Digestive Issues
A Rabbits digestive system is very complex; in fact, it is very similar to that of a horse. It's important for their system to be constantly moving, if it slows or stops this could sadly mean a fatal end for the rabbit. This is where fibre comes in, they need to have a lot of fibre in their diet to keep everything moving as it should and to help their guts stay healthy. They MUST have a constant source of hay available to them at all times. In the wild rabbits will spend around 50% of their time grazing on grass, this will make up almost their entire diet.
There are a number of reasons which can cause their digestion process to stop or slow down including stress, sudden change in diet, pain - causing their appetite to diminish, parasites and blockages. Rabbits cannot vomit and so eaten food needs to be passed through the gut.
If the gut process slows the food already eaten starts to ferment and will cause a build-up of gas with nowhere to go; this puts pressure on their organs and causes pain. You may have heard this called GI Stasis. This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to research into what a correct diet looks like for rabbits.
Common symptoms of GI Stasis
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No interest in food
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Eyes dull and/or partially closed signalling pain
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Lethargy
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Sat in a hunched position
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Bloated/hard tummy
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Loud teeth clicking signalling pain
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Hiding away - out of character
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No recent stools
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smaller/looser stools
Let’s talk poop!
Although not the most popular conversation topic, rabbit stools can actually tell you a lot about their health. Keeping an eye on shape, consistency and frequency is quite an important part of being a bunny carer.
A normal stool is round, a good size and crumbles easily with lots of fibre particles present. Colour can be anything from golden brown to black. The darker the stool usually means they have had more fresh food in their diet. Anything different could mean that they need a change in diet or need to see the vet!
Example of Cecotropes.
String of poo linked with ingested fur. This can cause impactions so please groom your rabbits particularly when moulting.
Cecotropes
Rabbits have a second type of stool, called cecotropes which are also normal but these are rarely seen as they are eaten by the rabbit to extract the most nutrition from what they've eaten. These are often described as looking like a bunch of grapes, have a shiny appearance, are softer, stickier and are similar in consistency to peanut butter.
If these are not eaten it’s easy to misinterpret this as diarrhoea once they have been trodden on. Cecotropes are usually thicker and dry out quickly whereas diarrhoea is more liquid and has no substance. If these are being left for you to find frequently it may be that your rabbit has an unbalanced diet and/or too much sugar. Too many nuggets can also lead to excess cecotropes not being eaten. An eggcup full of nuggets can be given alongside unlimited amounts of hay; please do not fill your rabbits bowl to the top with nuggets, it's far too much and they then won’t eat as much hay as they need to.
Sticky bums
Occasionally you may notice your rabbit has a mucky bum (soft stools stuck to their rear/fur etc). This can have a number of causes;
1. Obesity - if your rabbit is carrying more weight than what is ideal, they won’t be able to reach their cecotropes which then may end up stuck to them.
2. Wrong diet - a diet too rich, containing too much sugar, too many fresh foods, not enough hay etc (please research correct diet) can result in poo not being the correct consistency which again ends up stuck to their fur.
3. Change in digestive movement accompanied by other symptoms - see GI Stasis above.
This can contribute to flystrike and should be corrected ASAP.
Diarrhoea
True diarrhoea needs addressing immediately without delay, as mentioned above rabbits can deteriorate very quickly and time shouldn't be wasted, get to your vet as soon as you can. If your rabbit doesn't have any other symptoms and is eating as normal then we would suggest a hay only diet until it clears but please still see your vet.