Bunny with a tummy ache

[socalchicks]

I have two dutch bunnies that live in a pen in my office (converted garage). Right now, one of my chickens is recovering from a dog bite and living in a pen next to theirs. I let them all out in the room together for a couple hours every day for exercise. (They have a love-hate relationship! The mostly get along great, but every once in a while the chicken will peck one of the forhead and the bunnies stand up and punch her with their front feet. Its usually just one peck then one punch and its over. Its pretty funny actually!)

Well, the bunnies found the chicken feed (layer crumbles) and absolutely love it! I didn't think much of it, but then I read that it may not be good for bunnies because of the grains. For the last couple of days I've made a point to pick up the chicken feed when the bunnies are out because they will spend all their time cleaning out her bowl. So, they haven't gotten a whole lot at a time, but over the last week or so they've had some every day. Neither of them was acting like it bothered them at all until this morning. The male bunny is totally fine, but the female acts like her tummy hurts a little. Not too bad, she still runs around the pen and I saw her eating hay this morning. But she usually loves her morning treat (banana, spinch or kale). Today she totally refused all treats. she's hiding in her cubby more than usual also.

I've been letting them eat sunflower seeds also. I thought it was good for them. I heard one person say that they shouldn't eat sunflower seeds. Is that a problem also?

I definitely think the chicken food gave her a tummy ache. I'm just leaving her alone and I will make extra sure that she doesn't get anymore chicken feed. But is there anything I can give her that might help her feel better?

Thank you!

 

[thebritt]

Comfrey is a good tummy calmer for bunnies, as is chamomile, both as fresh herbs. A little mint is good, too. All in small qty, such as a small leaf. Also pina colada yogurt or fresh (not canned) pineapple juice. Hope she feels better soon!

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Is she pregnant????

 

[socalchicks]

Thankfully, no she's not pregnant! She's spayed and the male is neutered. So that's one less thing for me to worry about!

She's actually already starting to act like she's feeling better. But, I am going to give her some mint or chamomile. I have both. I'm actually getting ready to plant my spring garden and I'm planning to devote a section to medicinal herbs and greens specifically for the bunnies and chickens. You've given me some good ideas.

Thank you!

 

[thebritt]

Quote:
Good idea about the herb garden, I do that too. But I have to remember to label the herbs. I once accidently gave a borage leaf to a bunny w/an upset tummy instead of comfry

and upset its tummy more. Boy did I feel stupid (and sorry for the bunny, who turned out to be ok a day later, but, whew!).
If you can find it, the best book I've ever seen is called "Herbal Remedies for Farm and Stable" by Julliete deBarclay (hope the sp is right). It's incredibly informative!

 

[chinbunny]

Is she pooping at all? Give her nothing but alfalfa hay for a couple of days until it works through her system. Sunfower seeds are fine. Give her about a teaspoon at a time. In fact it will help clean out her system, and keep her eating. Safflower seeds are good for them too.

This is also the reason why I always caution people that intentionally feed their rabbits chicken feed not to do it. I know this was an accident, but hopefully they are reading and learning from this thread.

If all else fails, you may ened up having to take her to a rabbit savy vet to get her gut moving.

One other thing you can try doing is offering her some fresh poops from the other bunny. It will help with the upset stomache. Feed it to her whole, or mash them up and feed them to her.

 

[socalchicks]

I will definitely label the herbs! I already have some markers, but I will have to make more once I know exactly what I'm planting. I checked out that book on Amazon, it looks like something I would want in my library. I'm always looking for good reference books!

She is pooping. Not as much as she normally would, but she is a little bit. I think she's just a little stopped up and it may already be working out of her system. She's been eating hay and she took some chamomile and a few alfalfa pellets.

Luckily, she didn't get too much so it didn't cause too much trouble other than an upset tummy. The male probably ate more than she did, but he's totally fine. He's actually happy she's not eating as much - more for him! He's a dwarf dutch so she's a little bigger than he is. So, I would think that he would be more affected than her. But, I guess it all does just depend on the rabbit, some are more sensitive than others.

Thank you all for your help. My bunnies and I appreciate it!

 

[redhen]

Good luck! Its a very painful way for a bun to die....

Listen to chinbunny about how to treat her..she really knows her bunny stuff.

 

[Akane]

Some people don't suggest sunflower seeds for small animals because they can be fattening. If we aren't dealing with an overweight animal though and it has a proper sized pen for exercise they are a healthy treat and far better than using grains to put on weight or increase calories.

Wouldn't feeding only hay with no greens increase problems of potential constipation from lack of moisture? I'd want to also try to increase fluid intake if doing that.

 

[chinbunny]

Quote:
No the hay would work it through its system. They don't need any greens other then hay. They are useless and not nutritionally necessary. and sometimes they can cause more problems when a rabbit has bloat or goes into GI stasis. Give the rabbit all the alfalfa it can eat for now, if its still eating. And cut out everything else. Giving some baby sithemethicone may help get the GI system moving if the rabbit is gassy. Sunflower seeds are excellent for rabbits. They aren't fattening, and you have to feed them in moderation. A lot of breeders use them to add a little extra condition to the rabbit. They also help make the coat shinier. all they need is just a few a day, fed in a seperate bowl. You can even mixed them with whole(old fashioned) oats, and give it to them as a conditioner or a treat. 1 cup of sunflower seeds to 4 cups of the quaker oats. best, and healthiest treat you can give them. No more then a tablespoon a day. You can also mix a cup of safflower seeds and some calf manna with it too. rabbits love it. Just never use instant oats, or the rabbit will get the bloat. Most that I have seen that do not suggest feeding grains are the rescue groups. And many of those get their information from the hrs, which often is not correct. The seeds and grains I suggsted won't hurt them.