Bunny Diarrhoea!!

BREAKTHOUGH! G + P are eating hay!! They never used to do that. They have now decided they LOVE it and have a bulging hayrack every evening, and some during the day if they ask. I'm very pleased anyway. It hasn't changed their constitutions that I can tell - the only difference is their droppings are a sort of orange colour, rather than brown.

My bunnie flossie has suparabbit excel morning and evening but also eats lots of hay,I put a couple of fresh handfuls in her bunnie box morning and evening and as well as that she likes STRAW-she munches on that and the vet said it is the right sort of roughage for her.As a treat she has maybe 2 or 3 Wagg carrots sticks a day.She does not eat any fruit,maybe the odd grape or two but has washed spring cabbage and a carrot and a few florets of broccolli.iThe only thing that gives her loose poo is the cabbage so when that happens,i cut it back for a couple of days.My vet also told me that too much grazing on grass can cause diarhoea if they are not used to it.i know about the eating poo thing and she seems to do that in the evening.

Well, my guys look VERY well on it! They have corn too. Seriously, try it. They aren't supposed to have lettuce, but their is plenty of salad buns can have. Your right that fruit should be limited. G + P only have one small portion with each meal. If your bun is still having probs you should really try the hay and veg diet. Just introduce it gradually. After all, if it doesn't work out, you can always change back!

lol i was also told rabbits cant have corn,any type of salad as its to watery,or anything else apart from their complete food, i feed mine burgess excel supa rabbit food as reccomended by the vet but she doesnt jump for joy when breakfast comes, can anyone reccomend me something better?

my 9 week old suffers from diarrhoea from time to time especially when i give her something other than her normal food to eat, well when i went to the vet because i thought she was passing urine, turns out rabbits urine varys from a light yellow to a dark purple its all natural just because of the things shes eaten, she said you shouldnt give them fruit as it does cause diarrhoea and its full of sugar so can cause diabetes and shouldnt feed bunny moire than two tablespoons of fruit. but does this really apply coz my bunny loves her fruit is there a type of tablet that stops their diarrhoea?

Hey Sarah! Sorry I didn't reply before - computer trouble! Don't worry, it's perfectly normal for bunnies to do softer droppings too. In fact, you'd need to worry if they didn't. These are the 'caecal pellets' which rabbits are supposed to eat. (Gross, I know!) It's a coincidence actually cuz my buns hate hay too, (mind you, can't say I blame them!) so they generally just eat grass, fruit, veg, and the occasional handful of some dry treat, such as Krisprolls.

Anyway, you were asking about their feed routine? Well, I don't knpow how to describe it really... This is a basic day for them (food wise), taking into acount that they are 2 middle-aged, castrated dutch rabbits who get plenty of exercise:

8.30: Breakfast - a medium-sized peeled carrot, a smll handful of spinich, half a large tomato cut into quaters, 3 broccolli florets, half a large apple, 5 red grapes and a small scattering of 'Special K'.
12.00 (ish): If it's fine they have the oppitunity to be in their run all day, otherwise I will cut them a bowl-full of fresh grass.
6.30: Dinner - a large handful of watercress, a long stick of celery, 2 baby sweetcorn, 2 brussel sprouts, half a pear, and a couple of strawberries.
9.00: Bedtime: If there is no food in their bowl they'll get a snack, maybe a v. small handful of Suparabbit or a bunch of dandilion leaves.

It's good to know that your pair are getting on so well. I recently had to take Ginger to the vet due to a blocked tear duct, and she made out he was nearing the end of his life. That shocked me because the books say 8 - 12 and my boys are really hyper and healthy. They leap over each other and spring about like mad march hares, so I don't think it's the end of the road yet! Changing their diet has done them the world of good. Especially Ginger, who looking back, must have had horrible stomachache because he used to sit hunched up grinding his teeth a lot - the sure sign of a bunny in distress.

Anyway, thanks for replying, and good luck with your 2!

Hi Vicky. i will definately be looking out for this book! my bunnies too suffer from diarrhoea now and then...well, its not really diarrhoea but they sometimes have a lot of softer stools! i wonder if you could tell me more about this diet. my two are terrible at eating hay now matter what i try (ie lots of different types of hay, putting it in toilet tubes or hiding treats in it to make it more interesting!) my feed routine is as follows (at present) morning: one small handful of suparabbit Excel plus one small handful of moist bunny mix plus a small amount of fruit/veg and then in the evenings they have simply fresh veg (a minimum of 5 different types, leafy and hard) they have fresh hay on the floor of the shed and hutch plus a hay rack with alfalfa, a willow basket with another type of hay (ie timothy hay) plus 2 more baskets with normal hay for them to play in, dig or eat. they have access to this all day and night.

can i ask what your new feed routine is?

my 2 are also getting on a bit now, they were about 41/2 years old when we adopted them from an animal rescue and that was 3 years ago now but i would hope that they have a good few years left in them yet!