Bunny-sitting: poop question.

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Sheldon

Sheldon

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Joined
Nov 1, 2013
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Location
North Texas
I am sitting a friend's bunny while she is on vacation for a week. His poo is too soft and quite foul smelling. He is on a mix for diet which I don't imagine is good for any species. What deficiencies or surpluses exactly could cause this? He has a great coat and no apparent health issues.
 
Rabbits shouldnt be on a mix. He should have hay at all times available in his cage and should have fresh veggies everyday. Pellets can also be fed but are not as important. If you're wanting to give him veggies i can tell you what i feed my rabbits. Their poop doesnt smell at all.
 
Lettuce is great, berries are good too but give them less than the lettuce. Iceberg lettuce has no nutrition. Good greens that you can give lots of are romaine lettuce, green leaf and red leaf lettuce, kale, parsley. Thats what I give mine. Other foods that are sugary but they can have a tiny bit everyday or a good amount once or twice a week. Brocolli, celery, carrots, apples, strawberries with the head and other berries. These are the safest foods to me. How long do you have him for?
 
Be careful adding veggies into his diet so quickly if he has an upset stomach and soft poops, it could end up killing him. Can you take a photo of his poops? GI issues are very serious, they can become fatal in as little as 12 hours.

Can you convince your friend to switch his food? Rabbits lack the enzymes to properly digest nuts and seeds and they need a lot less fat and a lot more fibre than a mix can offer. The most important part of a rabbit's diet is hay - it keeps their digestive system functioning properly and keeps their molars trimmed. (You cannot see overgrown molars without vet dental tools.) Oxbow adult rabbit foods are the best but you can feed him any grass hay based pellet. (Or no pellets at all because all rabbits really need is hay and veggies.)

Does he have hay? You really need to go out and get him some, Benebac or another non-dairy probiotic would be very helpful too.

If he is eating a fair amount of other foods, particularly hay, take the mix away all together. It's so bad for him, so much worse than it is for rats.
 
The lettuce I am giving is red, green leaf, and butter head. He seems to like them quite well. The next time he has a fresh poo I will snap a pic. I have bene bac so I will add some of that in. I only have him for a week (till next Thursday). I'm sure I can talk to her because she isn't a bad rabbit parent, she's just ignorant. She really cares about him and has already agreed to get another rabbit when I told her I thought they probably need a buddy like rats do.
 
My sisters rabbit loves cilantro for some reason she also loves lettuce hates carrots and strawberries. She's fed the oxbow hay and oxbow food, maybe try some digestive aids? I know oxbow makes some maybe he munched on something odd or there are papaya tablets as well. They have great enzymes to help with digestion
 
This is the food and treats they give him. Pretty sure since they live in the boonies all they have is a Walmart. The food smells good-like alfalfa.

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Rabbits cannot have a buddy unless she is prepared to neuter them. Its not an option, its a must. You cannot bond unneutered males rabbit fights are deadly. Make sure she knows that or she could have a dead rabbit in a few minutes. Also i personally wouldnt feed those treats fresh fruit are much better treats. Im almost positive that mix is the problem. If stop giving it while hes with you and make sure he has hay. Then see if it goes back to normal
 
His poop is looking much better today so now I am wondering if it was mostly just nerves?

I got him some hay today too and he has been going to town on it.
 

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