HELP! Eating less, soft poop, not eating hay!

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babybun

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I've had Winston for a week now, and I'm worried about him! I noticed that his poop was getting a little soft, and he hasn't been eating pellets like he used to! When I first brought him home, I would fill up his bowl with pellets before I left for work, and it would be empty by the time I got home. Now, he barely eats anything, and his poop is soft to the point where it's sticking to the bottom of his feet! The only way I could get him to eat today was to give him some treats.

I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow morning, but does anybody know what's going on??


He's a 12 week old Holland Lop
I feed him unlimited hay and pellets.
I recently started putting fewer pellets in the bowl to try to get him to eat more hay, but I don't think that's the problem!
 
Don't give him any treats as that will make the problem worse, as the soft poop is usually caused by a bacterial imbalance in the gut, though it's possible your bun may also have a parasite. I think all you can do is keep an eye on him to make sure he's still eating and drinking, til you can get him to the vet. Hay is pretty important in helping to fix this problem. What kind of hay are you feeding him?
 
The breeder told me he was feeding him Timothy Hay, so that's what I've been giving him. I've noticed he's drinking less too, how can I get him to eat more hay and drink water??
 
You could try a different variety of grass hay like orchard, coastal, bermuda, meadow, etc. to see if he likes one of those better. He won't be drinking as much cause he's not eating as much. But you still want to keep an eye on the drinking to make sure he is drinking enough to not get dehydrated, even if you have to end up syringing water to him. You just have to be really careful when syringing water to make sure the water isn't aspirated. You do it in the corner of the mouth and go really slowly, giving small amounts and enough time for him to swallow each little bit.

Also, you'll want to make sure the vet does a fecal float test, to look for parasites and bacteria. If you don't have a vet picked out, make sure to find a good rabbit vet. Cat and dog vets don't always know very much about rabbits, and that can be a big problem in some cases. Here's a couple lists of rabbit vets if you need it.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f28/finding-vet-13366/
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
 
My bunn used to get an upset tummy sometimes till I started giving her papaya every day. Just a small piece every morning & evening. It has an enzyme that helps their digestion.

But getting Winston seen by a vet is definitely the best thing. Please let us know what you find out.

:sickbunny:
 
Is is the same brand of pellets and are they a good pellet? I would have him checked by a vet since you got him so recently. It's possible he wasn't in the greatest conditions and could have coccidia or something. Plus, getting a good relationship with a vet is a good idea for down the road. You don't want the first time your bunny sees a vet to be an emergency situation if possible.
 
Thanks everybody! I'm about to leave for the vet now, and I'll ask about giving him papaya to help his tummy! The breeder did give me a bag of starter food, but didn't tell me what brand it was and hasn't really kept in touch with me. I used it to slowly switch him over to oxbow bunny basics for young rabbits. Hopefully the trip to the vet is a good one!
 
One thing you can do is to switch to a water bowl if Winston is now drinking from a water bottle. Buns tend to drink more when given a bowl. A heavy bowl or one that can attach to the cage is best to prevent your bun from flipping the bowl or moving it casing the water to spill. I use a ceramic dog bowl for Thumper as he's big.
 
One thing you can do is to switch to a water bowl if Winston is now drinking from a water bottle. Buns tend to drink more when given a bowl. A heavy bowl or one that can attach to the cage is best to prevent your bun from flipping the bowl or moving it casing the water to spill. I use a ceramic dog bowl for Thumper as he's big.

Good idea. I use a large, heavy Pyrex measuring cup for my bunn's water bowl. For some reason the handle makes it easier for me to change the water without dropping it.

Saying a prayer for little Winston! Let us know how it goes!
 
I've been using a small bowl for water in the cage, but when he's out in the play pen there's a larger bowl of water which he tends to drink from more, so I moved that into the cage today.

After waiting and waiting, I was told to take away his pellets and only give him water and hay. If he doesn't improve in a couple days, I'm going to take him back to the vet and hope for the best.

He doesn't seem lethargic at all, though. He's hopping around, digging, chewing on is toys. Does this sound like an infection in his tummy??
 
Well, he sounds pretty spry so that's a very good sign! :). If he were lethargic then I'd be worried. Maybe he just got a little tummy ache from eating too many pellets or something.

Hopefully he'll be feeling better in the next day or two! I'm keeping him, and you, in my prayers! :angelandbunny:
 
I am not sure if I read this right, he had decreased eating pellets and won't eat hay? Is he eating anything since removing pellets? Did the veterinarian do a fecal for parasites or bacteria?
 
Since removing the pellets, he started eating hay again, and drinking more. But the vet that I took him to said that she didn't think it was an infection since he was still hopping around and lively. He looks to be doing a little better today, and I hope he'll get better within the next couple days
 
Good news. I'm having a similar situation.
My bun is eating but has small poos.

Glad it was good news at the vet.

And how is your little guy doing? Better I hope. If don't already give him papaya, or some kind of enzyme supplement, you might want to give that I try. It really helps their digestion.
 

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