Young Bun always drinking, acts very hungry.

[SpiffyBex]

I'm not new to buns, but definitely new to having a YOUNG bunny.

About a week ago our local feed store got in bunnies.. a lot of older ones.. But then this little girl. The guy said she was about 4 weeks and he was utterly clueless otherwise. So, we got her. I figured at the very least we'd give her a loving home and do the best we could for her.

So things were going good. When we brought her home we noticed she had some dry poop on her butt, cleaned her up, and since her poo is normal (and very tiny!! ) ..

But I noticed this morning it feels like she has lost a little bit of weight.. She is ALWAYS at the water bottle it seems and she is always acting like she is starving and eats her food pretty quickly. I give it to her slowly so she doesn't stuff herself too much and try to help her slow it down (not sure if that really helps or not..)

Should she be on a bottle or something? She is about 5 weeks now I would guess. Is she sick or is this a case of a baby from it's momma too soon?

I really appreciate the help.. We have fallen in love with her!

Thanks!!!

 

[aurora369]

If she is eating solid foods, I would not put her back on a bottle, that would probably do more harm than good at this point.

What is her diet like? Does she have lots of hay as well as pellets?

A rabbit that is eating a lot of hay will drink a lot of water. So if her hay intake has increased, then that could explain her water increase.

As long as her poops are nice and firm, no more mushy poops, then she is probably okay. You can give her a probiotic like Ben-Bac or acidophilus to help keep her gut nice and acidic (which promotes the growth of healthy bacteria).

-Dawn

 

[SpiffyBex]

Good point, it did seem that she started drinking more once we added hay to her diet.

What about her losing weight? Should she pick back up and be OK or should I be concerned that there is something seriously wrong with her?

Where do I get Ben-Bac from? How much of a dose?

 

[tonyshuman]

She might have an intestinal parasite. I'd have the vet do a fecal float. Bene Bac can be found at most big pet stores, in the dog/cat supplement section. An equivalent product called Probios can be found at farm stores.