Change in toilet habits

Hi there:wave: Hope you are all well

Looking for a wee bit advice about Max. Over the past couple of days I have noticed that he is not going to the toilet as much (both kinds!!) and my daughter has said that it doesn't look like he is drinking much water.

It's a noticable change as the one particular corner he uses would need a good clear out every day and then the proper cleanout once a week so it's been easy to spot daily that he hasn't been going as much. Will also note that he is still eating his faecal matter that he should.

He is eating still fine the same and still dives for the bowl as soon as you put it in, isn't quiet in himself and is still coming out into his pen when I open the door for him and his eyes and coat are fine.

Anyone any ideas what the change could be? Bit of a stupid question maybe but as the weather has changed to be much colder, particulary in the evening, do you think this could be it? At night he has his bunny curtain down plus his hutch hugger round the hutch. Inside there is a massive amount of hay for him in his bedroom, a v thick layer of wood shavings in the livingroom and also his blankie so I would think he would be cosy enough at night. I'm just wondering if this is what he may do every winter. As I say, it may be a stupid question hence my asking on here!!

Thanks in anticipation xx

Just to add what I feed him -

unlimited supply of hay obviously
pellets at teatime (Excel dwarf ones)
in the morning he gets a bowl of greens. At the mo it's a mix of brussel sprouts, spring greens, savoy cabbage, parsley, turnip and every few days I put a bit carrot in there as well.

This hasn't changed for the past few weeks. I have been doing a trial and error of the veg recently and these seem to be his fave (particulary the parsley - he goes mad for that!) so I am just sticking to that. He gets a little of everything and the majority is gome by tea time.

Is he eating normally?

Yes, no problems there.

Clean bowls all round!!!:lol::lol:

The reason why I asked is as you know what goes in one end comes out of the other!! If he is eating and still not going to the toilet as normal - I would suggest that you phone your vet for advice. If he is not having his usual amount of water and not 'going to the toilet' and eating as normal. I would phone the vet and get professional advice.

That did occur to me too - what must go in and all that!!!! I had a wee feel around his abdomen and there doesn't seem to be any hardness or anything out of the ordinary but as you say, best to get him checked out.

Thanks

If it was one of my buns - that's what I would do! Let me know how you get on. It does sound like a lot of greens . I was always led to believe that less is more.

Is the water bottle blocked/frozen ?

No, bottle is never blocked.

Actually today it all became clearer. I got the bowl to give his greens and there was sawdust in it like there has been the past couple of days...on close inspection it is actually where he is going to the toilet. I must confess I did notice 'pellets' in the pile of sawdust over the past couple of days but thought they were just that - stray pellets that he hadn't eaten!!

And yesterday whilst in the garden I actually saw him with his back to us and his bum in the bowl and I commented to my daughter that it ws cute!!! Personally I thought he was just eating the matter from the toilet corner.

So the question now is - why is my rabbit all of a sudden starting to use his food bowl as a toilet?

Thought I would put the outcome to this just in case any else is ever searching.

Max is drinking as I marked his bottle this morning.

As discovered, he has been going to the toilet in his empty food bowl. Phoned and spoke to the vet and it is just him marking his territory (after 4 months!) and deciding that he may want to do the toilet in the area where his bowl is and not in the place he has been doing it since I got him.

Simple advice is to move bowl, which I have done, to see if this helps. Vet has asked me to call and let me know how this works out but has also said that if he keeps on doing the loo in his bowl where ever it is there is not much I can do to stop it and it is nothing to worry about.

Obviously I have been washing his bowl in boiling hot soapy water as to eradicate any bacteria.

Silly bunny!!

Vinegar can also help to eriadicate the scent that he's marked on the bowl