Mushy poops?

[ChandieLee]

For once, I have something to post here that has nothing to do with Belle's teeth, but still, I'd rather not have to post here at all.
Necro is eating fine, drinking fine, peeing fine. He isn't lethargic, and in fact, he's quite normal, except that his poops are quite mushy and sticking to his bottom. We just cleaned him up about two days ago, and now his bum is sticky again. What could be causing this, and is this a definite concern for his vet? If it helps, Necro is a Netherland dwarf, and he's about 3 years old.


And I just thought of something: his front teeth are a problem, but they've always been a problem: they grow out too quickly, and crooked, but we clip them.

 

[Maureen Las]

What is his diet specifically in the past week ?

 

[ChandieLee]

Pellets and Romaine lettuce. He won't touch hay though.

ETA: He has a had a couple of cheerios as a treat as well.

 

[Maureen Las]

The problem is the diet .
tell me about they hay that you are attempting to feed?

A rabbit will not eat hay for various reasons ..sometimes the owner is unable to obtain a tasty good quality hay and it is just not appealing to the rabbit.

Sometimes the rabbit is given unlimited pellets and just fills up on them

and sometimes the rabbit has dental issues which prevent him from being able to chew the hay strands.

Ineed more info

How long has he refused hay?

Fill out the appropriate info requested here please

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=44529&forum_id=16

I know that you have done this before but it is difficult to have to look for previous threads

Thanks

 

[ChandieLee]

I think I may have filled one of these out for Belle, but not Necro, so I'll gladly fill it out now.

IMMEDIATE INFORMATION:


Location Worcester, Ma.

Description (Breed, color, weight) Netherland dwarf, black, he's probably about 1 lbs.

Age 3

Sex Male

Concise Summary of the Rabbit's Condition: Mushy pops, sticking to his bottom.



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / CHECK LIST: (Please fill in relevant info).

Fecal and Urinary Output

- are the bunny's poops and pees normal? Pee is normal, poops, no.
- when did they last use their litterbox? About a half an hour ago.
- any unusual behavior? straining to pee? unusual litter habits? Not really.
- what litter and/or bedding do you use?

Medical History

- spayed/neutered? Neutered.
- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before? He's had problems with his teeth.
- is s/he on any medications? No.

Diet

- what specifically does your bunny eat? Pellets, romaine lettuce, red lettuce, green lettuce, parsley, celery.
- when and what did s/he eat last? Pellets.
- any changes in the way s/he eats? (ie: not eating a particular food, odd chewing motions, etc)I haven't noticed any changes.


Other

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally? He's hopping normally.
- is the rabbit molting? No.
- any weight loss? No.
- any sign of drooling? wet face? No.
- runny eyes? No.
- wet nose? coughing? sneezing? No.
- is s/he breathing normally? Yes.

Additional

- any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach? No.
- has the rabbit been outdoors? They haven't been outside in about a month due to dangerous neighborhood.
- any other pets? if so, have they been ill? Belle, and Bailey, and they have not been sick.




In the past day, I've noticed a slight improvement. There haven't been as many mushy poops, however, there are still some.

 

[Maureen Las]

Do you try to give him hay ? If so what kind of Hay.?

Thanks

 

[ChandieLee]

I knew I forgot to answer something.
I've tried Kaytee timothy hay and Oxbow.

 

[Maureen Las]

WhenI was free feeding pellets to my rabbits ( a long time ago) they didn't eat much hay; my rabbits also would prefer to eat veggies rather than hay


WhenI began to feed a smaller amount of pellets and less veggies my rabbits became very interested in their hay; now the main portion of their diet is hay. (Oxbow)


Now my one rabbit (Beau RIP my avatar) had terrible teeth problems both molars and incisors. he needed to have more and more molars removed due to infection and could not eat hay or veggies ; if he hadNOT been given critical care and Oxbow pellets in a gruel he would have starved to death as he could not chew.

I would suggest limiting pellets and veggies ( unless you already do) to see if he is able to eat hay if he is really hungry.If you see him picking up pieces of hay and then dropping it or attempting to pick it up and then leaving it it is a big indicator that he has a dental issue and cannot eat it.
I really hope that he doesn't have molar issues.

in the meantime you can also give him a dose of benebac to see if that helps the poopy butt

I am guessing that the poopy butt is caused by not having enough of thecorrect balance of fiber in his diet ( no hay)

Poopy butt can also be caused by parasites but I won't go there tonight.

let us know

 

[SmokeysMomMom]

Our rabbit gets the mushy poops too. When she eats a lot of her Timothy Hay food pellets. I try to give her a lot of hay. Lettuce and parsley do as well. She has a very sensitive stomach.

 

[sparney]

my rabbit gets a mushy poo now and again, it normally isnt something i worry too muh about but i do keep an eye on him. if your bunny stays like it for a few more days then take him to the vets.
Try to keep feeding him hay, and hope he takes it. Maybe dont give him the lettuce because lettuce isnt good for them(i dont know about the types i jsut now lettuce in general!) and i feed my rabbut Timothy hay, try that!

 

[ChandieLee]

I thought I'd update- sorry it took me a few days. The mushy poops seemed to have stopped as of right now. I tried giving him less pellets, and more timothy hay, but he still isn't interested :?. He's rather pee on it than eat, which leads me to believe I need to pick up a hay rack. Is there anything I can do to make it more appealing for him?

 

[Maureen Las]

I just read something interesting yesterday on etherbun; a person rinsed off the hay with water and for some reason the rabbit liked it better. if you rinse it off however you have to throw it out within 24 hrs because it will get moldy and dangerous.

Why don't you try rinsing the hay in apple juice. ?

 

[ChandieLee]

I was thinking of drenching it in apple juice, but I wasn't sure whether it was a good idea or not. I think maybe it's worth a shot though.

 

[Maureen Las]

Ha Ha :biggrin:rabbit lovers go to extremes with their bunnies !!!
Go ahead and try it

 

[ChandieLee]

Oh man- tell me about it, haha. I remember when Belle was going through everything with her teeth, I slept on the floor next to her cage.

But anyway, I'll try the apple juice and see if he prefers it that way.

 

[Maureen Las]

I am still reading posts on hay soaking on etherbun;amember just said don't let it sit for longer than an hour because of possibility of mycotoxins

seems like a really short time to me :?but I thought I would pass this info on.