Common Rabbit Digestive Problems
📝 Summary
Bloating, diarrhea, and constipation are common rabbit digestive issues; each needs a different response, from simple fasting and massage to antibiotics for bacterial cases, and prevention always beats treatment.
1 Bloating
Bloating mainly comes from overeating, spoiled feed, or bacterial infection. Simple bloat is easy: withhold food, ensure water, give a digestive aid, and massage the abdomen; once the backlog passes, symptoms fade and you gradually restart feeding.
2 Diarrhea
Diarrhea has many causes. Normal cecotropes (soft grape-like pellets passed at night and eaten back) are not diarrhea. Stress diarrhea from feed change or transport passes once the rabbit settles. ‘Grass diarrhea’ from too many greens just needs less greens and more dry feed.
Indigestion diarrhea needs fasting plus a digestive aid. Unclean diarrhea needs clearing the gut and fresh feed. Bacterial diarrhea (E. coli, staph) needs oral or injected antibiotics plus saline to prevent dehydration.
3 Constipation
Constipation ties to poor care: pellet-only feeding with low water, little greens, poor feed, or feed with sand or hair. Untreated, stool lingers and can cause poisoning, breathing trouble, or heart failure and death. Withhold food, massage the abdomen, and use medication to promote evacuation.
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