Question
Baby Bianca
Hi, my bunny's name is Bianca and she is almost a year old now. She has had a few problems before, marking every possible location and courting my mom, but they were fixed after we spayed her. That was a few months ago. Now I'm worried and confused again with her behaviour. Her stomach is making very loud human like gurgling noises. The confusing part is her appetite is still the same and she is still going to her potty regularly. Her diet consists of pellets, Timothy hay and vegetables, mostly carrots and celery (she doesn't like parsley or other herbs). Her mood has been affected by what I am assuming are stomach aches. Most of the time she runs around and seems perfectly happy and other times she doesn't want to leave her cage and is extremely defensive. What should I do to help her?
AnswerDear Elli,
Bianca is adorable! :)
The gurgling you hear is most likely caused by intestinal gas, which can be very painful and cause her to become withdrawn and even defensive when you try to help her. You can give her short-term relief with pediatric simethicone drops (you can get these in the baby supply section of any supermarket or at any good drug store)--about 1cc every 4-6 hours--and gentle abdominal massage, either by hand or with a little electric, vibrating massager.
But the main thing is to find out *why* she is getting gassy. The most common cause is incorrect diet, too high in starch and sugar. Check her diet with the healthy one described here:
www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html
Another very common cause is pain/stress from molar spurs, which can slow down the GI, causing a condition called cecal dysbiosis:
www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
which can make a bunny gassy and painful. If this is not treated, it can progress to a life-threatening condition known as ileus:
www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html
It's good that her appetite is normal, which means you've caught this early. But I would have a good rabbit vet check her over, especially her teeth:
www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html
and make sure all systems are functioning well.
I hope this will help you get her back in the pink.
Take care,
Dana
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