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About Mirella Brown
Expertise
I have 4 house rabbits and experience with rabbit pregnancy, babies, bunny bonding, litter training, behavior training, cage and cage-free living, bunny proofing your home, basic health and diet, spaying/neutering, bunny talk, and bunny fun. I have neutered and spayed my rabbits and have dealt with amputations, broken bones, holistic pain management with rabbits so i can give you advice for surgery aftercare, BUT I am NOT a Veterinarian and cannot give you in depth answers on health, biology, or medicines.

If you suspect something is wrong with your rabbit please do not wait - go to the vet immediately. Signs include bleeding, broken bones, watery diarrhea, no poop for more than 12 hours, not eating/drinking, un-responsive/lethargic/listless behavior, screaming, constant LOUD teeth chatter. Be safe not sorry. Go to the vet!

I love rabbits and am here to help you have the best bunny experience you can with your pet. I deal only with pet rabbits and do not endorse hobby breeding/breeding for fun. I do NOT support breeding operations regardless of their purpose. My rabbits are valued members of my family. They live cage free.

Je parle français.

Experience
With four house rabbits I have experienced everything from false pregnancy, to real pregnancy, obesity in rabbits, cold/dead kits, nursing baby rabbits and raising them to adulthood. I am also involved in the rescue rabbit rehoming project in my area. We help rescue rabbits find loving homes. I have come in contact with a lot of rabbit situations through this association.

Organizations
Rescue Rabbit Rehoming Project - Ontario Chapter
I'm a volunteer at my local Animal Shelter /Spec. Rabbits

Education/Credentials
I have two un-related bunny degrees. B.A. in Political Science and a B.F.A. in Graphic Design

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Veterinary Medicine > Rabbits > What's wrong with my pet rabbit?

Rabbits - What's wrong with my pet rabbit?

Expert: Mirella Brown - 11/4/2009

Question
ive had my bunny for 6 yrs & now have a 2 month old baby but i don`t have the time i used to for my rabbit, i do let him out for 6-7 hrs/day but only spend 20-30 mins of play time with him unlike the 8 hrs prior to my son's arrival i used to spend with him ... he was an extremely affectionate & cuddly little guy but today i went to pick him up to try & clean his bottom, like i used to & he would always let me, which is now covered with hardened feces & he scratched me & jumped out of my arms, he's NEVER done this before, he used to sit on my lap for hours & always gave lots of kisses, now he won`t even let me touch him, i went to pet him & he ran away like he was crazy & even kind of ran into the wall (he is blind in one eye) & then struggled to get back in his cage, what`s wrong with him? i heard animals cango kind of crazy just before they die .. could he be dying?

Answer
I don't think your rabbit is acting crazy. Your rabbit should be able to pass proper poop. If your rabbits bottom is covered in hardened poop it may not be you that your rabbit is reacting to but the pain of potentially having a hard time going to the bathroom because of the hardened stuff blocking the way for new poops to come out, causing intstinal pain and possibly slow motility. Even the pain of removing the hardened poop from the Skin or fur from the sensitive area could have made your rabbit react this way. You need to get long sleeves on, some thin stretchy material gloves (like the thin winter mits) and pick that rabbit up and clean him. Reassure him that you love him and need to do this. Try to soak the hardened poop in warm water before trying to pull it off. This will avoid the pain.

It is not normal for rabbits to have mushy poop. This happens usually due to bad diet or too many treats. Treats you get at a pet store are garbage and you should discontinue all storebought crap immediately. A treat for a rabbit is a slice of apple or banana or a carrot. Only one treat should be given a day as too much sugary fruit can also cause mushy poop. Rabbits should be given UNLIMITED timothy hay! Hay is low in calories and high in fibre, helping to bond that mushy stuff together and promote a healthy bowel. Pellets should be limited to 1/2 cup a day max for rabbits up to 5 pounds. Includes mini breeds. I am goin to send you some links about diet and rabbit poop.

Link to information about proper rabbit diet:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

A link about rabbits mushy poop and what causes it:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

If you feel your rabbit is being fed correctly and there is still an issue with poop I urge you to go to the vet! If your little guy is having mushy poop then his stomach is also upset. I understand you are busy with your new child but you need to act as if you have two children and pay a bit more attention to your rabbit. There may be a serious issue here that you maybe overlooked.

Find a good rabbit vet in your area at this link:
http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

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