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HELP! Rabbit ate burlap string!!

22 9:39:17

Question
Hi Dana,

My pet rabbit got a hold of a piece of burlap fabric almost 24 hours ago, and I caught him chewing on a fairly thick string of the fabric. Before I could get to him, I think he ate about 5-8 inches of it. Since then, he has been eating and drinking normally, and was pooping normally until this afternoon (at least 20 hours later). It seems that he has not pooped at all in the past 4 hours. I've been giving him lots of hay to help him digest quicker. His activity level is about the same, possibly a little slower, but he not been  lethargic at all.

Should I still be worried? Is burlap a fabric that they can digest or should I seek care with a vet?

What (if any) other possible things can I do to help him?

Thank you so much!

Answer
Dear Ann,

Burlap is made from organic fabric, if it's natural burlap.  As such, it should be somewhat digestible.  However, I'm not sure whether all burlap made these days is 100% plant-based.

If bun is not pooping, then you might want to contact a rabbit-savvy vet and ask for an opinion (at least over the phone) about whether bun should come in for a radiograph to be sure the string is not causing problems.

If bun is eating, then there is not likely an obstruction.

Twenty hours is a pretty long time for a string to be stuck in the intestine.  His lack of poop might not have anything to do with the string. But if it's synthetic, it might stay in the stomach along with some other food matter that doesn't pass through quickly, such as hair.

It would not hurt to get on the horn to a good rabbit vet.  You can find one here:

http://www.rabbit.org/vet

There are some very good ones in NYC and vicinity.

I hope your bunny will be fine.

Dana