Need some help

[denla]

Feeding my rabbit a mix of Wagg Bunny Brunch and something the breeder used which I forgot to ask which brand it is. Ran out of Oxbow Western Timothy hay so feeding rabbit meadow hay. She's been pooing a lot of soft squishy cecals lately. She never eats them. Often runs over them and I have a hard time cleaning up. The indoor cage is plastic with a fleece blanket as flooring. I have to wash the fleece blanket and scrub the plastic cage with Dettol (label says non-bleach and safe to use on food prep surfaces) multi-surface cleaner before rinsing it out.

The Allen & Page pellets just arrived and it looks exactly like the bag of pellets the breeder gave me. Other people say it might be Excel because that brand is known to cause soft squishy poo, but does all pellets look the same? I can't tell and breeder relocated so I can't ask. Should I continue using that bag of pellets the breeder gave me? Or maybe it's the Wagg Bunny Brunch that's causing this? Or maybe the meadow hay?

I was giving my rabbit some small carrot slices but stopped that for now. Giving parsley instead. She also loves my indoor grown grass but that's developed mould after I watered it too much so had to throw it in the bin.

Rabbit also runs up to me nudging me and scratching my leg, but when I give her attention she runs away. She only lets me pet her when she's in the relaxed position or when she's eating. At other times she won't let me touch her.

Previously I cleaned the cage once a week but she got some fleas so I bathed her with Johnson's Small Animal Shampoo. I placed some towels on the carpet, used some boxes to corner her and me, then slowly poured some mixed shampoo with water over her body but avoiding head. Then rinsed her with a bowl of water. Towel dried her and used hair dryer (low heat) to dry her. Seemed to stop her itching. I gave her carot slices to keep her occupied and calm. I'm now also cleaning the cage twice a week instead, and litter tray every other day.

 

[Hesperus]

My last bunny came with Wagg Bunny Brunch, he loved the taste of it and didn't selective feed, but it's not very good quality and so as soon as I could I changed him to another food gradually. He also had too many uneaten cecal pellets and a bit of a bad tummy on the bunny brunch so I suggest trying to gradually change onto a better quality food. If he keeps having his food changed that may also not be helping, so choose the food you want to feed him on and gradually change him over to that rather than trying different ones too often. (I know that you couldn't help it though, it's hard when they're new and you haven't got all the info. Could you ring the breeder perhaps and find out what the food was called?)

I never had a problem with Excel however he wouldn't eat the normal flavoured one, he only liked the oregano!

As he loved Bunny Brunch so much I gave him a small scattering over the top, just to keep him happy, but it certainly wasn't his only food.

Hope that helps, I know there's nothing worse than cleaning up smelly cecal pellets!

 

[tonibun]

Don't know how lonf you have had your bunny but it's best to keep them on the food they are used to and then gradually change to something else. If he was on pellets at the breederss it is best to stick with that but as you have already introduced a new food don't chamge to something else or you willupset him. The uneaten cecals will probably start to be eaten when his tummy settles down. You have done the right thing stopping the carrot - too much sugar! Are you sure he had fleas? Have you other animals he could have caught them off because I have never known a rabbit to have fleas and I have a few (rabbits). It's best to get the proper treatment from the vets if it reoccurs because rabbits are very sensitive to shampoos and you shouldn't have to give them a bath. Please give bunny lots of hay which will help his digestion. How old is he?