rabbit got poo poo problems!

Question
QUESTION: i have a two and a half year old male rabbit, and recently I've noticed that he is having diarrhoea, he has had it for about a month but it did get better, now I've noticed he has got worse, all he eats is baby sweetcorn, pear, chicory, carrot, broccoli and apple. he does have yoghurt buttons, 2 a day. he has Russell rabbit, original dry food. he is eating fine and is okay in himself. he doesn't have many greens, and what greens he does have I've cut them down. is there anything else i can do to help him? i would like to leave vet as a last resort.
thank you for your help.

ANSWER: Dear Susan,

Your description of his diet raised HUGE red flags.  He is getting far too much sugar and starch in his diet, and this is undoubtedly the main cause of his runny stool.  Please check a proper, healthy rabbit diet here:

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

You can read more about why diet is a main cause of runny stool in adult rabbits here:

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

Gradually get him onto healthy foods by substituting all those sweets and fruits with fresh herbs and dark green, leafy vegetables.  The MAIN item in his diet should be unlimited timothy hay, which you can get at many different places, including online sources in the diet article above.

I hope this helps you get him back to his normal self.  A starchy diet like this can cause very serious long-term health problems, so the sooner you get him onto a balanced diet, the better for him.

Hope this helps!

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: would it be possible for you to recommend a daily diet plan for him, what to give him and quantity. he has been on this diet for 2 and a half years and my previous rabbit was on the same diet.
we have taken information from a book called 'the really useful bunny guide by Carolina James'. this is where i got his diet from. he does have alfalfa hay in his dry food and an endless supply of hay and water.
thank you for your help

Answer
Dear Susan,

His daily diet will depend on his weight, but for a bunny who's about 5 lbs, we'd feed the following:

Morning:  1/4 cup of alfalfa- or timothy-based pellets with NO dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or anything else.

After pellets:  Fill hay hopper with a large amount of timothy (NOT alfalfa, which is too high in calories and protein for good health) for nibbling all day long

Evening:  about 4 cups of fresh, wet greens of various types, as described in the article I sent before:

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

Lots of fresh water in a heavy crock, changed daily and in a very clean bowl.

The best rabbit care information is found at:

www.rabbit.org/

and it's much more up-to-date than the information from the book you have.  An excellent book to get for the most accurate information is the House Rabbit Handbook by Marinell Harriman.

Unfortunately, there are TONS of rabbit care books out there, and the vast majority of them are absolutely terrible.  Only in the last 10 years or so have steps been made to correct a lot of misconceptions about diet, housing, etc.

Hope this helps!

Dana