wish i could talk to my rabbits

Question
Do rabbits have mood swings?  Most nights My rabbits love a run around outside.  Lately one of them is just sitting in his house really lethargic, then the next day he is out skipping around.  Tonight he is shut himself away again and even refused banana!  Ive noticed the poop is stuck together and looks like this 0-0-0-0-0-0 like a necklace. They are starting to poo in odd places.  Im noticing more and more cecatropes too.  I am so worried that tomorrow morning one of my buns will be dead.  I give them ample hay, fresh dandelion, fresh water. I cant do it much more by the book.  What is their problem?  Is he just sad today and to cold to do anything like i sometimes get?  or is he sick?

Answer
Hi Tracey,

yes, rabbits do have mood swings.  But that is not all that is going on here.  Their behavior is due to diet problems.

First, stop giving them dandelion.  Dandelion can cause stool problems.  Some cannot handle this well.  It may cause gas or cause loose stools.

The 'string of pearls' fecal pellets is them passing out ingested hair.  They have probably been going through a shed period and they are eating more hair.  As long as it's coming out, it's okay.  Keep up with the unlimited hay, as this is what is pushing the hair out.

Excess cecal pellets (that you are seeing) is one symptom that they are 1) being fed too rich a diet - too much sugar or high carb items, and 2) they may be overweight.  I would recommend replacing the banana with something else, as it's really high in calories, sugars, and it's bad for their teeth being so sticky.  It can really damage their thin tooth enamel.  

And I also would suspect their mood swings are (like people) tied into their food.  really happy hopped up on sugar and carbs, not so happy on hay and timothy pellets.  Plus too much sugar/carbs will cause bad gut bacteria to overgrow and potentially bring serious health problems into play.

Good food:

Pellets:  timothy pellets only, no extra junk in it.  Oxbow is a big hit with all the rabbits I know who have it including the shelter rabbits I work with. No more than 1/4 cup per 5 pounds of body weight per day.

Hay: timothy hay, or orchard grass hay.  UNlimited amounts, they won't get fat on this.

Greens: romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, italian parsley.  Max 1/2 cup per 5 pound body wt per day.  Too much may cause loose stools in some rabbits.

Other (very limited): 1/4 inch piece of hay cube (does not replace long fiber regular hay); a VERY small pinch of quaker oats (NOT quick/instant version); very small amount of carrot (1 baby carrot per day); 2-3 cheerios per day.  

Lee