A major part of caring for rabbits involves assessing their diet and noticing changes in their fecal matter. It’s important to know what foods to give rabbits with diarrhea.
What do you do if your rabbit has diarrhea? How drastically do you have to change up your rabbit’s diet and should you visit the vet right away?
In this article, we will discuss the topic of what food to give rabbits with diarrhea.
What Foods to Give Rabbits With Diarrhea
Hey is the most important food to give your rabbit when they have diarrhea. Remove all other pellets, treats, fruits and vegetables during this time.
Your rabbit should only be eating grass hay, Timothy Hay, Orchard hay and other high quality hay products.
If the diarrhea complications do not resolve within a day, visit the vet as soon as possible. Diarrhea in a rabbit is not the same as in humans. It is life-threatening and potentially fatal.
What Do I Do if My Rabbit Has Diarrhea?
It is very important to book an appointment with a veterinarian when your rabbit has diarrhea that is not improving. This is a life-threatening issue and should not be treated lightly.
At this moment, you should not be feeding your rabbit any other types of food or treats aside from hay. Soft feces from a rabbit should stop within the day or else there could be exposure to:
- infection
- parasites
- poisons
Your rabbit needs treatment immediately if these issues do not resolve themselves in a matter of hours. Rabbit digestive systems and sensitive intestinal tracts of a rabbit depend on recovery from diarrhea as soon as possible.
What Causes Diarrhea in Bunnies?
Diarrhea can be causing rabbits when:
- they are introduced to new foods.
- there is an infection with deadly parasites.
- they have eaten or ingested something that is poisonous.
Rabbits are known to chew and gnaw on anything around their vicinity. For example, if they were licking or chewing on baseboards containing paint, this could cause digestive issues.
A rabbit that has not reached adulthood with runny feces could have been weaned off her mother before she was ready. Diarrhea is a serious problem that needs to be diagnosed by a professional. Please visit the vet as soon as you can.
Do Bananas Give Rabbits Diarrhea?
Bananas can give some rabbits diarrhea. It is important to note that rabbits have sensitive digestive systems. Bananas are loaded with sugar.
They can develop digestive issues such as cecal dysbiosis. This is a condition that causes a change in the gut microbiome of your rabbit.
A rabbit’s cecum is where food is stored during digestion. In this area, bacterial matter can be harmed and affected in such a way where diarrhea results..
Do Carrots Give Rabbits Diarrhea?
Carrots are very sugary and should only be given as a treat to a rabbit. This is because carrots contain too much sugar and are a weekly treat at best.
Even though we have seen countless cartoons and imagery of rabbits eating carrots, this is not a type of food that should be considered a part of their staple diet.
Focus more on leafy greens, small pieces of fruit the size of your pinky finger or less, a quarter cup of pellets for adult bunnies and an endless supply of hay.
What Foods Are High in Fiber for Rabbits?
The best part of a rabbit’s diet involves fiber from hay they consume throughout the day. Hay served dried or fresh as a form of grass has all the fiber to provide your rabbit with their daily dietary needs.
Continue to provide unlimited supplies of hay throughout the day and night. Your rabbit will not only chew on it, ingest it, it will also be considered a comfortable form of bedding.
Remember that hay can get spoiled easily and become moist. It is important to switch out the hay and add more every other day at the very least.
Can Rabbits Have Diarrhea From Stress?
Yes. Rabbits may arrive stressed and need some time to adjust to a new environment. In the first week of inviting a rabbit into your home, you may find obvious changes in their stool.
The feces might be soft or runny. If this issue continues for more than a day, it’s important to visit the vet. Reduce all other food intake and focus more on hay at this time.
Rabbits also are affected with their sensitive digestive systems when external stimuli stresses them out such as:
- loud noises
- potential threats
- uncomfortable living situations
Why Is My Rabbits Poop Soft and Wet?
A rabbit who is experiencing diarrhea or soft feces could could be ingesting foods that are too high in sugar or protein. Remove these food sources for now and increase the amount of hay that your rabbit is eating.
Notice the droppings and see if they are hardening up. Check with a veterinarian at this point if there is no recovery. You need to also rule out any type of parasites, poisons or infections that may have entered your rabbit’s sensitive digestive system.
Why Is My Rabbits Poop Mushy?
Soft feces in a rabbit means that it has not been digested properly. Your rabbit may have focused too much on eating treats, vegetables, fruits or pallets instead of hay.
Switch back to hay only and then introduce rich vegetables instead of offering sugary sources like carrots and bananas. Here are some options:
- kale
- dandelion greens
- carrot tops
- chard
Why Is My Rabbits Poop Smelly?
Your rabbit could be experiencing a bout of diarrhea, disease or stress that is leading to the droppings becoming softer or smelly. Smelly feces may also end up sticking to the rear end of your rabbit and creating more of a stench.
The most common reason for this is a high sugar diet which results in cecal dysbiosis. This is one of the best ways to tell if rabbits are healthy or not.
We have to inspect their droppings to make sure that it is hard, round and firm. If you have noticed this poop looking too soft, smelly or it sticks to the rear end of your rabbit, it’s time to visit a vet for a professional opinion.
What Is Rabbit Diarrhea?
The droppings of a rabbit is a mix of dry pellets and cecotropes. The latter is not considered feces and your rabbit may end up eating them. It means these nutrients were not digested properly.
Rabbit diarrhea is soft runny, mushy or loose formed cecotropes. The feces might be mucousy and can cling to the bottom or tail of your rabbit as well.
What Does Rabbit Diarrhea Look Like?
If you think your rabbit has diarrhea, you need to inspect that the fecal matter is watery, non formed and wet. Normal feces should be hard, round and you should be able to even inspect pieces of hay.
Diarrhea is soft and loose. Baby rabbits are more common to have diarrhea if they have not been weaned properly or too early. They have sensitive digestive systems and should focus on hay as 85% of their daily dietary needs.
Sometimes we overfeed a rabbit with too many treats, fruits and vegetables. Focus more on hay to help promote a healthy gut for your rabbit.
Why Does My Rabbit Have Diarrhea?
Your rabbit can have diarrhea do to the following reasons:
- viral or bacterial infection
- after a bout of using antibiotics
- ingesting toxins or poisons
- parasitic infection
- roundworms
- tapeworms
- soft cecotropes
Soft Cecotropes
If your rabbit has soft cecotropes, it could be due to the following reasons:
- too many carbohydrates including pellets or alfalfa hay and not enough fiber
- too much fiber
- a change in diet
- too many watery vegetables like cucumber
- fruits and vegetables that are too high in sugar including bananas and carrots
- dental disease or dental problems
- obesity
Diarrhea, But Still Eating
When a rabbit is experiencing a bout of diarrhea, this doesn’t mean that they necessarily stop eating. Eating is a healthy sign, but your rabbit is also quickly dehydrating.
Remove all carbohydrates, increase fiber intake and back away from high sugar or starchy food sources. Focus more on hay. Your rabbit might need diarrhea medicine from the veterinarian as well.
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