I have had my latest rabbit for about 3 years now, without any problems, until this year that is. Three times now I have taken him to the vet, and each time I get a different diagnosis. The problem is every so often he goes off his food, he hardly poops, he just lays down, looks very unhappy., his gut just stops working. He has a big hutch with a huge run attached to it, the run has a slide up door, which I open every morning, so he has access to the garden all day long, if he wants, he gets shut up every night just before it gets dark. I have always fed him, a bowl of dried nuggets, there is always hay available (although he doesn't seem that keen) and I give him a bowl of greens a couple slices of carrot.
The last time he was taken to the vet he had very watery poops, the vet treated him for worms, totally dismissed the previous vets diagnosis, which was his teeth being the problem. The vet told me that I should not be feeding him anything other than hay, which as I have already stated he's not that keen, and his dried pellets. So I have stopped feeding greens and carrot, and although my bunnys poop isn't as bad, before it was mainly water, it's now formed but very wet, and in clumps, he is also drinking much more water, I put that down to me taking the greens away from his diet.
He seems happy enough munching on the grass all day long, but I'm worried that he is not getting enough food. I just keep thinking that what I usually feed him has been good enough for the last threes years. Should I go back to the way I have always fed him, or keep with what the vet has said. Nothing other than hay and dried pellets? Everywhere i look, it says give rabbits greens, is him munching on the grass all day long enough? Saying that, he did that before anyway.
He is happily munching the grass in the garden now, but it's his poops, they are still very wet and not properly formed.

When you say greens, do you mean lettuce and other 'light green' vegt? These can give rabbits diarrhoea and / or constipation, so I'd swap them from dark green vegt such as broccoli and only in small amounts.

You also need to make sure he's not eating too many things in the garden because not all of it will be good for him, grass is fine of course, as long as you haven't put chemicals etc on it.

It's fine for him to drink lots of water, since a rabbit's diet is very dry if they're not eating lush grass every day.

As long as he gets a bowl of standard rabbit food every day and he eats most of it - he doesn't just pick the tastier bits - a little hay ( my rabbit's not keen on hay but it's good for their digestive system ) and a little carrot and dark green vegt, he's getting a suitable diet.

I hope this helps. Certainly, the constant changing of his diet recently won't have been good for his digestive system, so give it a week to see if things settle down.

No I never gave lettuce, he use to have either of these, kale, spring greens, dandelions, broccoli, he use to have a small metal bowl that I would put this in, along with a couple slices of carrot. There is nothing in my garden other than grass, and bunny holes
So do you think I should do what the vet is now saying and stop all the greens and just give him the hay and pellets, as he is saying that rabbits don't need all of these things. I just think that what I have fed him for the last three years has been fine, maybe I have just over done it recently. Thanks for your reply, I'm at my wits end with it all. I feed him the pellet form of dried food, so he can't just pick up the tasty bits. His water intake has gone through the roof since I removed his greens and carrot slices.

The vet's advice is probably sound but most rabbit owners will give them a little - a little - greenery or carrot every day, without any issues, so maybe you were just feeding too much of the greenery, especially if he has access to grass everyday. Certainly pellet food, hay and water should make up the bulk of a rabbit's diet, with the other stuff just being 'treats' as it were - wild rabbits will eat dandelions etc when they get the chance.

If he's drinking more water on the dry diet, that's nothing to worry about, since cats also drink more water when put on dry pellet diets.

He's not really touching his dried food or the hay, this is why I'm worried he may not be eating enough, he grazes on the grass all day long. I'm not concerned about the water intake as this only started when I took the greens & carrots away. I just don't want to keep taking him to the vets, as I'm getting different diagnosis with every vet I see, the one wanted to do dental work, she said the problems were down to his teeth, two days later I saw another vet and he said the teeth are not the problem as my bunny is obviously digesting his food. He seems happy enough, it's just the poops aren't right. I think I will carry on as before but reduce the greens and carrot, maybe I will just give him a couple of dandelion leaves each day and one slice of carrot, it's still less than he was on before. Thank you for taking the time to reply, it's much appreciated.

I give my adult rabbit max carrots 4 a week as I read the natural sugar in them isn't the best.
He gets cabbage,banana(his fave) pear, green beans,spinach and cucumber as a replacement.
He also isn't the best at eating hay nor grass. He does however go mad for dandelion leaves and those dried kind you can buy as "sweets" for them.
Maybe he has gone off the food? Gizzy refused all manner of food, but will now eat one brand of "all in one" food so I have a 3 mile round trip just for his food.
Do you feed him all in one food or seperate? Could it be he's gone off it? Could it be that it doesn't suit him, or its got contaminated (esp if it is kept outside and may of got moisture in it)

He has an all in one dried food, the same kind he's been on for years, which is changed daily, any left over is thrown away. I have bought another brand so I might put a small amount of that in as well. I use to give him a thin slice of apple each night, which he loved. But now I'm not sure what to feed him because of what the vet is saying. It's all frying my brain to be honest, everywhere I read it states that greens should be given. I'm not taking him back to the vet unless he stops eating or I feel there is a real need, because no doubt I will get yet another diagnosis.
He use to really look forward to his tea time, now following the vets advice, he's got nothing, it just doesn't seem right after three years.

If he eats what you give him, and its the same as before then I doubt its the food, unless its contaminated.
Could he have picked up a bug?
If he is eating (even if its not as much as before) then if it was me I would just watch him.
I doubt greens like kale would be hurting them, I but such things all the time for gizzy and my guineau pigs and all of them are perfectly fine on it. As I said I just limit carrots due to the suger content.
Does his run stay on the same grass all the time? I am suspecting if its a portable on he may have ate something that could have been peed on my a cat or such like.
I would just watch him like crazy and if he stops eating again take him to a vet again. After all his health is important.
Of the vets you saw did you agree with any of the diagnosis? If not I would try a completely different vet, and get a fresh new pair of eyes to see if this one gets it right.
Vets nowadays seem to be only up on dogs and cats as thats all they see. We have to take our piggies to specialist vets as the local one hadn't got a clue when one got ringworm.

At the moment he is in the huge hole he has dug under his cage. I have quite a big garden and he goes all over it. Last time I took him to the vet, which was one day after his last visit, I was planning to take him again anyway that day, to have another appetite stimulant injection done, but during the night he passed lots of very watery poops, there was also poop with mucus surrounding it, I took his poops to show the vet, that is how he ended up being given a wormer. What I originally took him to the vet for was when I open his door in the morning he runs around in excitement as he knows he's coming out, but this day, he wasn't interested, he had barely eaten, he just lay in the cage, he had hardly pooped if at all, the vet said his gut had stopped working, so he was given two injections, one was an anti bacterial injection, the other was a appetite stimulant. He's fine now, it's just his poops, they are very wet, I am very cautious with my pets anyway, I'm just concerned that by following the vets advice, if only giving pellets and hay, that he is not eating enough, he doesn't seen overly keen on hay, not fussed on his pellets, yet he can munch on the grass all day long.
Sorry he is not in a run, he has a huge run attached to his cage, but it has a floor, I made it like that so that he has plenty of space when it's raining and he doesn't want to go out, it has a door that I open every day when I get up, it's up to him if he comes out in the garden or not, usually he's straight out as soon as I open the door, he runs free in the garden pretty much all day.
He has just been treated for worms. I did not agree with the teeth problems, for the simple reason the vet said that rabbits teeth grow all the time, so if it was his teeth, he would not be fine for two months then be ok, it would just get worse, not better. I have read that to much kale can cause gas. His poops could be wet now as I'm filling the vets advice of removing the greens and carrots after three years, I'm just not sure the vet is right on this

Perhaps you could replicate the diet he would have in the wild. Grass, dandelion leaves, clover, groundsel, chicory etc. You could pick this from the hedgerow (as long as it hasn't been sprayed). This is what I have always fed my guinea pigs on.

That's is what I don't understand, my vet is telling me to stop giving him greens, just give him hay and his dried pellets, which is what I have done, but surely rabbits need greens as that is all wild rabbits eat. One vet said I'm feeding correctly, another saying I'm not and I should lose the green stuff.

I have a similar set up to you with my buns in large hutches with run attached (my bun has a moveable run with a Runaround tunnel attached) so they get constant access to green fresh grass every day, as well as things like hawthorn, rose tree wood, willow, herbs.

If one developed this kind of problem, I would try and follow this vet's advice. My rabbit savvy vet (and many vets aren't but I'll come to that) told me that TBH, buns will do just fine on grass and hay because that's mainly what they'd eat in the wild. He said never more than an eggcup full of pellets per day - which is hard to do as they love them so much, but he actually said that they're fine if not more healthy with no pellets...

Any new food introduce very gradually mixing in to the present over a week or two but it also occurs to me that your food might have the wrong balance of nutirients for your bun so if you must feed pellets, go and ask on a site like Rabbits United forum, where the knowledgeable people will tell you if the brand you use is notorious for this.

But were I you, I'd not let him eat pellets or fresh grass or anything else - just hay - to see if the symptoms clear up.

It's also worth asking round on forums for a recommendation for a rabbit savvy vet in your area. Rabbits are actually classed as 'exotics' and very few vets specialise in them, therefore few understand their weird digestive system and there are stories of vets giving bunny owners totally bad advice. If you want a second (third?) opinion, find a known rabbit savvy vet. And go with whatever they advise, even if it is hard to do something like cut out the fresh food and pellets for a while.

A bun will go into stasis if it doesn't eat which is lethal and kills quickly. But it is my bet that given no choice, your bun would be forced to eat hay and then he will get healthier. Best thing to do though is find a vet that knows about buns.

To sum up:
1. Find a recommended, rabbit savvy vet who has specialised in exotics
But personally, for my own bunnies I'd try:
2. Tail off the pellets and see if the problem clears up - coud be the brand you use is too high in a certani nutrient... SO factor this out
3. If you try that and no change, I'd also stop his access to fresh grass and see if hay alone would do it... Shame to curb his freedom for a bit but you might need to clarify what the problem is...

Poor rabbit sounds like rabbit 'IBS' tbh( if they can have such a thing)

Hope things get better soon

I hear what you are saying, but why would this now be a problem after three years, just the thought of denying him the freedom of the garden upsets me. As I said earlier, he is happy enough, quite happy digging yet more holes in my garden it's just this wet poop that concerns me.

Thank you, and I hope things get better.

So this what I have done tonight with his food. I have filled his plastic plant pot with hay, I have added a dandelion leaf, torn it in half and separated it within the pot, I have sprinkled a small amount of two branded pellets to see which he prefers and I have topped it with a small amount of shredded carrot, just to attract him to the pot. It just seems so mean considering what he use to have, but I am still convinced that the vet is wrong in totally removing everything he enjoyed in one mean swipe. See how he gets on in a weeks time.

Bunny is lucky to have you as an owner it has to be said

Do you have any photos of him perchance?

A way to get rabbits to eat hay is to mash a piece of banana (about 2 - 3 cms long) and then 'massage' it through some hay so it slightly coats the hay.

Rabbits like banana (though there'll always be one who doesn't) and this encourages them to eat hay. Mine exist mostly on a very varied diet of grasses, herbs, new tree leaves (hawthorn without the thorns, hazel, occasional bunch of fresh apple leaves) picked fresh twice a day and they seem to do well on it. They aren't keen on hay but will eat good quality hay in winter if I remind them that they like it via the banana trick.

An excellent rabbit forum is Rabbits United so take a trip over there and check out the Diet and Digestion sub-forum. In fact, here's a thread directly applicable to you!

If you ask for a knowledgeable rabbit vet in your area, they may be able to help. Rabbits are classed as 'exotics' so a vet who is excellent with cats and dogs may not have the specialist knowledge to treat rabbits successfully.

Best wishes to you and your rabbit.

I do but I'm not sure how to load it on here. Doh!

Kay, I wouldn't change his food around too much - that could make it worse. But if you go on Rabbits United forum, the food section (someone else linked above) and name the rband you have used and ask there, they can advise.

Pellets may be the problem though and I'm with the vet on this one - don't keep adding in new things, but take something away and see if the problem clears up. If you don't want to deny him grass they give him just grass and access to hay. I think the pellets may be the culprit. Ask on Rabbits United. They really know their stuff.

But I have changed his food round, I have removed everything he has happily eaten for the last three years in one swipe, all on one vets word, the other vets I have seen don't have a problem with his food, and have said that he needs his greens in his diet. This is half the problem, I'm getting different views from different vets, but my point is, that my bunny has been happy enough for the last three years eating this food, this is why I do not believe it's a diet issue, more of him having too much of a good thing. I have read that kale can cause gas in some rabbits, I did feed him kale for a time, maybe I gave him to much of a good thing. He is fine now (touch wood) but he has had this gut issue three times this year, all three times he has had an injection to kill bacteria in his guts and it's worked every time, but that is not the answer. I am putting things in with his hay in the hope that it will in courage him to eat that. But I do not believe that after three years the answer is to take everything he enjoyed away, I will cut it down by hiding the odd thing in his hay, and I will monitor things from there.
It's possible the reason he has wet poops is because I have taken everything away so quick, that he has no choice but to eat the hay and pellets, and that is why he is drinking loads more water than before. I have found some better formed poops in the garden this morning, so fingers crossed.
He will not be fed kale in future as it does tend to go off very quickly, be interesting to see if the gut problem returns.

Yes, poos are the best indicator of a rabbit's health. Big, golden, dry ones is what you need to be seeing! I use litter trays for my buns (the boy is very well litter trained but the girls often ignore it!) - and the good thing about that is, if you clean them out daily you can see very quickly if there's a problem as the poos change.

Check out what caecotrophs are if you don't already know. It's possible they are what you're seeing (and you shouldn't see them - although they are perfectly normal. If you Google, you'll see why.

Some info here.

I wouldn't mess with or change the pellets til you have figured out what's going on, though. And what you say about changing everything on "one vet's word"? Best go and ask on a good bunny forum, and ask for recommendations for rabbit savvy vets in your area. If the vets you have used turn up on that list, you can be more confident. It does sound to me like this last vet knows his stuff though.

Also, try different hays. My buns love the cheapest baled local farm hay but I have tried them on others in the past with varying results (they weren't bothered with expensive timothy hay - other peep's buns go mad for it!) Not all hay is the same.

Rather than out and out greens, try growing some herbs - mine love lemon balm, mint and most of all, go mad for sweet ciceley. My buns' breeder swears by ciceley for when her buns are a bit ill (just one or two leaves will do).

One more thought - fibre is the thing. Greens - even in small amounts - can cause problems in buns (they've been domesticated for hundreds of years after all so are not identical to wild buns). But one good source of fibre are small branches - I give my buns twigs from hawthorn, willow or rose bushes (nothing treated with chemicals) most days and this also prevents dental problems as the teeth will get more wear (a rabbit's teeth never stop growing) It may also help dry up the poos, and you can count say hawthorn leaves as that day's greens. Must say though, greens are NOT an essential thing if bun has hay and grass.

The poops are looking better today, I have not seen any overly wet ones today, which I'm pleased with. Last night I gave him one Dandelion leaf and a small amount of shredded carrot, I put these and a small amount of pellets in with his hay, which was normally kept separate, I'm hoping this will encourage him to eat from the hay hub. The vet who has an issue with feeding anything other than hay and pellets, this was his own opinion, as he said that rabbits don't eat such things in the wild, I'm pretty sure a farmer would have a different take on that theory. I was told that the dried food he has is a good brand, the vet gave me some of the Excel range in dried food, and said I should put a small amount of each and see which he prefers, and he prefers his normal brand. I have recently bought some new hay Burgess Excel Barn Dried Forage, I just need to encourage him to eat more hay, he has never been keen that is why I'm hiding some goodies in there to encourage him, I'm sure his diet just needs a little jig here & there. If his gut problem returns again, I may have to look at getting the dental work done, but I'm not prepared to do that unless my arm is forced, as the vet said rabbits have a higher risk of dying, and I have no idea of his age, he was running round my place of work for months and I have owned him for the last three years.
If I can get him to eat the hay I will stop the greens altogether, but I'm sure for now one dandelion leaf will not hurt, as that is a lot less than he was having.
I am still swaying towards kale being a major part in his tummy problems, I have read so many sites and watched loads of videos, and what I have found is that not all foods that are suitable for rabbits, will be suitable for your own rabbit.

If the bun has dental problems, you can't leave it.

Teeth continue to grow so if there is a problem, you need a good vet experienced in rabbits who can advise you what needs to be done. Operations are both expensive and risky but once a tooth problem has started, it's likely to get worse and possibly cause abcesses, great pain and infections. Which of course could prevent eating if a bun's teeth are rubbing a raw patch in the mouth.

Another reason for grass and hay making a big part of a rabbit's diet is because grasses contain minute bits of silica. Chewing on grass and hay helps these tiny bits of silica to keep the teeth ground down. Pellets are useful but only as a backup, imo. And I agree - a dandelion or two won't hurt but of course, dandelions are diuretics so a rabbit will (or should) drink more with dandies in the diet.

I can only come at this from the pov of owning guinea pigs who don't have identical dietary requirements but...

1. Kale and broccoli are notoriously gassy and can cause the animals great discomfort if they eat too much

2. Hay should make up a large bulk of their diet because it helps gut motility what with all the fibre. Try him on different brands of hay (my guinea pigs love timothy hay but wouldn't eat the 'basic' hay I use for their bedding). Burgess do a hay with dandelion and marigold in if this helps.

3. Try to limit the amount of grass he's eating. With some guinea pigs it can cause stomach upsets. Also if he's stuffing himself on grass he can afford to be picky and not eat the hay which he doesn't like so much. It could be simply that your bunny is eating too much 'wet' food and not enough good fibrous stuff. Again I can only talk from the pov of owning guinea pigs but their diet should be around 80% hay and I suspect rabbits require something similar.