Is this something I should be concerned about or is this normal? Small poops

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thetwobunnies

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So I noticed 2 days ago, my rabbit out of NO WHERE started acting extremely lethargic. He was out and playing and even hopped up onto my bed even though he knows he's not supposed to be up on the bed and always runs to the corner of my bed and tries to hide, but I am firm with him not getting on the bed cause he pees so I herd him off the bed.
Completely normal, playing, hyper, mischievous.
I then continue on with my laptop work like I do all the time (nothing dangerous or anything on the floor) and my mom comes in with a plate full of veggies and I noticed my rabbit was acting quite strange - very sluggish and not terribly excited with the vegetables (EXTREMELY unlike him, he is like 10x more excited than my other rabbit who is already crazy for food)

Yesterday I gave him simethicone and I did this morning also. He seemed to be better this morning, but still extremely lethargic. I was gonna call the vet, but decided to wait ONE more day. Like around an hour ago he was in his litter box and munching on some hay (I am out of the regular hay and I have some crappy bermuda grass hay until tuesday) and then he slept in the litter box (same lethargic manner) and then I walked into the cage and tapped on the floor and surprisingly he came running out of the litter box and to me, so I rubbed his head and looked in the litter box and I was relieved to see poops but they were quite small... I have included a picture with a regular sized poop to compare (not sure if it belonged to him or not)

What could be wrong with him? I don't even know WHAT could be the problem, if this sounds like ANYTHING (sickness or something) please inform me! I know it could be gas, does it sound like it?

In short, his symptoms are:
Lethargic
Not excited about food BUT has been eating
Hasn't eaten his hay as much as he does
Haven't seen him drink? I'm sure he has though, but I just haven't seen him?
Sleeping by himself while hunched in an uncomfortable stiff position, or with his stomach on the floor but feet are NOT flopped out (usually)
Pooping but they are small, darker, and a little sticky

photo 1.jpg

photo 2.jpg
 
Thanks, that was very helpful. I read the sites, and I plan on giving him TONS of leafy green vegetables to help his gut keep going, is this the right thing to do? I plan on offering him some every hour - every hour and a half or so. It says " As always, do not perform any of these procedures or try to administer any of these medications without the supervision of a veterinarian experienced with rabbit disorders and treatments."

But does that include tummy massages and giving him veggies and the thing listed under force feeding? as in, I shouldn't do ANYTHING until I contact my vet? Or does the quote^ refer to medicinal things like the things in the "III" section?
 
My rabbit Clementine had two episodes about a year ago. What made her better was this:
I warmed towels in the dryer and gently wrapped her in them to get her temp back up (did you feel your rabbit's years? I would only do this if she feels cold)
I warmed some water to a little more than room temp and fed it to her with a syringe (they get dehydrated from stasis). A little every couple of minutes.
I fed her SOME small organic leafy greens, but mostly encouraged her to eat fresh timothy hay to get her digestion going again.
I STOPPED feeding her any fruit, treats, carrots, or gassy veggies.
Normally when the poops starts again it will be smaller, but it's still a good sign that she poops. Make sure you keep her warm and hydrated, though.
This is extremely painful for them, because rabbits cannot pass gas. Listen to sounds coming from her belly.
If you don't see her getting better quickly and she stops eating, drinking, and pooping completely, I would take her to the vet.

With the water, the warmth, and the gentle belly rub, my rabbit was better within 24 hours and back to normal within 48 hours. I wouldn't have waited longer than that before taking her to the vet. Also, because sometimes there can be other health reasons that can cause this.
 
Leafy veggies are helpful to keep moisture in the gut, which can help prevent a blockage from occurring. However, some veggies can sometimes cause problems. Didn't you mention feeding collard greens before all this happened? Collard greens are a cruciferous veggie, plus it was something that your rabbit wasn't used to, correct? So this could possibly be the cause of the recent digestive upset. I would avoid all cruciferous veggies, and just feed something that your rabbit is used to having in it's diet, and that you know doesn't cause digestive problems for your rabbit. You mentioned giving green/red leaf lettuce? Just stick with that, and especially don't be trying to introduce new veggies that your rabbit isn't used to right now. Lots of hay. And like honore mentioned, don't feed any treats. You should start seeing an improvement by the next day. If your rabbits behavior isn't normal, acts like he's in pain, stops eating, drinking, pooping, then take him to the vet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruciferous_vegetables

Whether or not you should do anything until you contact your vet, is something you need to decide. Some things done in the wrong situation, can harm a rabbit, such as feeding when a rabbit has a complete blockage, or tummy massages if a rabbit has severe bloat. All we can do is share what we have done, or would do in a certain situation.
 
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Sounds like a serious case of gas. Lethargy is a sign of serious problems in bunnies. They usually don't get like that until their blood sugar is very low via not eating enough. That combined with the signs of pain (the posture you describe) mean you should take to an emergency vet or try home treatment if you are unable to find such a vet:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f22/bloat-gas-10385/
 

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