How to help this Rabbit...

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bunbun_89

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So, yesterday this lion head/mix rabbit was hanging around my front lawn and other neighbors lawns. You could clearly tell that it was not a wild rabbit. We ended up capturing it and after checking it over for ticks/fleas, brought it inside and put it in our spare cage with some veggies & a dish of water. It devoured all the veggies and drank a bunch of water.

I am a bit concerned though because he has not pooped very much in 20 hours...just a little.

I know that he is probably very stressed out from being out in the wild for who knows how long. I have 2 other rabbits but I am keeping them in a different room.

We have checked the missing pet ads in our town and reported a found rabbit to animal services but until then, we will be housing him.

What can we do to try and make him at ease? Is there anything we can do to encourage some pooping?

He is very friendly and shows no agression.


Thank you for any ideas!:bunny22:
 
From what everyone has said before in similar things, there are a few things you could do to encourage his gut to get moving. You could try bene-bac, a probiotic, and make sure to offer tons of hay! I'm not sure how much per dose on the bene-bac, but maybe a more experienced bunny owner could come forward about that. :)

Good on you for taking the little guy in! Had you not, something bad would have happened to him. :( I hope his owners come forward soon so he can go home.
 
Is he acting like he is in pain or uncomfortable at all(grinding teeth, sitting hunched up and not moving around, changing positions frequently, squinting eyes)? If not and he seems to be behaving normally, it could be he was dehydrated and the digestive system slowed down. You'll want to be a little careful about offering veggies as it will be something that his digestive system isn't used to yet. The best thing for him to be eating at this point would be lots of grass hay(timothy, coastal, Bermuda, meadow, etc). Most grass hays are well tolerated by rabbits without having to introduce them into the diet slowly, and the fiber will help get the GI tract moving more normally. You do want to make sure he is eating the hay, as some rabbits aren't used to hay and won't eat it. If he stops eating and pooping for more than 12 hours you'll want to get him to the vet.

If he seems nervous and stressed, try keeping him in a quiet area. Give him his space and keep handling to a minimum. Placing a towel over the cage or giving him a cardboard box to hide in, may help as well. If he seems pretty relaxed and seems interested in what you're doing, then he's probably not stressed at all, and hopefully his poop will return to normal, now that he's getting food and water. Letting him hop and run around would help some to get his digestion moving too.
 
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Good job you rescued him, I doubt he´d have survived much longer. Probably not been eating much so his tummy will need time to adjust, better to give him lots of hay and water and maybe introduce some pellets if he seems to be doing well and then move on to the veggies once he´s looking happy there.

Hope we see some pics of him and hear more about his progress.
 
I agree on the probiotic. I would also offer some chemical-free, not-pooped-on-by-other-animals grass if you can find some. Another option is spring greens (in small amounts at first). If he was outside for long, his diet was probably mostly grass and veggies similar to spring mix, and any big change in diet is difficult for rabbits. Offering him what he's had for a while and then moving to more normal pet rabbit food gradually may help his stomach. If he hasn't eaten or pooped by this time, he should see a vet.
 

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