I hear rumbling, gurgling and gassy sounds coming from my rabbit. Why is my rabbit’s stomach gurgling?
I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary today. How do I know if my rabbit has a bloated stomach? I think I should also explain what I discovered about how to tell if a rabbit has gas.
In this article, we will look closer and listen to the stomach of our rabbits and find out why is my rabbit’s stomach gurgling.
Why Is My Rabbit’s Stomach Gurgling?
Rabbits are constantly chewing, gnawing, munching and digesting food rapidly and they release gas and droppings throughout the day. They are processing food.
When you gently hold your rabbit’s stomach, you may feel the gurgle that is low and soft. Prolonged gurgling could lead to digestion issues.
Monitor the eating habits and audit the foods you are offering to find out if a particular type of pellet or vegetable is causing the gurgling to get worse.
Is It Normal to Hear My Rabbit’s Stomach Gurgling?
Yes. It’s quite normal for your rabbit to process foods by way of gurgling in the stomach in a low, soft growling way. Your rabbit may also be suffering from gas that is not passing well.
You may notice your bunny acting in these way below:
- lethargic
- inactive
- eyes partially closed
- giving up eating
You can massage the sides of your rabbit’s body and belly to help the gas move out in order to reduce this bloating sensation.
How Do You Know if Your Rabbit Has a Stomach Ache?
A rabbit may have pain the stomach when you notice some of these external symptoms such as:
- Teeth grinding
- Hunched posture
- Pressing abdomen on the ground
- Eyes partially closed
- Lethargy
Rehydrate your rabbit and hold the sides gently to stroke and massage the body to help with the stomach ache. If symptoms persist, a visit to the vet is required.
How Do I Know if My Rabbit Has a Bloated Stomach?
A rabbit with a bloated stomach may stop defecating or releasing poops. They may also stop eating and interacting with you. Activity levels will decrease during this time as well.
If you have ever seen your rabbit grinding his or her teeth, this is a sign of stomach issues. Try to break up gas bubbles with a rub of the tummy or a gentle vibrating massage.
How Do You Massage a Rabbit’s Stomach?
Do you wish to know how do you relieve gas in rabbits? Try a bunny massage.
- Place your bunny on a towel and wash your hands.
- Now is the time to either use the side of the towel or your bare hands and gently make contact with the side and belly of your rabbit.
- Knead the stomach and deep as your rabbit allows without resisting you.
A rabbit that fights back is not ready for your help and you do not want to break the trust between the both of you. Your aim to to encourage the gut to keep moving to break up gas bubbles located inside the gut.
Rabbits Tummy Gurgling When Drinking
It is quite normal for a rabbit’s stomach to gurgle while drinking water. It’s a side effect of normal drinking habits.
Sometimes a rabbit drinks too much water from thirst on a hot day or extended exercise sessions. This leaves your rabbit’s stomach with the job of quickly moving that liquid with some gurgling along the way.
How Do I Know if My Rabbit Has a Blockage?
If your rabbit has internal blockage, you will need to visit the vet. Your rabbit will let you know by not eating and not going to the bathroom.
There could be intestinal obstruction or terrible abdominal pain. Your rabbit could be:
- Partially opening his or her eyes.
- Developing bruxism (teeth grinding).
- Pressing the stomach against the floor.
- Showing an Abdomen that is distended.
Droppings will stop and your rabbit will lose weight or die before wishing to eat again.
Foods That Cause Gas in Rabbits
We know that rabbits love eating vegetables, but not all of them are healthy choices. Some veggies will cause too much bloating as they expand in the stomach.
The rabbit could be left with gas bubbles and gurgling sounds will be heard. Here are some vegetables to offer sparingly or not at all:
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- cabbage
- kale
Your rabbit may be perfectly fine with some of these vegetables while others may not. This is all normal in the world of humans and animals who are unique from their head to toe and guts in between.
Can Rabbits Pass Gas Naturally?
Yes. Rabbits should be able to pass gas normally without any assistance from us. The thing is that we have domesticated these animals, brought them into our homes.
Now we offer them factory formulated and processed pellets. Sometimes they have adverse reactions like gas or bloating.
We mix up vegetables offered and try to keep our rabbits entertained to prevent the boredom of eating the exact same thing over and over again. This could also lead to excess gurgling, bloating and flatulence.
How Rabbits Digest Food
A rabbit eats all day and night with hay being a staple food in their diet. This is what happens when a rabbit processes food to pass gas naturally:
- Food enters
- Stomach passes food to small intestine
- Small intestine sends food to cecum (top of colon)
- Cecum stores food for many hours or overnight
- Nutrition from food is extracted, the remainder is fermented.
- Fermented food produces gas
- Gas released to colon
- Gas is expelled through anus
Without this process, there could be bloating, pain and a rabbit could decide to give up eating until the issue is resolved.
If there is intestinal blockage, gas will not pass, gurgling will get worse and your rabbit could become seriously ill.
Thank you for visiting PocketPetCentral.com for the best information to help you enjoy the life of your pocket pet companion in a fun, safe & healthy way.
