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Imbrium asked in PetsOther - Pets · 9 years ago

what do I do if my young bunny has diarrhea?

I got two female bunnies a little over a week ago, one is a lionhead and the other is a holland lop... iirc, the lop was 8 weeks old and the lionhead was 7 weeks. today, I discovered that the holland lop bunny has (mild) diarrhea and I'm not sure what to do.

diet:

the breeder gave me a big bag of food pellets so that I could feed them the type/brand they were used to. at first, I was feeding them that and timothy hay (with both available 24/7), but they seemed to be getting chubby in a hurry so about three days ago I started restricting the amount of food pellets they were offered each day (so that they'd eat more hay/less pellets) while keeping hay readily available at all times. I also switched them over to alfalfa hay because I thought they might like it better. (I read that alfalfa is good for young bunnies as long as you switch them to timothy at 6-7 months.)

the one that has diarrhea seemed to eat almost entirely food pellets when I was offering timothy hay but has been eating a LOT of the alfalfa, so I'm wondering if the dietary change caused it. I haven't fed them any fresh foods (veggies, etc.) yet - only pellets and hay. I let them play outside for an hour or so at least once every day or two (supervised and in a bunny playpen) and I remember her nibbling on the grass a little bit last night, but she didn't eat very much of it.

behavior:

she's always been very calm/not very active (borderline lethargic)... she's still about as playful as she was before, if not a little moreso (she was actually standing up on her hind legs, hopping around, etc. a fair amount when I was watching her just now instead of just sitting around or eating). she's drinking water normally (I emptied the bottle and refilled it with fresh water a few hours ago, which I do about once a day).

environment:

I cleaned their cage out completely last night aside from scooping some bedding from their pee corner into the bunny litterbox (filled w/small animal litter) that I'm trying to train them to use. I didn't use any soaps or chemicals to clean the cage - I just sprayed it with a hose and then let it dry while they were playing in the yard. they were outside for about an hour and a half last night (after it cooled off a bit) - my neighbor likes to come over and chat/watch the bunnies with me. I don't offer them food while they're out in the yard, but I always attach their water bottle to the playpen in case they get thirsty.

Update:

(forgot to mention that I think the breeder only offered timothy hay with the food pellets)

Update 2:

judging by the first answer, I'm guessing I need to offer a mix of timothy and alfalfa for a while to ease them over to eating just alfalfa (and then do the same in reverse when they're around 6-7 months)?

I put some timothy hay in there this morning and showed it to the sick one and she nibbled on some (though they really do prefer the alfalfa, it seems); I also went back to keeping pellets in the cage full-time for now (better to be a little chubby than to be sick, I figure) and she scarfed down a bunch of them. she's still drinking and playing normally and seems to be improving.

assuming she doesn't get worse and require more immediate attention, I have an appointment with a veterinarian next monday that specializes in exotics (including pet rabbits)... my mom was using him for her dog and cat a few years back and I took them in for her sometimes, so I'm already familiar with him. the appointment is for both bunnies so that they can get a thorough check-up an

Update 3:

and ask all my "nervous new bunny mom" questions (I've been keeping a list so I don't forget any!).

1 Answer

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  • Anonymous
    9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    You have to make changes to rabbits diets very slowly as they have such sensitive digestive systems. You changing their diet has caused an upset stomach. Keep an eye on it and if it continues she will need to see a vet.

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