Molting Blues?

[equestrian<3]

My Holland Lop has been molting for over a week now, and he has had diarrhea on and off for about 2 weeks and is just acting weird. When he comes out of his cage he is usually playful and runs around my room, and now he sits in his cage, almost like he's pouting. I have had him for less than a year, so he has only molted once before and that was while he spent a couple days at a show, so i figured then he was going to be a little stressed anyways. And now that is not the case because he is at home. Is it normal for a rabbit to do this when they molt, or could there really be something wrong with him? We are leaving for vacation tomorrow and will be gone for 2 weeks, and I am taking him with me instead of leaving him with the people who are taking care of our dogs & cat because I want to keep an eye on him.

Please help! :bunnyhop:

 

[eco2pia]

Does he have lots of hay? What are you feeding him? He sounds like his tummy is bothering him...it could be due to ingested hair, or it could be some other reason.

I would be sure he had hay, maggieJ always recommends a few leaves of dandelion, or blackberry leaves, or plantain (the lawn weed, not the banana thing), and maybe kitchen oatmeal, good clean water...that is all I know to do.

As long as he is eating, drinking, and pooping, you are ok, if one of those things stops, start really worrying. You need to leave instructions for your caretaker--things like what to look for, and whether or not to take him to the vet--I have a no-vet policy for rabbits, and a pull-out-all-the-stops, no-expense-spared policy for the cat, you may be different...

 

[MaggieJ]

Hay - good grass hay - is always a good idea for any rabbit with digestive problems. It is also valuable to prevent such problems.

If he had blockage, dandelions are helpful but they are mildly laxative, so not the best bet for a bun with diarrhea. The best greens for diarrhea are plantain (the lawn weed), shepherd's purse and the leaves of raspberry, blackberry or strawberry. They can be fed fresh or dried, so perhaps take some with you. These plants will not constipate the rabbit and are all safe food sources. Just make sure they are pesticide-free.

Kitchen oatmeal can be fed and the commercial pellets removed for a couple of days until the diarrhea is under control.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major

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

 

[SatinsRule]

I keep some rolled oats or rolled barley around the rabbit house for just such a reason. Anytime a rabbit isn't eating regularly, gets soft droppings or the runs, I feed them oats for a few days until a day or so after it clears up.

As for the moulting, just give them a 10-15 minute grooming with a spray bottle of water and a rub down every evening. My Cal Satin buck (Clyde) went into the godfather or all moults last month, and after grooming him daily as I just described, his coat was in better shape than before he started moulting.

 

[cedarrun]

I have had this happen many times. It does seem like a really nasty molt can make them kind of depressed. I tend to be more hands on with them when they are like this because the do seem to sit there and pout and it bothers me. I like to take them out in the yard and do a good brush out and clean out their eyes. Like a pep talk. In this case with the diarrhea there is a real possibility of fur blockage and definitely something you want to monitor.

Adam

 

[MaggieJ]

In this case with the diarrhea there is a real possibility of fur blockage and definitely something you want to monitor.

I don't understand. How is diarrhea connected to a blockage?

 

[cedarrun]

I was just saying that the down behavior is not a health problem if they are in heavy molt. But if they have diarrhea there could be a connected health issue (beyond just stress).

 

[MaggieJ]

Thanks for the clarification. Yes, the situation is one that should be monitored. A lot depends on what one means by diarrhea. Some people use the term if the rabbit's poops are just on the soft side. Others mean liquid or near-liquid excrement. In any case, adding extra grass hay, some kitchen oatmeal and the weeds I suggested cannot harm the rabbit and may be of considerable benefit.

 

[KatzNetherlands]

One thing that can help too is to take a flea comb(or you can get a lice comb) and groom your bunny really well... once all the under coat is out, it seems to be easier to keep up with and the new coat seems to come in a little easier.... at least in my experience...

When my bunny got fed food she wasn't supposed to(thanks to my daughter!) she got the runs, we stopped her pellets, and just kept her on Timothy Hay(unlimited), Water(unlimited) and about 4-6 raspberry leaves each day for 2 days.... By day 3, she was back to normal and she got her food back and has been fine since....

 

[Brody]

by moult you mean shedding? as in blowing the coat? I'd groom well and restrict diet until poop was normal ....
my rabbits do not show any signs of stress when they blow their coat ... me, on the other hand? I'm a wreck