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Rabbit acting strangely-warm weather??

Nicola C

Nicola C

Mama Doe
Hi all,
Yesterday I noticed one of my buns was acting a bit odd, she was a bit hunched up and not really interested in her food and then she spent a long time flopped down on the floor, which I've not seen her do for ages. I legged it down to the vets with her and when we got there, she seemed pretty happy. He checked her bladder and gut for blockages, but there were none and I have since noticed she is poo'ing and wee'ing fine. She has also been eating a bit of carrot and some hay, so can't be that bad surely. I was just wondering if the warmer weather may have contributed to her odd behaviour, she is also moulting loads, so not sure if that would influence her behaviour. Hmmmm...any thoughts apreciated.
Thanks
Nicola
 
If she's in moult she probably has lots of fur in her guts. This can make someBuns feel uncomfortable even if it does not actually result in GI Stasis

Give her a good groom every day and try to increase her water intake ( bowl rather than bottle ) I'd avoid feeding sugary Veg like Carrot for a week or so but offer her a few Dandelion leaves and dark leafy greens.
Some people advocate giving a source of Bromelain, eg FRESH Pineapple, to a Bun in moult. Bromelain is an enzyme which some believe helps the Bun pass the ingested fur. Personally I dont give Pineapple/Bromelain tabs to my Buns as I am not convinced it has any affect.

Lots of hay,increased water intake, a good amount of exercise and greens/dandelion leaves will help keep your Buns guts going and daily grooming will minimise the amount of fur she ingests

Janex :)
 
Thanks Jane, thats great :D Will go and pick some dandelions now, thats all I seem to be able to grow in our garden!! I don't suppose you know if they are high in calcium though?
Many thanks
Nicola
 
dandelions are very high in calcium dry weight, but they're fresh so they have moisture kind of 'diluting' the calcium - they make a good appetiser if your bun is off her food :) you can encourage her to drink more water by putting a splash of boiling from the kettle in with the cold water in a bowl - mine won't even drink cold water any more - I've spoilt them :roll: They do flop a bit with the hot weather, but it's more likely her tummy if she's moulting - I give my bunnies bromelain (40mg chewable) tablets from holland and barrett - one every other day while they're moulting - they wouldn't touch them at first but now they're begging for them :)
 
Thnaks guys, bun much better, gave her some dandelion leaves and papaya/pineapple tablets, which all went down VERY well, so I think she is fine. She does groom her sister a lot as well, so I guess she has swallowed a lot of fur. Gave them both a god brush yesterday so fingers crossed all ok now.
Thanks very much :D
Nicola x
 
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