Stress pooping

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pooka-party!

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Hello! I'm a first time rabbit owner and my little boy (Pooka!) is an almost year old himalayan. He's a very healthy boy and mainly eats hay, the condensed hay cubes (cause he likes to crunch things!), and pellets. His favorite treats are banana chips (which are only given on special occasions) and raisins. This diet, so far, has given him normal poops. However, yesterday I changed his cage to give him more space and I think he was a little stressed having to go in it at night. I sat with him on the other side until he found a spot to relax and he was sleeping when I left for work this morning, but when my mom went to check on him at lunch, she saw some liquidy poops (some of which was on the wall), however most of it was healthy looking. He'd done this once before when I switched his food and he was given some chew boxes with treats in them - i figured at that time something in the box disagreed with his stomach. My question - do rabbits get loose stool when they're stressed? Is this something to be concerned over?

Additional Info: He expressed his stress by aggressively chewing some cardboard boxes - he didn't show any signs of fear. Once everything was switched out, I let him sit with my for a few hours while I worked and he was back to his normal dorky self. But once it was time to go to bed he tried to chew the cage (stress increase im guessing?). Will he eventually get used to it or will it only cause him unneeded stress?
 
I think so. My boy Lucas just got a bigger house, and he did much the same thing right after. I even noticed a stick poo or cecotrope stuck to the side of his litterbox. I think it's normal for their gut to get a little out of whack when stressed, such as a new cage.

Sounds like he'll be fine. He's probably just testing the cage with his teeth... Rabbits rely on their teeth/mouths for a lot of exploring.

Assuming he's back to normal now, I'd think most of this is pretty normal behavior!
 
Thanks so much for the response! Here’s the update! So, what seemed to be the biggest stressor for him was the top of the cage. He was in a comfy little corner before and then when the top was added, I think that threw him over the edge. As it turns out, it was a bit worse than I thought - poor baby must’ve sat in a dirtied blanket. I took him out and cleaned his feet and bum and he was significantly more relaxed. I then took the cage top off and made it look similar to the last one, along with adding some comfy blankies and toys he loves. He very quickly went in to chin everything and he even took his afternoon nap in there. He is now flopped on his side watching tv with me :) he’s a bit less energetic than before but I think it’s because of how exhausting the stress must’ve been. He’s eaten and drinking fine, and playing with his rat brothers! I appreciate the response and am so happy I joined this community!!
 
Oh yay! Glad to have you! Depending on how high the top was, that could definitely be a factor. They need plenty of room to periscope, or stretch up. Also, rabbits being prey animals, things from above often can get them! (i.e. predatory birds)

I used to have a pet rat! His name was Frank and he was the best! He would sit with me for hours (outside his cage) and just do rat stuff! 😂 😂
 

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