6 wk old dutch bunny

Question
I got a 6 wk old dutch bunny,that i purchased on 3-24-08,it was drinking and eating pellets for like 2 days, then he stopped eating, and his stomach has been growling rally loud ever since. I brought him to the vet cause i was very concerned, he came out with a clean bill of health, the vet told me to give him 2.5ml of banana yogurt 2xs a day and baby food carrots, I've been doing that but his stomach is still growling, and I dont know y. He's been eating hay and is very playful, Is there anything I can do to make his belly stop growling? Also could it be gas and how do i get rid of it?

Answer
Hi Sharon,

you are feeding him a totally wrong diet.  The vet is wrong.

First, you need to go to a good rabbit vet (not all are, the one you went to is not).  Start looking here:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

and find a House Rabbit Society recommended vet near you.  As soon as you can find one get him examined and talk about diet.

No veggies or fruits now.  Stop the yogurt drops.  His gi tract can't handle it and you can kill him.

Rabbits need lots of fiber. They eat hay - timothy hay, orchard grass hay (and until he is a year old, he can have alfalfa hay).  You need to make sure the bulk of his diet is from hay.  Oxbow hay is great.  A couple times a day you'll want to refill what he's eaten, and then after 24 hours or so, take away the old hay (it gets dry and unappetizing).  He should always have hay to eat.  This is what rabbits are designed to eat.

Food pellets.  Only pellets, not pellets with extra junk in them.  I recommend Oxbow pellets - both timothy and (until 1 year old, alfalfa pellets).  After 1 year old, you must watch how much you give him, no more than 1/4 cup per 5 pounds of body weight per day.

I would recommend because he's so young, getting a product called Bene-Bac (beneficial bacteria) from the pet supply store when you're picking up all the other items.  Follow the directions.  You should give him all the tubes across several weeks to make sure his gut bacteria are in good shape.

Don't give any fruits/veggies until he's at least 6 months old.  Then, olny introduce one item at a time, in very small amounts.  It takes a couple weeks for a rabbit's gi tract to adjust to a new food.  They have extremely delicate digestive systems.

Please read up on nutritional needs of your rabbit.  Go to the HRS society and read up on nutrition info there (www.rabbit.org).  Also pick up the House Rabbit Handbook - it will be indispensible to you.

Lee