much that you don't know, but thinks she knows more than she knows & it's hard for you to tell which is which.

 

[topsithecutebunny]

Oh yes we experienced this problem alot of times, especially when my bunny was little. I advise to give your bunny a break from carrots and lettuce and give him some hay, not too much, maybe for a few days then start him back on the carrots again. Your bunny will be alright I promise

 

[Pipp]

Rabbits shouldn't be given greens until they are 5 or 6 months old. At that point you can start giving them little bits, one at a time.

This isn't exactly true, babies should be allowed to eat what their mom is eating as soon as they're old enough to eat it, and mom should be eating a wide variety of plants, ie: produce and hay.

This prepares the babies for growing up healthy with a good immune system, GI tract and great dental health. They develop good habits and tastes. (They tend to stick with liking what they were eating when kits).

The problems occur when you have rabbits who have only been fed pellets out of the nest box, that's when they have trouble adjusting. Feeding them veggies slowly is good advice in that case, but waiting until they're six months old is not.

Once weaned, baby rabbits develop their immune systems by exposure to lots of different foods (and food borne bacteria) and socialization with other rabbits. Variety and keeping the families together until the kits are at least eight weeks old is advisable for that reason.

If you're getting rabbits from a breeder, its always best to know the nest box history. Pet stores are not advised because the history is rarely known -- among many other negatives.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[Pipp]

Oh yes we experienced this problem alot of times, especially when my bunny was little. I advise to give your bunny a break from carrots and lettuce and give him some hay, not too much, maybe for a few days then start him back on the carrots again. Your bunny will be alright I promise

No such thing as too much hay. Rabbits are foragers who eat for up to ten hours a day in their natural environment, which in turn keeps their teeth and guts healthy. Unlimited amounts of hay and/or grass is pretty much the only thing that can accommodate this.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[devout*bunniest]

Rabbits don't need ANYTHING other then hay and pellets, anything else is only a treat. A little piece of apple, carrot or banana is good but not too much, a fat rabbit is not good. Never lettuce, most vegetables (just like us) causes gas with rabbits can't pass. So they get diarrhea which (just like human babies) is a big problem because they are so small they dehydrate fast. So pellets and LOTS of water is all he needs. Lot of water, i would go as far as putting a bit of peach tea in it so he will want to drink more.

 

[whitelop]

Rabbits don't need ANYTHING other then hay and pellets, anything else is only a treat. A little piece of apple, carrot or banana is good but not too much, a fat rabbit is not good. Never lettuce, most vegetables (just like us) causes gas with rabbits can't pass. So they get diarrhea which (just like human babies) is a big problem because they are so small they dehydrate fast. So pellets and LOTS of water is all he needs. Lot of water, i would go as far as putting a bit of peach tea in it so he will want to drink more.

Ummm...no?
I agree that rabbits need hay and water. But they don't necessarily need pellets.
I also don't agree with putting peach tea in water, they drink water just fine on their own.
Sugars in banana's, carrots and apples ARE bad, so I agree with just a little bit of those.
But MOST greens don't make rabbits gassy. Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, turnip greens will make SOME bunnies gassy. But NOT ALL.
ICEBURG lettuce is NOT good for rabbits, but green/red leaf lettuce, romaine, frisee, butter, escarole and other "artisan" type lettuces are fine for them. They all have good vitamins in them. Plus, cilantro is good for tummies and a common favorite. On top of rabbits loving most greens and them having good vitamins and minerals in them, they are mostly water and hydrate the bunnies while they're eating, if you wash them before you give them then they get the water off the leaves too.
Somethings bother some rabbits while they don't bother other rabbits. Some rabbits have GI issues that greens and veggies irritate, but not all.
So to lump ALL greens and veggies into the "never to give group" is incorrect. I had a rabbit that lived on NO pellets, only hay and greens. She did very well.

 

[devout*bunniest]

Ummm...no?
I agree that rabbits need hay and water. But they don't necessarily need pellets.
I also don't agree with putting peach tea in water, they drink water just fine on their own.
Sugars in banana's, carrots and apples ARE bad, so I agree with just a little bit of those.
But MOST greens don't make rabbits gassy. Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, turnip greens will make SOME bunnies gassy. But NOT ALL.
ICEBURG lettuce is NOT good for rabbits, but green/red leaf lettuce, romaine, frisee, butter, escarole and other "artisan" type lettuces are fine for them. They all have good vitamins in them. Plus, cilantro is good for tummies and a common favorite. On top of rabbits loving most greens and them having good vitamins and minerals in them, they are mostly water and hydrate the bunnies while they're eating, if you wash them before you give them then they get the water off the leaves too.
Somethings bother some rabbits while they don't bother other rabbits. Some rabbits have GI issues that greens and veggies irritate, but not all.
So to lump ALL greens and veggies into the "never to give group" is incorrect. I had a rabbit that lived on NO pellets, only hay and greens. She did very well.

My advice comes from years of personal exerience with much more then one rabbit. And the advice of close friends that have YEARS of breeding and showing rabbits, very trust worthy and knowledgable. Also last time i checked ALL mammals need some level of natural sugar. And yes, diluted peach or camomile tea is just fine (they like it). One of the biggest indicators that rabbits don't feel good is them not eating and drinking

 

[JBun]

Many of us on here have years of personal experience with rabbits as well, and everyone's experiences are going to be different because no rabbit is the same. You may have found with your rabbits that they did better on hay and pellets only. Whitelop found that her rabbit did well on veggies and hay only. I once had a new bunny that would only eat leafy veggies when I first got her, because of her previous owners, and she was very healthy and had no problems because of it. I also have a rabbit that can have no pellets as they make him sick and he gets GI stasis. To say that ALL rabbits should only have hay and pellets because veggies will make them sick, just simply isn't accurate for every rabbit. Rabbits nutritional needs sometimes have to be dealt with on an individual basis. Some rabbits are fine with pellets and some aren't. And the same goes for veggies.

 

[Imbrium]

Rabbits don't need ANYTHING other then hay and pellets, anything else is only a treat. A little piece of apple, carrot or banana is good but not too much, a fat rabbit is not good. Never lettuce, most vegetables (just like us) causes gas with rabbits can't pass. So they get diarrhea which (just like human babies) is a big problem because they are so small they dehydrate fast. So pellets and LOTS of water is all he needs. Lot of water, i would go as far as putting a bit of peach tea in it so he will want to drink more.

yes, fruit should be limited, but there's NOTHING wrong with giving plenty of fresh leafy greens as long as the bunny isn't one of the (*very*) few bunns who have such an overly-sensitive digestive tract that they can really only handle eating hay. veggies **** near never cause diarrhea unless introduced in large quantities very suddenly (most often with very young bunnies) and only cruciferous veggies cause gas. also, it's recommended that you not add anything to a bunny's regular water supply... and most tea contains caffeine, which I definitely wouldn't give to a bunny. a rabbit without any underlying health problems will consume as much water as they need via drinking plain water and eating veggies without having to add anything to the water.

my 3-4 lb rabbits eat about 5-6 (packed) cups of leafy green veggies combined on a daily basis, are healthy as can be, and my vet (along with tons of other vets) agrees with feeding adult rabbits a very limited amount of pellets, lots of leafy green veggies and unlimited grass hay.

rabbits can do fine without veggies, but that does NOT mean that veggies are a bad thing to feed.

 

[whitelop]

My advice comes from years of personal exerience with much more then one rabbit. And the advice of close friends that have YEARS of breeding and showing rabbits, very trust worthy and knowledgable. Also last time i checked ALL mammals need some level of natural sugar. And yes, diluted peach or camomile tea is just fine (they like it). One of the biggest indicators that rabbits don't feel good is them not eating and drinking

If you would have said that you were a breeder or that you knew a lot of breeders, I probably would have understood more. Breeders tend to have a MUCH different view on diet than pet owners. You're probably a pet owner rather than a breeder, but you view diet LIKE a breeder.
With the breeder/show-ers, they have to keep fur/flesh condition up. Pellets solve that, you give them a high quality pellet and then maybe a handful of hay every few days and you have a rabbit who weighs the right amount and has good fur. I've heard of a lot of breeders, who only feed hay like one time a week or every few days.
For pet owners, who don't have to have a certain fur/flesh condition for their rabbits. Most of us feed a very limited amount of pellets and a large amount of greens and hay. The pellets are more of the treats than the greens.