Bunny

[Bvescobar]

I am very worried about my 5 year old rabbit. Everything has been good for the past two weeks , I switch him over from regular pellets to hay base pellets. Yesterday, he suddenly seems lethargic and I saw his poops have become hairy. He has not ate for 10 hours but he has been pooping, and drinking water. He was in the pain position with teeth grinding a few hours ago but that seemed to go away.. this all happened literally starting last night and have been awake since. It’s 5 am. In conclusion, my rabbit has not ate in 10 hrs but has been pooping and drinking water. I don’t know if I can afford a vet rn but him drinking and walking around is giving me hope. Thank you all during this crazy time

 

[StormysMom6507]

I am very worried about my 5 year old rabbit. Everything has been good for the past two weeks , I switch him over from regular pellets to hay base pellets. Yesterday, he suddenly seems lethargic and I saw his poops have become hairy. He has not ate for 10 hours but he has been pooping, and drinking water. He was in the pain position with teeth grinding a few hours ago but that seemed to go away.. this all happened literally starting last night and have been awake since. It’s 5 am. In conclusion, my rabbit has not ate in 10 hrs but has been pooping and drinking water. I don’t know if I can afford a vet rn but him drinking and walking around is giving me hope. Thank you all during this crazy time

GM! I’m sorry to hear about your Baby. But as far as vet cost, I recently signed up for nationwide pet insurance $21 a month. That is something you might want to look into. I’m a new Bunny mom so I don’t have any Advice to give as far as the bunny goes, I’m here too to learn from these geniuses . But I did want to share about the insurance. Praying best wishes for your situation.

 

[Hermelin]

How do the stomach feel and can you hear a gurgling sound? It can indicate that he have gas if he feel bloated and have gurgling sounds.

If you are sure he have no blockage, which he seem to not have because he’s pooping, you can force feed him with pellets to help the stomach work and not go further into gi stasis.

Do you have baby gas drops with simethicone as active substance. He might have gotten gas or going into gi stasis because of the fast change of pellets.You can give a few drops of gas drops to bind the gas in the stomach.

Drinking water is good and him pooping, but do your mean literally mean hair in the droppings? is he molting? Hair in the gut system can cause gi stasis and blockage.

Try to massage your bunny stomach and make sure he move around. You can force feed your bunny with cc (critical care or soaked pellets, use a syringe to feed him).

But best would taking him to the vet for a check up to make sure it’s gi stasis or gas, it can also be something else causing the pain.

 

[Bvescobar]

GM! I’m sorry to hear about your Baby. But as far as vet cost, I recently signed up for nationwide pet insurance $21 a month. That is something you might want to look into. I’m a new Bunny mom so I don’t have any Advice to give as far as the bunny goes, I’m here too to learn from these geniuses . But I did want to share about the insurance. Praying best wishes for your situation.

Thank you so much

 

[Bvescobar]

How do the stomach feel and can you hear a gurgling sound? It can indicate that he have gas if he feel bloated and have gurgling sounds.

If you are sure he have no blockage, which he seem to not have because he’s pooping, you can force feed him with pellets to help the stomach work and not go further into gi stasis.

Do you have baby gas drops with simethicone as active substance. He might have gotten gas or going into gi stasis because of the fast change of pellets.You can give a few drops of gas drops to bind the gas in the stomach.

Drinking water is good and him pooping, but do your mean literally mean hair in the droppings? is he molting? Hair in the gut system can cause gi stasis and blockage.

Try to massage your bunny stomach and make sure he move around. You can force feed your bunny with cc (critical care or soaked pellets, use a syringe to feed him).

But best would taking him to the vet for a check up to make sure it’s gi stasis or gas, it can also be something else causing the pain.

I gave him a little massage on his belly and it did seem a little bloated. And yes, to clarify the poops have hair in them and I assume it was due to this but he is molting as well. I have gave him pellets soaked in water along with a very very tiny piece of bananas and he ate it! He is more energetic now and seems to be acting normal, but I will check up on a vet because I am scared this happening again... I really though he was going to be in that painful position forever. Thank you so much for you help and suggestions!!!

 

[Bvescobar]

To add, he seems to be not enjoying the new hay based pellets... I have used his old pellets and added small amounts of hay pellets gradually to his bowl and he seemed to eat it fine, but now that it’s all hay based, I’m wondering if I should buy his old pellets and keep mixing them because he does not seem to be eating as much..

 

[Hermelin]

If he’s molting it can slow down his stomach, make sure to brush him and that he eat a lot of hay. To make sure he won’t get blockage because of the hair that build ups.

Often when you change pellets it take time for them to get used to eat it. But I hope he will keep getting better, molting season can sometimes cause trouble. It’s good that he have started to eat food

 

[Blue eyes]

During a heavy shed, the poos can show some of that fur that gets ingested when he grooms himself. The poos may even string together like pearls. Any of that is a sign that he should get extra brushing and extra hay. (You can encourage more hay eating by refreshing it a couple times per day.)

It's also a good idea to get some infant gas drops (simethicone) to have on hand in case this occurs again. It is safe to give rabbits and is a great go-to at the first sign of a rabbit refusing food and hunching down. That alone is often enough to get them feeling well enough to start eating.

As Hermelin mentioned, it is a good idea to mix old pellets with new when switching brands. So your idea of getting some of his old pellets is spot on. Just mix the two starting with a little bit of the new and more of the old. Gradually increase the new and decrease the old.

If he's eating now and doing well, you may not want to take him to the vet. Taking him to the vet can stress him and stress alone can cause GI stress and cause him to relapse.

 

[Bvescobar]

During a heavy shed, the poos can show some of that fur that gets ingested when he grooms himself. The poos may even string together like pearls. Any of that is a sign that he should get extra brushing and extra hay. (You can encourage more hay eating by refreshing it a couple times per day.)

It's also a good idea to get some infant gas drops (simethicone) to have on hand in case this occurs again. It is safe to give rabbits and is a great go-to at the first sign of a rabbit refusing food and hunching down. That alone is often enough to get them feeling well enough to start eating.

As Hermelin mentioned, it is a good idea to mix old pellets with new when switching brands. So your idea of getting some of his old pellets is spot on. Just mix the two starting with a little bit of the new and more of the old. Gradually increase the new and decrease the old.

If he's eating now and doing well, you may not want to take him to the vet. Taking him to the vet can stress him and stress alone can cause GI stress and cause him to relapse.

Thank you so so much for these suggestions! I’m buying the infant drops today. He has been drinking water, eating his hay based pellets mixed with the old, and seems to just be chilling now like usual, he was even in the Superman position an hour ago. Thank you again and hoping he stays this way, my relief has been fixed and can’t thank y’all enough for that

 

[Bvescobar]

Thank you so so much for these suggestions! I’m buying the infant drops today. He has been drinking water, eating his hay based pellets mixed with the old, and seems to just be chilling now like usual, he was even in the Superman position an hour ago. Thank you again and hoping he stays this way, my relief has been fixed and can’t thank y’all enough for that

 

[zuppa]

Hi, I am glad to hear that he's feeling better now, here's a video for belly massage might be helpful



Also may I ask what were his old pellets and new pellets, can you give us names and ingredients on packages, like why you say they are hay based, is that timothy hay or alfalfa hay or oat hay or else?

Anyway if you can give us names we can find information on them.

Also you didn't say about hay, he eats hay as well or only pellets? What type of hay if so and how much? And how much pellets he has daily as well, any greens/vegs etc

And I understand he is 5 year old now, was he with you all those years or you just got him recently, and why you decided to change his pellets, was there any problem with them?

 

[Bvescobar]

Hi, I am glad to hear that he's feeling better now, here's a video for belly massage might be helpful



Also may I ask what were his old pellets and new pellets, can you give us names and ingredients on packages, like why you say they are hay based, is that timothy hay or alfalfa hay or oat hay or else?

Anyway if you can give us names we can find information on them.

Also you didn't say about hay, he eats hay as well or only pellets? What type of hay if so and how much? And how much pellets he has daily as well, any greens/vegs etc

And I understand he is 5 year old now, was he with you all those years or you just got him recently, and why you decided to change his pellets, was there any problem with them?

His old pellets were a brand that was from Walmart called Small World Complete Rabbit Feed and made the switch to Sherwood Pet Health Adult Rabbit Food - Timothy and Alfalfa based pellets. He has unlimited amount of Timothy hay but we made the switch because he was not eating as much hay and was eating more pellets as well as poops becoming a little more moist and soft. When I googled how much pellets to give him when I got him, it says only a handful. So I give him handful of pellets in morning and night, but sometimes in the day because he does not touch the Timothy hay sometimes. For veggies and greens we feed him parsley, spinach, arugula, red lettuce, mint and kale. My mom got him from a coworker when he was around 1, she took care of him for 1 year, then when I moved back from college I have been taking care of him for 3 years

 

[zuppa]

I will google those pellets for ingredients, I don't know them. Actually when you give more pellets they will eat less hay, if you dont give pellets or reduce they will start eating more hay since they are hungry. Well some rabbits are stubborn and would starve themselves and we want them to have their gut moving all the time to avoid gut stasis.

 

[Bvescobar]

I will google those pellets for ingredients, I don't know them. Actually when you give more pellets they will eat less hay, if you dont give pellets or reduce they will start eating more hay since they are hungry. Well some rabbits are stubborn and would starve themselves and we want them to have their gut moving all the time to avoid gut stasis.

I love my baby boy to pieces but yes he’s EXTREMELY stubborn. I resist myself to feed him pellets in the day but sometimes he nudges me for food when he has hay and won’t leave me alone more reason why I made the switch.

 

[zuppa]

Small World your old pellets had 16% protein and 15% fibre I think you were right when you wanted to change them, for an adult it should be min 19% fiber and max 13% protein.

----------------
Small World Complete Feed for Rabbits,

Ingredients: Wheat Middlings,Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal,Roughage Products,Corn Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles,Soybean Meal,DL-Methionine,Calcium Carbonate,Salt,Ferrous Carbonate,Ferrous Sulfate,Copper Sulfate,Manganous Oxide,Manganese Sulfate,Zinc Oxide,Zinc Sulfate,Cobalt Carbonate,Calcium Iodate,Sodium Selenite,Vitamin A Supplement,Vitamin D? Supplement,Vitamin E Supplement,Thiamine Mononitrate,Riboflavin Supplement,Niacin Supplement,Choline Chloride,Calcium Pantothenate,Pyridoxine Hydrochloride,Folic Acid,Biotin,Vitamin B?? Supplement,Yucca Schidigera Extract,Wheat Mill Run,Suncured Alfalfa Meal,Soybean Hulls (20%),Rice Bran,Soybean Meal,Corn Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles,DL-Methionine,Calcium Carbonate,Salt,Ferrous Carbonate,Ferrous Sulfate,Copper Sulfate,Manganous Oxide,Manganese Sulfate,Zinc Oxide,Zinc Sulfate,Cobalt Carbonate,Calcium Iodate,Sodium Selenite,Vitamin A Suplement,Vitamin D? Supplement,Vitamin E Supplement,Thiamine Mononitrate,Riboflavin Supplement,Niacin Supplement,Choline Chloride,Calcium Pantothenate,Pyridoxine Hydrochloride,Folic Acid,Biotin,Vitamin B?? Supplement,Yucca Schidigera Extract

Directions:
Instructions: Provide your rabbits with all the small world rabbit they will consumeeach day, or limit-feed as necessary To achieve the desired bodycondition. Clean the feeding cup daily And be sure To provide fresh,clean water at all times, small world rabbit is a complete diet. Hayand other forages can be fed, but are not required. Reminder: feed isperishable. Store this product in a cool, dry area away From rodentsand insects.

Feeding Instructions: Directions. Provide your rabbits with all the Small World® Rabbit they will consume each day. For some individuals, the amount of food offered may need to be limited to avoid obesity. Clean the feeder daily and be sure to provide fresh, clean water at all times. Small World Rabbit is a complete diet. Hay and other forages can be fed, but are not required. Nutritious treats can be offered on an occasional basis.
------------

Sherwood Pet Health Adult Rabbit Food have better percentage of fiber and lower protein so generally should be fine for your rabbit.

Maybe as you said you mixed them for a few days maybe you should do it longer for a couple weeks, gradually decreasing old and increasing new, but I can tell you pellets are not their main food and you can feed only hay and water for a week to make him less picky, then start with giving just a few pellets a day, then increase a bit.

On your old food package stated that hay is not necessary when you feed their product, that is not correct, he should have 80% of his diet hay and only 50 gram of pellets per day.

Especially now he's molting and if he won't eat hay hay is helping to push all the hair out, so if he doesn#t have enough hay he can get blockages, it's very dangerous.

Here's most popular rabbit foods in one table, Sherwood is recommended so it's just about transferring him slowly to it.

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp

Most people on here as far as I know feed Oxbow and unlimited hay.

What is important, fibre must be min 19% and protein max 13% since your rabbit is an adult and can get fat if protein is higher. This is no good because he is not young and can have problems with cleaning himself and reaching his cecotropes etc, so as I said your choice was good just you need to make him eat those new pellets little by little.

 

[Blue eyes]

I've been feeding Sherwood for a number of years now. ( I used to feed Oxbow and still consider it a good brand.)

The nutrition analysis on The Rabbit House comparison chart is not up to date for Sherwood's newest adult pellets. (New ones are 12% protein and 24-29% fiber.)

I like that Sherwood makes their pellets fresh every week. They also have no soy or grain. When I first started getting them, they came in a clear plastic bag inside a cardboard box. They've since grown to be able to have commercial packaging.

For those of you who have been following the concerns about RHDV2, Sherwood has the following on their website.

To eliminate the remote chance of picking up the virus from hay where wild rabbits can spread the virus (our food is mostly hay) we want you to know that we own our manufacturing plant in northern Utah and we have been working on an additional viral 'kill step' to ensure your pet rabbits are safe from RHVD2 and any other viruses in the future. Until this new viral kill step is installed, we we have purchased a large supply of 2019 hay from our supplier in central Idaho - currently still a virus free area.

I got a little off subject there. I'll post this RHDV2 info about Sherwood's (and Oxbow's) statements on a separate thread.

 

[Freedom]

What a handsome bun.