Dark Urine

Question
Hi. I recently purchased my bunny from a pet store about a month ago and until recently he has been doing very well. A few days ago He had some runny stool for about a 12 hour period so I took away his fresh vegetables and have only been giving him timothy hay and lots of water. His stool has hardened but it doesn't seem like he's pooping as much and His urine is very dark sort of reddish brown color. I've been putting lots of water out and trying to keep him cool. He's playing a lot and running around like normal but I don't know about his urine. Can you help me? Thank you.

Answer
Dear Brittany,

Sorry for the delay in answering.  We were off line due to Tropical Storm Fay, but are back up now.

Very dark urine can be a sign of dehydration, which is understandable if your bunny had a bout of (potentially very dangerous for a baby!) diarrhea. Please read this right away:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

and get your bunny to a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If this were my bunny, I would want him to have subcutaneous fluids to boost his liquids and electrolytes.  Diarrhea can kill a baby rabbit very quickly, so if you see any such sign again, consider it an emergency.  

Please get him to the vet ASAP and let the vet know all these details.  Your bunny very likely needs subQ fluids to get his proper hydration again, and to prevent very serious, potentially life-threatening complications.  In the meantime, you can try offering him wet greens to help hydrate him.

Hope this helps.

Dana