You could also give leafy greens to your rabbit that still have the water from being rinsed. A water bowl is often easier for a rabbit to drink from than a bottle.
Sometimes food or another object that a rabbit ate can create a blockage in the digestive system. If your rabbit doesn’t get enough fluids, the stomach will have trouble pushing food through the digestive tract. An anxious rabbit is also at risk of GI stasis. If your rabbit is in pain, their gut will likely slow down. GI stasis is often a symptom of more serious conditions. Pain from other injuries or illnesses.So if your rabbit just sits in their enclosure all day, their gut can slow down. Exercise helps to keep a rabbit’s digestion moving. If a rabbit has too many treats, or even too many pellets it can cause an imbalance in the gut bacteria. So after your rabbit recovers from their GI stasis episode, it’s important to check and see if there are any other issues that caused the gut problems. GI stasis is often a symptom of some other underlying health problem.
If your rabbit is normally full of energy, but now they are just sitting and hesitant to move, this could mean your rabbit is experiencing stasis. But instead the rabbit will be slightly up on their front paws, keeping their belly from pressing against the ground. The position looks almost like a rabbit loaf.
This is often the position that rabbits take when they are in pain, especially if that pain is coming from their gut. If this gets really loud or disappears completely, it’s a sign of GI stasis. If you ever put your ear near your rabbit’s stomach, you’ll notice that there is almost always a quiet gurgling going on. Loud stomach gurgles, or no sound coming from the stomach at all.If you ever notice this, that is a sign that something is wrong with their digestion. In early stages of stasis, the rabbit’s poops will usually be small and malformed until eventually they are not pooping at all. If the rabbit hasn’t eaten in over 10 hours or refuses their favorite treat, this is cause for concern. GI stasis is pretty common, so it’s important to learn the symptoms: This is probably the most important condition to be aware of, since it is often a symptom of many other illnesses in rabbits. But if the rabbit does not receive help on time, this condition can be deadly. If the symptoms are caught early enough, it is very possible that your rabbit will recover. And the gut bacteria will start to increase to dangerous numbers, creating painful gas in the rabbit’s gut.īasically this means that the rabbit’s digestion isn’t working. As the intestinal tract slows down, hair and food start to get stuck along the gastrointestinal passage, creating bigger blockages. GI stasis (gastrointestinal stasis) is the condition that occurs when a rabbits gut slows down or comes to a complete halt. In this position, the rabbit will use their front paws to keep from pressing their belly against the ground. That way you can easily recognize when they are not acting normally and watch for the signs of any of the following conditions.Ī rabbit will often assume a hunched position when experiencing GI Stasis.
It’s always a good idea to observe your rabbit when they are healthy. The House Rabbit Society has this handy list to help you find a vet that’s knowledgeable about rabbits. While you’re at it, it’s important to find a rabbit-savvy veterinarian near you. It’s important to learn the signs of common rabbit illnesses so that we can get our rabbits the emergency care that they need. Unfortunately this means it can be difficult to detect when a rabbit isn’t feeling well.
In order to survive, they had to learn how to hide all of their weaknesses from predators. However there are still a number of illnesses and injuries a rabbit can contract that that can be potentially life-threatening for our cute fuzzy friends. Most of the time, you will only have to bring your rabbit to the vet for their annual check-up. In general, rabbits are actually very healthy animals.