Bunny poops and tummy gurgles

[AlmondJoy]

Hello! Need some advice on my bunny...started a few weeks ago when I had to go out of town and took my two bunnies to the vet for bunny sitting. Well when I got home it looked like they were molting (maybe from stress). I groomed them and cleaned them up but I have no idea if they consumed hair.
My girl bunny is fine but my boy bunny started pooping all different sizes. I took him back to vet for checkup and they put him on Critical Care and papaya tablets. I fed these to him and he muches on hay (wouldnt touch his pellets) but his poops were looking like really big cecotropes.

I decided to not give him any more of the Critical Care thinking it was too much for his tummy and yesterday he ate allot of hay and started munching on pellets (very little). His droppings are now normal and round but alot lighter color than normal (and not as much as usual). His stomach also gurgles occasionally (i massage it hoping it will help). He runs around and does his binkies like normal.

Any suggestions? Ideas? Please help! They have never had tummy issues before.

 

[JBun]

A rabbit suddenly having odd shaped poop and it's not because it's attached to fur, can be an indication of coccidiosis. The lighter colored droppings(when not from eating lighter colored hay) and the gurgling stomach would also make me concerned that there was something more going on, especially if you were to see any mucous in the droppings as well. I would want my vet to do a fecal float to check for coccidiosis. You would need to bring in a sample of the poop(a sample from 3 days worth would be more accurate).

I would also restrict pellets and any other sugary/starchy foods, as these can promote the growth of bad bacteria, which you want to prevent at this point. I would free feed grass hay(good quality, not spoiled, ensuring my rabbit is eating it well), provide a salt spool, and fresh water(preferably in a dish over a bottle). Then monitor his weight/body condition to make sure he isn't loosing too much weight. Once everything has been back to normal for several days, then I would gradually reintroduce pellets into the diet.

Your bun may not have coccidiosis, but anytime a rabbit suddenly has odd shaped poop not related to fur ingestion or lack of eating, it is concerning and should be investigated, as it means something is affecting the nerve contraction in the digestive tract, and coccidiosis can be a cause for this to occur.

 

[AlmondJoy]

Thanks for the response. He has now pooped a whole bunch and they are all wet and dark (looks like cecotrops but bigger and not bunched together). slightly stinky also. I am waiting for a callback from the vet.

 

[JBun]

If you haven't already talked to the vet, I would want him seen today. Something like this is a matter of urgency and important to get the bun on the right meds right away.