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Bloat
gut stasis
Gas builds up in the gut and the belly swells, or the gut slows down and stops moving. It usually follows wet or excessive alfalfa, cabbage, a sudden feed change, too little hay or heat stress. A rabbit that stops eating and passing droppings is an emergency.
When to call a vet
Call a vet now
This can’t wait: call a vet immediately.
Call a vet urgently if the belly is swollen or the rabbit has not eaten or passed droppings for 12 hours
Symptoms
- A swollen, tight belly that sounds like a drum when tapped
- No interest in food and few, tiny or no droppings
- Sitting still and hunched while grinding teeth
- Fast breathing, lying pressed against the floor, or restlessness
- Cold ears, weakness and collapse — signs of a serious condition
What to do
- 1 Remove all greens, vegetables and grain at once; leave only hay and water
- 2 Move the rabbit to a quiet, cool place without draughts; if the belly is soft, let it move about freely
- Call a vet urgently if the belly is swollen or the rabbit has not eaten or passed droppings for 12 hours
What not to do
- If the belly is hard and swollen, do not force-feed food or liquids — the gut may be blocked
- Do not pour in vodka, vegetable oil or other folk remedies
When it strikes
Can happen in any month, but on farms in Uzbekistan most cases follow the spring flush of young alfalfa and clover and hot summer days; recently weaned rabbits bloat most easily.
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Prevention
- Make unlimited dry hay the base of the diet
- Wilt alfalfa and other greens for a few hours after cutting, and never feed them wet
- Introduce new feeds gradually and do not overdo cabbage or grain
- In summer give grain feeds in the cool evening, and always provide water
- Brush rabbits during moulting
Causes
- Wet, dewy or heated greens, especially young alfalfa and clover
- Cabbage, too much grain and new feed given suddenly
- Too little hay, fibre and water
- Stress, pain from teeth or injuries, and hot weather
- Fur swallowed during moulting and mouldy feed