hi everyone i'm really worried cause my bunny has been acting weird recently, hes very "lazy" nowadays and whenever I feed him he will eat for something like 15 seconds and then stop. I've read online that these could be the symptoms of a GI stasis, he eats small pieces of newspapers sometimes so I'm afraid that could be the cause. I'll attach a picture of his poop, could you guys please help me
is my bunny likely to suffer from GI stasis?
- Thread starter soraia
- Start date
Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:
Hi, this looks a bit like GI stasis, does he flop flat or laying on his side or only in that position mainly?
Is he in moult currently? What is his diet does he eat enough hay? Does he drink water, what food apart hay and water does he eat and has available?
Also how old is he and how long is he with you, were there any changes in his diet and his environment recently?
Is he in moult currently? What is his diet does he eat enough hay? Does he drink water, what food apart hay and water does he eat and has available?
Also how old is he and how long is he with you, were there any changes in his diet and his environment recently?
hi thank you for your answer, yes he still flops from time to time even though he used to do that way much more before. He is in moult currently and no he doesn't eat much hay, he has never really been a hay lover actually, do you think I should try giving him a different kind of hay? maybe a different brand?
As for the rest of his diet we usually give him those bunny mixes kind of food and vegetables as treats like carrots, bell peppers etc.
i personally change his water everyday and it looks like he's been drinking regularly, that didn't really change.
He's 8 months old now and he's been with me since he was 1 month.
The thing that is actually worrying me is that he's always sleeping now, I rarely get to see him jumping or running around like he used to do
As for the rest of his diet we usually give him those bunny mixes kind of food and vegetables as treats like carrots, bell peppers etc.
i personally change his water everyday and it looks like he's been drinking regularly, that didn't really change.
He's 8 months old now and he's been with me since he was 1 month.
The thing that is actually worrying me is that he's always sleeping now, I rarely get to see him jumping or running around like he used to do
May need to try to encourage more hay for him. And since he's molting, have you been grooming him? I know excessive fur ingestion can cause gut blockage.
Does he have unlimited hay? And what type of hay is it? (alfalfa, timothy, etc.) It's essential that he's eating hay- If he doesn't eat the hay you have right now you should keep trying different hays until you find something he will eat. 
Generally mixes should be avoided for rabbits. I would advise switching to pellets and only giving him about 1/6 cup a day.
Also, in case you don't know, bunnies shouldn't get many treats per day. About 1 slice of apple is all they should actually get each day.
Generally mixes should be avoided for rabbits. I would advise switching to pellets and only giving him about 1/6 cup a day.
Also, in case you don't know, bunnies shouldn't get many treats per day. About 1 slice of apple is all they should actually get each day.
He's poos look tiny but I've seen worse.
Can you take him on you and massage/feel his belly, try to feel his intestines and if they are full of poos or there are empty spaces between them, like gas or hard like stones inside, if his stomach is enlarged and soft or all hard like rock etc.
Muesli mixes with coloured flaked pieces and grain are not good, just stop feeding him that.
Don't give him any carrots or peppers or other fruit or sugary starchy food.
What you need is to try to feed him more hay, as much as possible. But if he has blockages he won't eat anything really.
If you have baby gas drops (simeticone) you can give him every couple hours and massage his stomach for 10-15 mins every hour or two. If you don't have gas drops maybe you have some fennel or dill seeds in your kitchen, you can brew some tea and give him as gas drops as well, they will help him to pass gas and when massaging you will also help him with it.
On an early stage gas drops and massages work really well, you also need to make him eat something so his stomach is not empty and new food is pushing the blockages out of his intestines.
Ideally hay, but if he can't eat hay at the moment you can pick plain brown pellets out of his mix and crush them, mix with water and give through a syringe every couple hours. It is you better take a pic of your mix so we can see what they are and maybe you can get a pic of the package, what brand, ingredients etc.
Maki_p29
Well-Known Member
I agree with all the suggestions above. Also switch your bunny’s food to a pellet only brand. The bunny mix foods have so much in it that bunnies shouldn’t have in their diet. I believe that could add to GI issues being common.
I would also give a less amount of food pellets and increase the amount of Timothy Hay you give them. Since your bunny is shedding that increases a chance of a blockage since their GI system has to pass all that fur. The hay will help pass the fur and keep things regular. Also make sure they are drinking water. That helps their GI tract too. (If your bunny is anything like mine then I know they shed a huge amount of fur).
Also try grooming your bunny daily especially at the days/weeks they shed. That way they won’t be able to lick/digest as much fur as they groom when shedding.
also encourage your bunny to move as much as possible. That will help stimulate their GI to try and regulate itself too. Even if that means that you take them out every few hours to get a solid 10 minutes of exercise/movement. (Depending of course on your personal situation, if you have time like that to be with your bunny then that is great). Encourage them to move around often.
a lot of these tips and the other tips above my response I’ve found helpful with my bunnies over the years I’ve had them.
hope your bunny gets better!
I would also give a less amount of food pellets and increase the amount of Timothy Hay you give them. Since your bunny is shedding that increases a chance of a blockage since their GI system has to pass all that fur. The hay will help pass the fur and keep things regular. Also make sure they are drinking water. That helps their GI tract too. (If your bunny is anything like mine then I know they shed a huge amount of fur).
Also try grooming your bunny daily especially at the days/weeks they shed. That way they won’t be able to lick/digest as much fur as they groom when shedding.
also encourage your bunny to move as much as possible. That will help stimulate their GI to try and regulate itself too. Even if that means that you take them out every few hours to get a solid 10 minutes of exercise/movement. (Depending of course on your personal situation, if you have time like that to be with your bunny then that is great). Encourage them to move around often.
a lot of these tips and the other tips above my response I’ve found helpful with my bunnies over the years I’ve had them.
hope your bunny gets better!
