Kale = Smelly Cages?

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Mia

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, Kentucky, USA
I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed this, or if I am just hallucinating. I don't feed kale very often, but it seems like when I do, my buns' cages just smell awful. We change litter every other day, but by the second day, P.U.

Is it just me?


 
I have only fed kale a few times but I never noticed a difference in the buns cage smelling.
 
Nope, not just you. I didn't really get smelly cages, but I got a smell fridge. Kale smells yucky, if it's the same veggie I'm thinking of, lol. =P
 
How often exactly are you feeding the kale?

Though it's packed with nutrients, it also contains calcium oxalates, which over time, can build up in your rabbit's system and cause a toxic response.
 
I feed it less than a couple times a month. It's probably been two months since I last bought any. Yesterday they had some, and I gave them the rest of the bundle today. There are three bunnies, so they each got about 2-3 stalks over the course of two days. Today, the smell in the TV room (where two of the buns live) is really overwhelmingly bad. And I cleaned litter this morning :grumpy:
 
Hmmm, then that does seem rather odd...

Is the Kale always fresh? If you keep it in the fridge, that can actually cause it to rot, and if fed to your buns, that could explain a build up of gases in their system.

Other than that, I really have no idea what could cause the awefull smells:?
 
I buy produce a couple times a week, and with three buns it doesn't last long enough to spoil......this batch of kale was eaten within 24 hours of coming home from the store...

Maybe it just doesn't agree with my older bunny, Hope. It seems like her cage is the really stinky one. Maybe she needs yogurt or benebac?
 
I don't think the situation is serious enough for any remedies, at least not at this point.

Do you rinse the kale off before serving it? There may be pesticides on it that may upset your rabbit's digestion.

What do your rabbit's feces look like?

If they are very mushy, discolored, and/or watery, than that's an entirely bigger issue and will have to be addressed.
 
Thank you for helping.

Since my last response, I went to give the buns their bedtime pellets and noticed a large (hot-dog sized, almost) glob of soft feces covered in bedding. It might have been there since this morning, since it was on the other side of the cage where I didn't clean (she never soils that side). This morning when I cleaned I noticed a small glob of soft poop, about quarter sized, in the litter box part of her cage. So that's at least two soft feces today.

It seems likely that these poops are the source of the smell, although at this point my nose is so "burned out" on the smell, I can't tell. I re-cleaned her cage but the whole room still stinks, or at least my nose does.

So, either something isn't agreeing with her or something else is wrong. She was equally smelly a few times this summer and I thought it was the kale and stopped feeding it.

Her appetite is fine. How helpful would a fecal be? I know with kittens and pups it often doesn't identify the real problem (e.g. giardia) so you end up paying for tests and not getting the right meds. I don't mind vet bills if they get results, but I just had an $800 plumbing disaster and a $600 car repair last month, so if I can get by without paying for inconclusive tests at this point, I'd rather try to solve it myself.


 
We can now conclude that it's loose stool that's the source of the smell, and it's looking like it may not be the kale.

Since your rabbit, Hopeis older, it may be because ofa very sensitive stomach. However since you mentioned that both of your rabbits seem to be displaying this, it may be because of their diet.

What else exactly do you feed them?

You may want to keep them on a strict diet of pellets, grass hay, and water for a while, and if the loose stool clears up, then it may be the treats your giving them.

As a side note, small amounts ofnatural remedieslike apple pulp, dried blueberries, cooked carrots, ginger, and mint leaves can ease a sensitive stomach and help get rid of loose stool.

If it doesn't clear up and/or gets worse, it may either be some form of intestinal problems or expired/spoiled feed.

Loose stool is usually a sign of a serious problem, but if your rabbits are still very active, hydrated, and still have a good appetite, than it may be something minor.

However, just to be on the safe side, a vet check may be needed.

Personally, I would first try restricting their feed as mentioned above or trying some natural remediesand if that doesn't work and things get worse, I'd take them to the vet. It's hard to say what kind of test the vet may want to take. They may think it's minor and tell you to keep them hydrated for a few days, or they may think it's something serious. It can be hard to tell some times when it comes to loose stool because it's usually a very common symptom for a variety of problems. So just to be safe, it would be a good idea to get a vet's opinion.

I hope this helps!
 
Thank you, Inle. I appreciate the advice.

I'm not sure if both rabbits are smelly-- the whole room is smelly, but I did not see any loose stool in Silver's cage, and the smell is "worst" over near Hope's cage, but at this point it's hard to say because my nose is just stinked-out.

My third bunny lives in another room and isn't smelly, despite having had some kale. He did not eat the stalks, I noticed, just the leaves.

My bunnies get pellets 2x a day, hay at all times (orchard grass, bought in square bales from a horse farm) and fresh veggies 2x a day, usually parsley, cilantro and baby carrots, but sometimes other stuff. The day before yesterday I gave them each a spoonful of canned pumpkin, so that's another food that's unusual that they've had lately. And, come to think of it, they each got a hunk of broccoli stem on Monday, so that's probably four days in a row of stuff that's not their usual. Maybe it's just too much fiber or too much water content for Hope.

I will keep Hope on hay, pellets and water for a couple of days and see if that changes things. I don't want to restrict veggies from Silver b/c she doesn't care about pellets very much and prefers veggies, which I think is good for her b/c she is so chubby. I will eagle eye all their litter for loose stools.

Oh, the glory of rabbit care ;)



 
All of my rabbits love kale and none of them get it, now. It causes gas. The youngsters seem to do okay with it, but the middle aged guys always, always, always get a tummy ache and soft poops from it. So, it's only right that if the old guys can't have it, neither can the youngsters. Age hath tenure. :)
 
Thank you for confirming my theory, Flick. I will keep it away from now on. It's much less smelly in here today.
 
Thank you Flick!

Mia I hope your buns are now doing better! Personally, I haven't had rabbits experience gas from eating kale, but what Flick says confirms that it's possible in some rabbits, especially older ones with sensitive stomachs.

I hope all is well now!:biggrin2:
 
So far, so good. It isn't smelly in here at all today and when I cleaned cages this morning I saw no unusual poo.
 
If any of the kale is left in the cage for 12-24 hrs (even a small piece)it is going to deteriorate and cause an odor in the cage

At that point it would not even be safe for the bun to eat

it causes an odor in my fridge if it gets older.
 

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