Managing Megacolon Buns?

Hi everyone, hope you're all well <3

I've been starting to feel quite sure for a while now that my bunny Maple might have Megacolon. She has always struggled to gain weight - her pelvis is quite square and she generally feels very bony to the touch. As she is tortoiseshell coloured, it sort of disguises just how thin she is. Either her or Lily are doing irregular, egg shaped poops on a daily basis - I think it must be Maple because Lily is a very healthy weight.

Maple has generally been a well rabbit, other than when her teeth got too long and she needed a dental. She has a big appetite and eats a lot, it just doesn't show on her body. She binkies a lot in the evening and has a lot of energy.

I've been doing a tonne of research, but I was wondering if anyone on here has first hand experience of caring for a rabbit with Megacolon, and if there are any dietary changes that might be beneficial to help her gain weight? In the morning she has a handful of greens, either foraged brambles, herb Robert etc, or some veggies from the garden like kale, little gem lettuce, mint. She has lots of hay and grass available in the run, and a small portion of Rosewood Naturals Meadow Menu pellets.

Is this something that can actually be diagnosed officially by a vet? And should I expect the condition to worsen with age?

Thanks in advance for your help, it is truly appreciated.

I have cared for a couple of Rabbits with Megacolon. What you describe does not sound like classic symptoms which almost always include not only passing big oval fecal poo, but also passing large splats of poo that resembles cow pats. Frequent episodes of gut stasis and severe abdominal pain occur too. Megacolon cannot be confirmed on a live Rabbit, a presumptive diagnosis is based on ruling other conditions out with various diagnostics.

You have probably already seen these links

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/RO-Spring-17-Megacolon.pdf

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Mega/mega_en.htm

https://vgr1.com/megacolon/

Is Maple actually losing weight ?

Yea I have a megacolon bun, I agree with what Jane has said.

It's not just oval poo, but splats, I have another bun who does oval poo sometimes if she's given too many greens tho.

The not being able to keep weight on my megacolon bun suffers with, but also very frequent gut stasis (several times a month, we're doing well if it's once a month) but it's not really like normal gut stasis tbh, it's very different. But yea as Jane said it's the splats that look like cow pats which he has.


If I was you I'd cut the diet right down to basics and start reintroducing in small amounts one thing at a time. Also has this always been an issue or has it recently just started? I'm just wondering if it could be the new growth of grass causing an issue.

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Thank you both for your responses, and apologies for my delayed one (Hammy had stasis but thankfully okay now, have been a bit distracted)

It's reassuring to hear that it is splats as well as oval poops. When I first got Lily and Maple there were some cow pat type poops, but at the time I put it down to their nerves - they were both extremely nervous, hardly handled rabbits. I haven't seen any like that for at least a year, so it may have been nerves-related.

Maple never gets stasis and is outwardly pretty happy most of the time, she runs around a lot and likes to binky. She just looks very underweight compared to her sister - her pelvis is quite square and bony and I can feel her spine more than I would like. She isn't losing weight, but she has never looked a healthy weight either and she feels too bony to the touch. She eats well and never shows any signs of discomfort when eating. Can rabbits have a high metabolism and struggle to gain weight for that reason?

Beapig said:

Thank you both for your responses, and apologies for my delayed one (Hammy had stasis but thankfully okay now, have been a bit distracted)

It's reassuring to hear that it is splats as well as oval poops. When I first got Lily and Maple there were some cow pat type poops, but at the time I put it down to their nerves - they were both extremely nervous, hardly handled rabbits. I haven't seen any like that for at least a year, so it may have been nerves-related.

Maple never gets stasis and is outwardly pretty happy most of the time, she runs around a lot and likes to binky. She just looks very underweight compared to her sister - her pelvis is quite square and bony and I can feel her spine more than I would like. She isn't losing weight, but she has never looked a healthy weight either and she feels too bony to the touch. She eats well and never shows any signs of discomfort when eating. Can rabbits have a high metabolism and struggle to gain weight for that reason?

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Some Rabbits are just naturally on the slim side. It’s good that her weight is stable and she appears to be active and bright within herself. A full blood profile could detect any renal or liver problems which could account for her being underweight ( if she really is underweight )

I have never encountered a case of parasitic intestinal worms in a Rabbit, but they can occur

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Parasitic_diseases/Nem_gen/Nematodes.htm

This might be something you could discuss with a Rabbit Savvy Vet given Maple’s low weight and Hamilton’s stasis episodes.