At this time of year - Spring!

This is just to warn any members who are unfamiliar with Spring grass growth if their rabbits have access to grass outside.

At this time of year, every year, I see an increase in 'sticky bottom', 'excess caecotrophs', 'runny poo' posts from members new and old.

This last month has been unusually warm, the daffodils and snowdrops are up and Spring is very much on its way. Grass begins to grow rapidly at this time of year and because of this the blades are high in sugars - very appetising to bunny but a recipe for disaster for the delicate balance of bacteria in the caecum.

Between now and early summer (April/May) grazing should be monitored closely, especially for rabbits who have not been outside all winter or never been outside. The infant/young rabbit is far more susceptible to gastric illness but all rabbits can develop excess or malformed caecotrophs as a result of grass gorging at this time of year, and any upset to the caecum puts a bunny at risk of GI stasis. In the extreme, sudden bloat can and does occur.

Excess or malformed caecotrophs can often be quickly resolved with a few days of hay only (provided bunny is able to eat hay and does so) with plenty of water provided as always, and/or the addition of astringent blackberry/raspberry leaves to the diet.

But, if your rabbit is showing any signs of inappetance, discomfort, reduced or no droppings and/or acute watery diarrhoea and is unwilling to move or is collapsed then veterinary attention should be sought immediately :wave:

:thumb:

Thanks for posting PL

Good call PL :thumb:

Thank you for this. It wasn't something I was aware of and as the temperature change between indoors and outdoors has lessened I have been thinking about getting my two some fresh air. I'll definitely be watching the grazing when I do get them outside

Bumping this up because after an unusually warm wknd for March the risk is still high :wave:

So true, I always worry about our buns at this time of year as it tends to be the sort of time that some of them will get some kind of digestive upset - stasis or other.

Star has been to the vets this morning with gut slowdown and a little bit of gas, even though we have carefully monitored their free-range times and restricted how much time they can spend nibbling grass. It still can catch you out.

Good post, although I would be grateful for any grass growth at the moment rather than the left over trampled mud of winter!

Hugo's There said:

Good post, although I would be grateful for any grass growth at the moment rather than the left over trampled mud of winter!

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Snap! :lol:

An excellent post.Perhaps a sticky for future reference.So many new members join everyday.....


Just to ask though, if bunnies are out alot on the grass,all through the year, will the new grass still interfere with guts??
Mine have had regular garden time, and Ive found all seems ok.

yvette said:

An excellent post.Perhaps a sticky for future reference.So many new members join everyday.....


Just to ask though, if bunnies are out alot on the grass,all through the year, will the new grass still interfere with guts??
Mine have had regular garden time, and Ive found all seems ok.

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Less likely but still a possibility. Depends how rich the grass on your lawn is too. Wild buns tend to live on poorer quality grass/turf favouring sandier/chalk soils for burrows I think. But also, they have a more robust caecal flora I reckon due to an appropriate diet which means they can tolerate change better. They are also less likely I would assume to binge eat the sugary new growth compared to a house rabbit or a restricted domestic rabbit with less to do all day. This is all just speculation on my part.

yvette said:

Just to ask though, if bunnies are out alot on the grass,all through the year, will the new grass still interfere with guts??
.

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That's what I'm wondering too. Mine have access to the same grass year round and it hasn't had time to grow (even it wanted to, as it gets nibbled straightaway)

That's really helpful. I was going to put Doughnut outside soon and was introducing a few strands of grass to her. Since I rushed her to the vets a month ago as she'd stopped eating and hunched up due to gas, I think I'll wait until June to let her out. I'll start introducing the grass at the beginning of may. I do have a paving area so she could go out for a bit of fresh air but keep away from the grass.

At the moment I've got her eating bramble leaves which she loves as well as plenty of hay and an egg cup of pellets. I've discovered bunnies can eat lemon balm and it's good for gas. I have a lot of lemon balm in my garden so shall I start giving her bits of that instead as I didn't want to keep giving her new stuff but since it's good for her? Will also slowly introduce dandelions too. Not sure how much to give her though as she's only 1.1 kg and I know bramble leaves can be fed freely but don't think that's the case with dandelions or lemon balm. Hopefully someone on here will know!

You have to remember it is just a risk not a foregone conclusion for all rabbits, some buns have more delicate systems than others and some develop dysbiosis and others do not. I have always found dwarf lop species to be particularly most sensitive to alteration to their gut flora but obviously some lops will be fine.

Buns that have been out all year around may be less sensitive to the new growth.

Other factors can contribute such as Spring warmth starting a heavy moult of the winter coat - which in itself can cause GI problems as slower transition through the gut also puts the caecal flora at risk of unbalancing. Many factors at work.

Just saying beware that's all. :wave: