bunny food/stasis

Question
Can bacteria on leafy vegetables like coriander or parsley, dill, lettuce, or celery, carrots, etc. cause gi problems in rabbits? I am also wondering if e-coli which has been found on some vegetables lately (in the news) is a problem for rabbits and if so, what are the symptoms? Is washing vegetables with tap water good enough? I am asking because the last two times my bun had stasis problems was a few days after feeding him carrots, and this time after feeding him coriander.
Also, last night I gave my rabbit some fresh squeezed pineapple juice. The first time was fine. Later I gave him some more and it caused a bad reaction - he was running around, opening his mouth and putting his front paws up like he was trying to get something out of his mouth, it kind of looked like he was regurgitating and chewing more and swallowing it again. He was very agitated. It seemed like maybe he was gasping for air and breathing through his nose very quickly. When he finally settled down, we left some celery leaves and celery for him over night before we went to bed. He ate quite a bit overnight, but I can still feel a mass in his stomache (the reason we gave him the pineapple juice as advised by another 'expert' who said it would break down the mass- which does seem to have gotten smaller-). Upon examining his feces, which were average size today, we found that there were pieces of paper inside (or at least it looked like paper) and was easy to break up, whereas before, when the gi problem started his poop had gotten really small and hard.
Is it okay for me to keep feeding him pineapple juice (which he seems to enjoy) and celery? Is celery good for rabbits?
I just checked him again and his stomache is gassy (rumbling) and he is sitting still.


Answer
UPDATE

Hi,  specifically it does seem carrots and coriander cause problems for your particular rabbit.  I'd probably avoid giving them these.

Yes washing with cold tap water generally is good, and if you see any dirt smudges and such, rubbing them off or using a little veggie scrub brush helps.  Getting rid of wilted or weird looking parts of lettuce or greens is also a good idea, if it doesn't look good or quite right.

END UPDATE

Hi,

when rabbits have gi problems, a good rule is to cut all sugary/high carb food, reduce food pellets, greatly reduce greens, and increase hay.  Carrots are higher in sugar, so avoid them now.

You are probably overfeeding him too much greens and too many of them.  Not all rabbits can handle greens considered generally safe for rabbits.  Some have problems with some that others don't.  Further, tolerance levels vary - a little bit of lettuce is okay, but too much causes problems.

Greens are not vital to give rabbits.  The only thing they must have to survive is good fresh grass hay.  everything else they can live without.  

It also sounds like he may have eaten some paper lately, and that may be having a hard time getting through the gut.  I would probably err on the side of caution and take him in to your regular good rabbit vet.  If you don't have one start here:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

and find a House Rabbit Society recommended vet near you.

I would only lace his water with a little pineapple juice, a very small amount, as it is higher in sugar.  Celery has been known to cause gas in rabbits.  I would keep the greens you give him simple.  And only a couple.  Romaine lettuce, or green leaf lettuce, italian parsley.  And then the guidelines are no more than 1/2 cup of total greens per 5 pounds of body weight, per day.  You will see it isn't a huge amount.

You will also want to keep on hand baby gas drops from the grocery store, and give him a few full dropper doses, along with some tummy massage, in order for the gas drops to break up any trapped gas in his system.

Lee