warm ears & messy poop

I was concerned about my (new to me) 8-yr male Jersey Wooly Shamrock. One day his poop was big and sloppy (mushy) and I had to cut some of his fur to clean him up. He wasn't eating well that day. Today I touch his cute little ears and they were warm. Thought he may have a fever. Later they were cooler. They are usually cool.
He seems to be on the mend. Poop back to normal, but not eating quite as much. Not eating up all his pellets like usual, but does love this carrots, brocholli, cauliflower, lettuce and grapes and alphalpha hey.

Do you think he just got a bunny virus?

Too many fruits and Veggies can bring on disease
and possible death from that disease.
Feed more Grass-hay and Rolled Oats.
If the rabbit is not eating pelleted feed it is
because the Rabbit is SPOILED!
Rabbits like children will choose to eat what they like,
[Candy 7 Cake & Cookies] The rabbits will opt for the treats
which are actually VERY bad for them in large amounts.
[Carrots, Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Lettuce and grapes.
Some of which are extremely high in SUGAR content.
I would STOP all the treats and feed only
a good quality pelleted rabbit feed Grass-hay and Water.
Water being the most important part of a Rabbits diet.
If a rabbit cannot drink, it will not eat!
As always, JMPO.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

Ottersatin, this rabbit is exhibiting a sudden change in eating habits, so I doubt if the problem is that it is "spoiled".

I agree with the rolled oats and grass hay though... standard treatment for just about any bunny digestive problem.

Rather than feeding so many vegetables, Studio63, why not grow some wheat grass in a plastic dishpan for your bun? You can get whole wheat (sometimes called wheat berries) at a health food or bulk food store. It's a lot cheaper, full of nutrients, and is easier for rabbits to digest than vegetables.

Hard to find, perhaps, this time of year, but the leaves of blackberry, raspberry or strawberry or the weeds plantain (Plantago major) and Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa pastoris) are very helpful in firming up their poops without causing constipation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsella_bursa-pastoris

rabbits might not eat pellets because they are sick, their teeth hurt when they eat certain types of food or because the pellets are different (or have gone off)

I'm glad he's mending but you want to keep a careful eye on him

as my rabbits age I make sure they are getting more timothy than alfalfa and keep the fluid level up as well - through lots of water and some moist treats as well

Thank you so much for this diet advice. Silly me I was thinking of Peter Rabbit and of course that's the best thing for them. -NOT! I love Shamrock so much - I think I'll try to find a good book on bunnies, hopefully more info on Jersey Woolys. I read that dairy is not to be fed to a bunny - another mistake. I gave him yougert (1 tbs) because the pet store sells "yougert drops" - iiiyiyi! So much to learn. He's here on my lap and he thanks you for educating me. He sends bunny licks

__________ Sun Dec 12, 2010 2:16 pm __________

Thank you so much for this diet advice. Silly me I was thinking of Peter Rabbit and of course that's the best thing for them. -NOT! I love Shamrock so much - I think I'll try to find a good book on bunnies, hopefully more info on Jersey Woolys. I read that dairy is not to be fed to a bunny - another mistake. I gave him yougert (1 tbs) because the pet store sells "yougert drops" - iiiyiyi! So much to learn. He's here on my lap and he thanks you for educating me. He sends bunny licks

__________ Sun Dec 12, 2010 2:19 pm __________

PS: Can I grow whatever grass sead I have on hand or should I make a special purchase - love this idea.

Btw - he has JD tatooted to his lft ear Jersey Dwarf?

By all means get a good rabbit book. The more you know, the better.

The grass seed you have may be treated... I'd opt for the wheat grass instead. It is much more nutritious and the bunnies love it. Whole wheat berries are easy to come by and they grow fast. You'll be able to harvest some in just a couple of weeks. Just cut it close to the soil with scissors and let it grow again. You should get 2-3 cuttings before it starts to get kind of sad... Then just start over. If you have a rotation going, Shamrock will be in clover all winter. :clover:

Over the winter, take time to look at the Natural Feeding for Rabbits forum. It will give you lots of ideas for very healthy additions to your bun's diet.