So I've got a little 8wk old rabbit he is eating and drinking also in good spirits and moving around but he has such a fat belly! Is it possibly bloat or is he just a little piggy for food? He is on free choice hay and has also has free choice pellets since he seemed to be a little small for what he should be.
Bloat?
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It sounds more like he has a pot belly, which can be a symptom of some different health issues. Sometimes the diet can be a contributing factor. What kind of hay are you feeding, and what is the type and brand of pellets? Are you seeing any mucous in the droppings or odd shaped fecals? Does he seem boney and thin along the back and hindquarters?
Timothy hay that has a very small amount if alfalfa in it. Bedding is flax straw, pellets are country junction 16%. All poop seems normal and he has a decent topline I think. Stomach doesnt feel hard and he seems to be ok with me touching it.
I would suspect the feed might have something to do with it, or at least contributing to it. It's a low quality feed, likely high in carbs, which isn't a good thing for young rabbits. Baby rabbits don't process carbs as well as adult rabbits and too many carbs can disrupt the healthy microflora in the gut, especially a newly weaned bunny.
I had the same thing with a new baby bun I got. When I got her she was really tiny and undersized and had a pot belly. I immediately removed her previous pellets from the former owner, put her on a free fed hay only diet, and gradually started introducing a better quality pellet into her diet over the next few weeks. It fixed the problem. Her belly returned to normal and she eventually caught up in size for her breed.
One thing if trying this though, the rabbit needs to be eating the hay really well to make up for the lack of pellets and then reduced pellets in the beginning. Body condition and weight should be closely monitored to make sure the bun continues to grow and gain weight, and isn't getting skinny. And also monitoring energy and behavior to make sure no signs of declining, lack of appetite, or lethargy occur, which can happen if it's not a dietary issue going on but something else.
Another possibility is a parasite issue. I know of an owner that treated a baby bun that was very under sized, that had a suspected intestinal parasite issue, using fenbendazole and it corrected the problem. Also hepatic coccidiosis can cause slow growth with a pot belly. So these are some other considerations .
I had the same thing with a new baby bun I got. When I got her she was really tiny and undersized and had a pot belly. I immediately removed her previous pellets from the former owner, put her on a free fed hay only diet, and gradually started introducing a better quality pellet into her diet over the next few weeks. It fixed the problem. Her belly returned to normal and she eventually caught up in size for her breed.
One thing if trying this though, the rabbit needs to be eating the hay really well to make up for the lack of pellets and then reduced pellets in the beginning. Body condition and weight should be closely monitored to make sure the bun continues to grow and gain weight, and isn't getting skinny. And also monitoring energy and behavior to make sure no signs of declining, lack of appetite, or lethargy occur, which can happen if it's not a dietary issue going on but something else.
Another possibility is a parasite issue. I know of an owner that treated a baby bun that was very under sized, that had a suspected intestinal parasite issue, using fenbendazole and it corrected the problem. Also hepatic coccidiosis can cause slow growth with a pot belly. So these are some other considerations .
Thanks that's super helpful! Even though he is a cross bred he is behind for what his parent stock are. It's the most readily available pellet to me but I will have to see what I can get easily ordered in. And will look into parasites too. What is suggested for rabbit pellets? I'm in alberta canada. I've attached the guaranteed analysis for the country junction.
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So the fiber content is low. The ingredient list is important too. I couldn't find one for those, but those types of feeds are usually not made with high quality ingredients and usually use higher amounts of processed grain by products, which is what causes these types of problems, along with possible ingredient contamination.
I'm not exactly sure what's available in Canada but I would suggest looking at higher quality pet feeds like oxbow, science select, etc. No muesli mixes, just plain pellets. You want something with at least a minimum of 18% fiber, 15-17% protein (only while a junior), and with alfalfa or other hay as the first ingredient. You don't want a grain product being the first ingredient. Science select junior, oxbow garden select young rabbit, and oxbow essentials young rabbit all fit the bill, with the garden select being the best in my opinion. There are others, I just don't know what they will be for where you are. Hopefully an RO member from Canada will chime in.
They are higher priced but I feel they are safer and there's less chance of causing problems. Those lower quality bulk feeds use inferior ingredients and there's a greater chance of quality control issues occurring that could pose health risks. I don't know about in Canada, but it happens here in the US often enough with other bulk brands, where the feed is inadvertently mixed with something harmful or with a toxic vitamin ratio, causing massive health problems and even death when a bad batch of feed occurs. To me it's worth paying extra, just for piece of mind, but also it's better for my rabbits health.
I'm not exactly sure what's available in Canada but I would suggest looking at higher quality pet feeds like oxbow, science select, etc. No muesli mixes, just plain pellets. You want something with at least a minimum of 18% fiber, 15-17% protein (only while a junior), and with alfalfa or other hay as the first ingredient. You don't want a grain product being the first ingredient. Science select junior, oxbow garden select young rabbit, and oxbow essentials young rabbit all fit the bill, with the garden select being the best in my opinion. There are others, I just don't know what they will be for where you are. Hopefully an RO member from Canada will chime in.
They are higher priced but I feel they are safer and there's less chance of causing problems. Those lower quality bulk feeds use inferior ingredients and there's a greater chance of quality control issues occurring that could pose health risks. I don't know about in Canada, but it happens here in the US often enough with other bulk brands, where the feed is inadvertently mixed with something harmful or with a toxic vitamin ratio, causing massive health problems and even death when a bad batch of feed occurs. To me it's worth paying extra, just for piece of mind, but also it's better for my rabbits health.
If you have panacur(fenbendazole) for rabbits there, that's what I would use for deworming.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Parasitic_diseases/Pass/Pass_en.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Parasitic_diseases/Pass/Pass_en.htm
I can get equine panacur I image I can use that just have to be really careful with math to get a tiny dose for their small weight
