If you choose to have a rabbit as a pet, you’ll have a blast teaching it tricks and enjoying its playful nature. Although, you need to be gentle because rabbits are very sensitive animals.
They can be easily affected by their surroundings which impact their digestive system.
Because rabbits are such delicate pets, you’ll need to keep an eye out for any health issues. Especially if it’s digestive tract related, like your rabbit eating but not pooping.
Rabbits eat constantly and poop up to 300 little round drops every day. Though, you won’t see that many since sometimes rabbits consume some of these drops.
Why do rabbits eat their drops? Early poop contains some useful bacteria which can help prevent common digestion issues.
In this article, you’ll find tips to deal with this specific issue. Even prevent similar problems from happening in the future.
Why Is Your Rabbit Eating but Not Pooping? And How to Deal With It?
You need to be extremely observant of any changes in your rabbit’s behavior. Lack of poop for more than 12 hours can be an alarming one.
If you think that your rabbit is constipated, ask yourself the following questions.
- Is there a secret spot that it may be pooping in?
- Is your rabbit’s appetite the same?
- Does it move around with ease?
- Is your rabbit allowing you to pet on it as normal?
If your answer is yes, then carefully search around the house for a secret spot that your pet may have chosen to poop in. Because rabbits are shy animals, they may choose a more private spot.
If you didn’t find any poop, then the reason may be stress-related.
What Can Cause Stress in Rabbits?
You may be surprised to know how sensitive rabbits are. They have a great sense of hearing to avoid danger, which makes them easily spooked. Causing the rabbit to feel stressed and might lead to constipation.
Here are some reasons that can cause your rabbit to feel stressed:
- A loud voice happened near it.
- A stray animal came close to your rabbit’s pen.
- First visit to the vet.
- A new activity that disturbed its routine.
- Went through a drastic temperature change.
If it’s one of those reasons, then you need to make your rabbit feel warm and safe to calm it down. It’ll poop on its own after a while.
How to Deal With Other Common Digestive Issues?
The most common health issue is constipation due to its sensitive digestive system. The reasons for constipation are various and if it’s not treated, it can cause extreme harm to your pet.
Constipation is a symptom; you need to find out what causes it to avoid it from happening again in the future.
Check if your pet is suffering from any of the following:
- Dehydration.
- Teeth issues.
- Swollen belly.
- Lack of appetite.
How to Deal With Dehydration?
Rabbits are very active as they like to hop around and play most of the day, that’s why they get dehydrated fast. Thus, make sure they always have enough water in their bowl.
You can give them wet leafy vegetables, it’ll help them consume more water. Why is water such an important element to avoid constipation?
The rabbit’s bowel needs to be moist to process food. Lack of water will slow the digestive system. Water is a must, especially if it swallows some fur while grooming itself because it’ll make it hard to poop.
What if My Rabbit’s Eating Less?
This could be an early sign of GI Stasis (gastrointestinal stasis condition) but how can you be sure?
First, you’ll need to know when was the last time it pooped. If it’s been more than 12 hours, you should prepare to take action to help your furry friend.
Try to take a look at what your rabbit left after their last bathroom visit:
- Did the poop look unusual?
- Did it seem smaller and harder than usual?
- Did it have any discoloration?
If the answer is yes, remove any dry food and give it only leafy vegetables and hay such as timothy and grass. Avoid any gas-forming and starchy vegetables such as broccoli and potatoes. They can make it even worse.
Massage your rabbit’s belly to stimulate intestinal movement. You can try to make it exercise, it can help with digestion.
Consult with your vet before giving your rabbit any olive oil. It can harm your pet because it can cause diarrhea.
What to Do if the Rabbit Isn’t Eating or Pooping?
Check if your rabbit is grinding its teeth, it could have a dental issue that’s causing the problem. For example, rabbits will have oversized front teeth if they don’t eat hard food regularly. Eating a crunchy carrot from time to time can be helpful.
There are some steps you can take to save your rabbit:
- Force-feeding it Oxbow, which is rich with fibers.
- Give it a small dosage of laxative, after consulting your vet.
- Syringe feeding it with mashed vegetables mixed with water.
- Exercise will make your rabbit thirsty and it’ll drink a lot of water.
You can encourage daily exercises and make them more enjoyable for your rabbit. By building an obstacle course or a castle.
If your rabbit still didn’t poop, it can be life-threatening. Rush to your vet ASAP.
Final Thoughts
A rabbit’s stomach can easily be disturbed, causing various digestive issues, like your rabbit eating but not pooping.
This can be avoided by feeding it a green leafy diet and replacing dry food with a lot of hay that is rich in fiber instead.
A healthy diet will help limit any constipation problems in the future. Furthermore, your rabbit will need daily exercise to encourage bowel movements.
The answer to why your rabbit is eating but not pooping could be stress-related. Thus, avoid any disturbance in its daily routine and try to keep your rabbit safe.
If your rabbit didn’t poop for more than 12 hours and the home remedy didn’t work, contact your vet.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard. I also like photographing wild birds, especially birds of prey.