Wet Poop and such

Hi all,

So this is my first question here - and it is about poop. (my husband says I am obsessed with our rabbit's poop, I say no regrets)

Anyways, so this isn't the first time I have rabbits - in fact its my second. I used to have a rabbit - Kiku, gone too soon (cecal dysbiosis and diarrhea) because I was unaware of rabbit diets and such and made quite a lot of mistakes there is not a single day that I don't miss him. After some time after he left us, we got two rabbits this time - two female rabbits (both are in the 3-4 week zone, one of them is slightly smaller as compared to the other). Needless to say, I have been quite poop obsessed since the start (and its been just 1 week since I got them).

The only food I am giving them is unlimited durva/bermuda grass (we have a lawn in the backyard and have plenty of durva/bermuda grass there) and water. Sometimes I give them very small piece of carrot, but thats like once in 3-4 days; and one mint leaf each once in two days. When we brought them home initially, their poops were very small and dark - because the place we got them from, they were just given cabbage (I don't know why, they are babies). As we started giving them more and more hay, their poops started getting bigger and lighter..almost greenish/goldenish..which I take as a good sign. They are grainy and everything when broken down.

For the past 2-3 days, sometimes they are getting wetter and darker poop - I can see the grainy particles when i break it down (still a bit wet thought) but they have moisture content, which is not present in the normal poop they had been getting before. The wetter and darker poops like smaller occurrences, 4-5 at night, and then some 4-5 during the day. It goes back to normal after sometime - but it is still making me anxious. There hasn't been any change in their diet at all, and its not like the poop is sticky or anything - it just has moisture content and is a bit wet. They are eating just fine (love the grass), and their pooping and peeing hasn't stopped. Apart from the fact that they sleep a lot (eat, poop, sleep, poop, eat..the cycle - I think its normal for bunnies right?), they are exploring the house and such and we take them to our lawn once a day so as to cheer them up.

I am not sure if the poop thing is abnormal, or if I am just being a highly anxious bunny mom. I have already lost one, and that loss still weight on my heart and I just don't want to lose another I love my bunnies so much.

KikutheBun said:

Hi all,

So this is my first question here - and it is about poop. (my husband says I am obsessed with our rabbit's poop, I say no regrets)

Anyways, so this isn't the first time I have rabbits - in fact its my second. I used to have a rabbit - Kiku, gone too soon (cecal dysbiosis and diarrhea) because I was unaware of rabbit diets and such and made quite a lot of mistakes there is not a single day that I don't miss him. After some time after he left us, we got two rabbits this time - two female rabbits (both are in the 3-4 week zone, one of them is slightly smaller as compared to the other). Needless to say, I have been quite poop obsessed since the start (and its been just 1 week since I got them).

The only food I am giving them is unlimited durva grass (we have a lawn in the backyard and have plenty of durva grass there) and water. Sometimes I give them very small piece of carrot, but thats like once in 3-4 days; and one mint leaf each once in two days. When we brought them home initially, their poops were very small and dark - because the place we got them from, they were just given cabbage (I don't know why, they are babies). As we started giving them more and more hay, their poops started getting bigger and lighter..almost greenish/goldenish..which I take as a good sign. They are grainy and everything when broken down.

For the past 2-3 days, sometimes they are getting wetter and darker poop - I can see the grainy particles when i break it down (still a bit wet thought) but they have moisture content, which is not present in the normal poop they had been getting before. The wetter and darker poops like smaller occurrences, 4-5 at night, and then some 4-5 during the day. It goes back to normal after sometime - but it is still making me anxious. There hasn't been any change in their diet at all, and its not like the poop is sticky or anything - it just has moisture content and is a bit wet. They are eating just fine (love the grass), and their pooping and peeing hasn't stopped. Apart from the fact that they sleep a lot (eat, poop, sleep, poop, eat..the cycle - I think its normal for bunnies right?), they are exploring the house and such and we take them to our lawn once a day so as to cheer them up.

I am not sure if the poop thing is abnormal, or if I am just being a highly anxious bunny mom. I have already lost one, and that loss still weight on my heart and I just don't want to lose another I love my bunnies so much.

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So the Rabbits were only 3-4 weeks old when you got them ? If so this is way too young for them to have been removed from their Mum and will have seriously impacted on their gut health. Kits should remain with their Mum til 8 weeks of age minimum, some will still suckle from Mum at 10+ weeks. How old are they now ?

Are the wet poops wet fecal poop or uneaten cecotrophs ?

Well, its been just a week since I got them - so I would say 4 weeks now? I know they are very young, hence my primary concern

The wet poop are wet fecal poops; they look like normal round poops but wet. They dont look like cecotropes.

KikutheBun said:

Well, its been just a week since I got them - so I would say 4 weeks now? I know they are very young, hence my primary concern

The wet poop are wet fecal poops; they look like normal round poops but wet. They dont look like cecotropes.

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Can you post photos of the Kits ? Is there any way they can go back to their Mum ? Dont feed the any veg at all, just feed hay and the hard feed they are used to. They stand a far better chance if they can go back to their Mum though. It is so sad that they have been taken from her

Ohhh. Whoever give you rabbits at this tender stage did not do you any favour. Rabbits should be 6-8 week with mum minimum and then in seperate cage/hutch/enclousure for next few weeks. Ready to new home at the age 10-12 weeks, not before. Get Benebac probiotic ASAP or Pro-C probiotics for rabbits, ReguTum feed only hay and pellets for junior rabbit. I just hope some breeder will pop in. Hope you make it. And find a rabbit savy vet. Wishing all the best.

It is highly unlikely mum will take the kits back now. A day would be touch and go, but a week and I think what's done is done. That being said, if you are able to try them back with mum, it is worth a try, but gently and softly - mum may very well attack the kits and I'd be surprised if she didn't. That would cause more harm than good. If you are able to try reintroducing, I would try with a divide at first to avoid injuries to kits should the doe (very likely) have none of it. Cover the kits in mums scent, I imagine most of the fur nest is gone by now, but if not you can rub this on the seperated kits. If not, gross as it sounds, rubbing some lightly soiled substrate from mums enclosure on them will do. You cannot just introduce kits whom have been gone for a week without any familiar scent.

They are able to live without mum at 4 weeks old, and having been seperated a week, that they are still OK is a good sign. They absolutely without a doubt would have done far better with mum up to 8 weeks old though, I have witnessed kits feeding up to 10 weeks old however most usually lay off by then and seperating at 8 weeks is absolutely fine. However whomever bred the rabbits and supplied them to you at 3 weeks old has been so beyond irresponsible, and I am surprised they have fared as well they have, they risked their lives by doing this. I would consider having a chat with the RSPCA about this being totally honest.

I second probiotics, no sudden changes in diets (if you can gradually introduce junior pellets, a very very tiny amount) this is important for proper growth and nutrition, and even more so that the kits were seperated so young. Plenty of good quality hay. A small pinch or two of Alfafa hay may be an idea depending on how they are doing weight-wise, but I'd check this with a savvy vet as well.

I really would get to a rabbit savvy vet with this, whom may want the details of the person who supplied them to you anyway, as this is a welfare issue if I ever saw one. Good luck xx