Rabbit with loose stool??

[fluffyhorseylady]

Hello,
I just got a pet rabbit about 4 or 5 days ago, she is doing well eating, drinking pooping and playing, but today while I was doing dishes I noticed she was leaving spots on the floor of mushy stool. I picked her up and checked her bum and she had a longer mushy mass of poop. I know they create two types of poop but this was just very mushy. The main body did have some structure to it though, I cleaned her up and dried her off. She has never had this loose of stool before, and just today I was very happy to see her normal droppings are looking very healthy and normal. *I've been monitoring her closely as she has been making a sound since we got her.* She is 9 weeks old, so is this just a baby problem? I've had baby buns do this before in the past and grow up just fine, but I wanted to make sure. This is the first rabbit I've owned just for a pet, all the others have been outside show or meat rabbits. Should I make a vet appointment?? Or is this pretty common in babies??

 

[user 3309]

Stress can be one of the causes of runny stool, I moved my rabbit from her cage to clean it out and it caused her to panic and the droppings started changing.
The next day the poop went back to normal and the term: "So scared..I almost poopped my pants!" does seem true.

 

[Susie570]

I'm dealing with a litter (4 weeks old today) who are occasionally having mushy stools... the advice given to me was to put them on straight hay and water. In my opinion, it could very well be due to a change in diet. I THINK that as long as the stools are not 'watery', it's not serious, but something to keep an eye on. In my situation, the babies have not had a change in diet, but this seems to be coinciding with them being weaned, so maybe they were just gorging themselves on pellets. I don't have a lot of experience with baby rabbits, so maybe others will chime in and give you more advice.

 

[Zass]

is this just a baby problem?

Mushy stool in babies is always more worrisome than it is in adults, since babies can dehydrate quickly.
Although there are many potential causes,
Dietary changes seem to be most common.
What kind of diet are you feeding?

 

[fluffyhorseylady]

She gets free choice timothy hay, free choice pellets, and 4 tiny pieces of calf mana a day * she was tiny when I got her and the person who sold her to me said that would help her get to full size. *

 

[ottersatin]

Hello Fluffyhorseylady,
I suggest that: You stop ALL pelleted feed
and feed only a good quality grass-hay and old fashioned oatmeal [uncooked]
What your young rabbit needs is fiber and plenty of it.
Make sure that she has an ample supply of drinkable water at all times.
Do not place back onto pelleted feed until the stools return to normal.
I hope everything works out in the end.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[Dood]

:yeahthat: there is not much else you can do :shrug: If youve only had the rabbit 5 days her diahhrea is likely due to stress or diet change

"Tiny" is not an exact term and I wouldn't describe a 9 week old rabbit of any breed as tiny.

What breed is she and how much does she weigh ? If she was not properly weaned she will be more prone to digestive issues.

 

[MaggieJ]

If she were mine, I'd discontinue the calf manna and temporarily remove the pellets. A few days on just water, timothy hay and kitchen oatmeal (like Quaker Old-Fashioned/Large Flake Oatmeal) should help. Reintroduce the pellets very slowly once the problem is resolved.

There are several plants that can really help in this situation. The leaves of blackberry, raspberry and strawberry are excellent as are the lawn weeds plantain and shepherd's purse. Make sure they haven't been sprayed with anything.

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

Note to new members. Please add your location (state or province) to your profile. Many rabbit questions are influenced by climate and knowing where you are located helps us to give relevant advice.

 

[fluffyhorseylady]

Alright update, stool seems to be normal again, she is eating her hay, and pooping normal pellets. She did have a little bit of a mushy stool again but this time she ate it. Which I know is totally normal. We also have a vet appointment booked for tomorrow just to make sure there isn't something going on. I'll take her off the pellets right away and give her some oatmeal, hopefully that works. As for her breed she is a lionhead rex mix. I haven't weighed her yet *don't have a scale* But i'm sure the vet will do that tomorrow then i'll let you guys know.

 

[Dood]

I've just gone through your previous posts - your rabbit doesn't look like she is under 9 weeks so she was likely weaned properly and not one of those rabbits sold at 4 weeks old but said to be 8 weeks.

Her honking noises are very odd :shock: and I've only heard mom rabbits make them to their kits so perhaps she is just happy :shrug:

It worries me that she was the runt of the litter - there might be a medical reason why she could not keep up with her siblings or a genetic defect or she might be the only one in the litter who got a dwarf gene, but she doesn't look dwarf to me :shrug:

I always tell the people who buy my baby rabbits to leave them alone for a a week or more to minimize their stress, only feed the food Ive provided and absolutely no treats - they'll have 8+ years to get to know one another so don't overwhelm the little one in the first few days.

 

[Silver Cloud]

If ever needed just weigh yourself on your scales then weigh yourself with bunny note the difference and to double check weigh just yourself again to make sure it matches the first time, Just a way to do it with out bunny scales.

 

[fluffyhorseylady]

I've just gone through your previous posts - your rabbit doesn't look like she is under 9 weeks so she was likely weaned properly and not one of those rabbits sold at 4 weeks old but said to be 8 weeks.

Her honking noises are very odd :shock: and I've only heard mom rabbits make them to their kits so perhaps she is just happy :shrug:

It worries me that she was the runt of the litter - there might be a medical reason why she could not keep up with her siblings or a genetic defect or she might be the only one in the litter who got a dwarf gene, but she doesn't look dwarf to me :shrug:

I always tell the people who buy my baby rabbits to leave them alone for a a week or more to minimize their stress, only feed the food Ive provided and absolutely no treats - they'll have 8+ years to get to know one another so don't overwhelm the little one in the first few days.

Thank you for your advice! She seems to be doing well still, I guess she is just the sweetest thing so i'm very worried about her, i've lost rabbits for no apparent reason in the past. I just want to be a good bunny mom and make sure she is ok. Her noises are really weird and I hope the vet can rule out any respiratory problems tomorrow. I'm not sure if she was the runt the lady who sold her to me was doing so for a friend, she said it looked like she was the runt. And we generally try to let her be, we don't pick her up unless we have to, and we let her come to us if she wants. *She lives in our kitchen which is bunny proofed* She seems very friendly she loves to sit on your feet. So i'm hoping that this isn't something serious. <br /><br /> -- Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:34 pm -- <br /><br /> Ok went to the vet's!! She is 1 pound 2 oz and had a respiratory infection. She is now on antibiotics, and should be better in a week! Her stool was most likely caused by her diet change and stress from being sick! So yup also this vet is amazing! Super helpful and really knows her rabbits!! She also said this infection was most likely caused by her previous home's conditions, and she was very glad that she came to a home where she loved and well cared for!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I've just gone through your previous posts - your rabbit doesn't look like she is under 9 weeks so she was likely weaned properly and not one of those rabbits sold at 4 weeks old but said to be 8 weeks.

Her honking noises are very odd :shock: and I've only heard mom rabbits make them to their kits so perhaps she is just happy :shrug:

It worries me that she was the runt of the litter - there might be a medical reason why she could not keep up with her siblings or a genetic defect or she might be the only one in the litter who got a dwarf gene, but she doesn't look dwarf to me :shrug:

I always tell the people who buy my baby rabbits to leave them alone for a a week or more to minimize their stress, only feed the food Ive provided and absolutely no treats - they'll have 8+ years to get to know one another so don't overwhelm the little one in the first few days.

Thank you for your advice! She seems to be doing well still, I guess she is just the sweetest thing so i'm very worried about her, i've lost rabbits for no apparent reason in the past. I just want to be a good bunny mom and make sure she is ok. Her noises are really weird and I hope the vet can rule out any respiratory problems tomorrow. I'm not sure if she was the runt the lady who sold her to me was doing so for a friend, she said it looked like she was the runt. And we generally try to let her be, we don't pick her up unless we have to, and we let her come to us if she wants. *She lives in our kitchen which is bunny proofed* She seems very friendly she loves to sit on your feet. So i'm hoping that this isn't something serious.

-- Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:34 pm --

Ok went to the vet's!! She is 1 pound 2 oz and had a respiratory infection. She is now on antibiotics, and should be better in a week! Her stool was most likely caused by her diet change and stress from being sick! So yup also this vet is amazing! Super helpful and really knows her rabbits!! She also said this infection was most likely caused by her previous home's conditions, and she was very glad that she came to a home where she loved and well cared for!

Make sure you also give some probiotics since the medication can upset her digestion even more. I would use ProBios or BeneBac paste, you can get it at Tractor Supply.

 

[Susie570]

Ah! I'm glad you mentioned probios!!
I went around looking for benebac today and couldn't find any locally anywhere, but did find Priobios at Tractor Supply and thought it seemed pretty close to what I'm looking for to help the weaning babies.

Does it do a good job like the benebac?

I had them on plain hay and water for two days and I didn't see any mushy stools when I checked bunny butts this morning, so I gave the entire litter (plus momma) a handful of pellets in their tray... talk about a pile of baby bunny piranhas!! Will check them tomorrow and see if their little butts are still clean (hopefully). I also bought some 'old fashioned oats' to give them and this small tub of Priobios, which I guess I can just sprinkle on the pellets? I'm guessing it won't hurt them, regardless.