can feeding too many sugary fruits or treats be causing small poops in rabbits?

[BinkyLouie]

My parents and sisters LOVE to give Louie treats. It’s really annoying because it’s already hard enough to make him eat his hay. They always interrupt him and shake the bag of treats and it’s really irritating. As a rabbit mom I’ve become more strict with them they don’t seem to care.. They’re always accusing me of not feeding him enough but I literally feed him at 12(his veggies which is 1/2) and his alfalfa pellets(1/4)at 8:30 or 9PM. He has unlimited hay so he has enough to eat through out the whole day it’s just when he gets treats he tends to depend on them or if they keep giving him veggies without consulting me. It’s really hard in this household to be honest. I’m just concerned with his poops because I’ve noticed he’s been producing small poops sometimes and he even produced an EGG shaped egg for the first time. He hasn’t pooped any of those anymore but he has been producing small poops every once in a while. He poops normal poops and small poops but there’s definitely more normal poops than small poops.. He also gets a hold of cardboard a lot and or wires. WHICH is rare about the wires because I’m watching him 24/7. Anyways, I’m just worried about the poo’s and if the reason could be because of the sugary foods. Someone please help. Thank you. I had the same issue with my last rabbit which rip because he was really precious but once again they LOVED to feed him a lot. It’s like I wasn’t even in control and I’m not even in control now.

 

[BinkyLouie]

Here are the comparisons between the big and the small..

 

[John Wick]

Yes, feeding too many treats can cause small poops because filling up on treats leads to less hay consumption. You really want to maximize hay consumption. That being said, slight fluctuations in poop size can be normal and not necessarily alarming.

As a side note, can you hide the treats somewhere?

 

[JBun]

Yes it definitely can, especially when fed to excess. Carbs fill your rabbit up with the extra calories so he'll eat less hay, So this means less fiber, which slows down the digestive tract and results in smaller poop. The sugars can also pose a risk of upsetting the bacterial balance in the gut. This can cause mushy poop problems, or in severe cases, diarrhea, which is an emergency with rabbits as it can be fatal.

If your family needs convincing to lay off the treats, if you're the one responsible for vet costs if something happens, tell them you'll be more than glad to give them the bill for the vet if you have to take your rabbit in for GI stasis. A very common digestive illness in rabbits that comes from the digestive tract slowing down too much and making a rabbit sick. Average cost for a vet bill for GI stasis... $150-300. And that's presuming a rabbit makes it through. They don't always. Or if your mom/parents pay the vet bill, let her know how much it costs if you have to take him in because he gets sick from the treats.

https://rabbit.org/category/health/gastrointestinal-tract/
Maybe you could convince them with the threat of it making your rabbit sick and possible vet costs. Then maybe provide them with the alternative foods for treats that are allowed. You could try having a baggie of his daily allotment of veggies for treats that you could keep prepared in the fridge. His daily pellet ration can also be given as a treat. And if a sugary treat is fed at all, fresh fruit would be the best option for that. It will be less apt to slow down the digestive tract than store bought processed treats or grain filled treats. And remember any new food needs to be gradually introduced into the diet.

 

[BinkyLouie]

I figured because literally the small poops started coming in as soon as they started to feed him more sugary treats. It’s so annoying.. I can’t even convince because then they say I’m treating him badly which I guess wanting him to have a good diet is treating a rabbit badly??? I try to educate them and they just think I’m trying to seem like a know it all. They take everything negatively. Louie doesn’t even like them all that much if I’m honest he’s always with me and by my side. He even has a dewlap and is actually really healthy and chonk. Not excessively chonk though. He has shiny hair and honestly I can take the credit for that because 1. I feed him correctly with measurements 2. I clean his litter box and cage(when he’s in for the night) and 3. I show him lots of love and take care of him all day. I’ll see what I can do because it’s been really hard lately when all I’m being told is I’m not feeding him enough. I’m trying the best I can but they somehow make me feel bad.. no small poops have showed up in the afternoon ever since I cleaned the litter box around 1??? Maybe? I’m not sure but it was around there and he had plenty of hay when I had to put him in the cage for a bit to have things done. Poops were very good so I’m happy about that. Tomorrow I’m gonna give it to them straight if I see them giving him more treats than he’s supposed to get because I SWEAR to you he USED to lovvvveee being in his litter box just munching away in there and now all of a sudden he doesn’t? Whenever I get him into the habit of enjoying to be there and be there multiple times a day they ruin it.. so yeah, it’s the god **** treats he’s getting.. UGH! It’s like they don’t know how much money we spent last time with my other rabbit who passed away because of them!!!

 

[BinkyLouie]

Yes, feeding too many treats can cause small poops because filling up on treats leads to less hay consumption. You really want to maximize hay consumption. That being said, slight fluctuations in poop size can be normal and not necessarily alarming.

As a side note, can you hide the treats somewhere?

They like to shake a bag that’s either the treats or something else to get his attention.. it’s sad. I feel really bad and I tell them to stop because then he begs and begs for a treat when I’ve just literally just gave him one. I think they like to make him go crazy for treats.

 

[BinkyLouie]

Yes it definitely can, especially when fed to excess. Carbs fill your rabbit up with the extra calories so he'll eat less hay, So this means less fiber, which slows down the digestive tract and results in smaller poop. The sugars can also pose a risk of upsetting the bacterial balance in the gut. This can cause mushy poop problems, or in severe cases, diarrhea, which is an emergency with rabbits as it can be fatal.

If your family needs convincing to lay off the treats, if you're the one responsible for vet costs if something happens, tell them you'll be more than glad to give them the bill for the vet if you have to take your rabbit in for GI stasis. A very common digestive illness in rabbits that comes from the digestive tract slowing down too much and making a rabbit sick. Average cost for a vet bill for GI stasis... $150-300. And that's presuming a rabbit makes it through. They don't always. Or if your mom/parents pay the vet bill, let her know how much it costs if you have to take him in because he gets sick from the treats.

https://rabbit.org/category/health/gastrointestinal-tract/
Maybe you could convince them with the threat of it making your rabbit sick and possible vet costs. Then maybe provide them with the alternative foods for treats that are allowed. You could try having a baggie of his daily allotment of veggies for treats that you could keep prepared in the fridge. His daily pellet ration can also be given as a treat. And if a sugary treat is fed at all, fresh fruit would be the best option for that. It will be less apt to slow down the digestive tract than store bought processed treats or grain filled treats. And remember any new food needs to be gradually introduced into the diet.

Thank you for the advice. I appreciate it. I’ll see what I can do.. Its just super stressful being in a household where no one listens and understands. Fails to notice their mistakes.