Buttons ate some kale and three days later he was in so much pain that he refused to move and eat. I thought he had a twisted gut. Luckily, I had purchased a new Infacol baby gas drops from the chemist a while back and was prepared (once opened it lasts for only 28 days). I decided to give him 1ml of it, which didn’t seem to do anything. Then an hour later I gave him another 1ml. That’s when the pain killer started to kick in, and towards the end of the second hour he seemed a little relieved. I was patting his head gently when he let out a stinky fart.
I saw him getting better so I chose not to give him the third dose. Plus, he hated the second dose, especially the last 0.5ml, but I forced him to take it.
I knew that once he started eating he was feeling better. It wasn’t until about 1.5 hours after the second dose that he started to eat again.
I had found him some dandelion leaves (not the flowers or stems) and got him to eat them, because they oxygenate the blood and regulate diarrhea / constipation. I knew if he had a tiny bout of gut stasis, he needed to have bowel movements. I jumped on it immediately. He was happy to eat the dandelion leaves, slowly in the start, but more ravenously as the night went on. Dandelion leaves are hard to come by in summer because the weeds are putting more effort into flowering rather than growing.
I also got him broadleaf plantain leaves (also known as ribwort) which help with digestion and stimulate appetite, and it’s full of fibre. My bunnies love plantain, I give it to them quite regularly.
I was also fortunate enough to have celery in the fridge. The dark green leaves stimulate eating and make the gut start moving again.
I also gave him some banana, I must admit, a little more than usual, but it also stimulates the gut. It was a piece only about 4cm long, which is double what he usually gets once a week, but in that instance, I needed his gut to start moving and a little bit of banana can only help.
All of this helped him, and by the next morning he was pooping normally. GI stasis averted!
Keep in mind that Buttons’ tummy may be different to your bunny’s, and kale may not have such a large effect on your bun. But as soon as it starts to act like Buttons, stop giving it kale and give it celery leaves, dandelion leaves, plantain, or even some Infacol or Gripe Water.
Diet and Plants
We have written a list of plants that bunnies will need in their diets, what each does – both positives and negatives. There is also an extensive section on understanding rabbit diet.
Any information like this is in the Health Library.
Because it’s important if you are stuck like me and not sure what to do. You don’t always have to go to the vet to get drugs – the hundreds of dollars you spend on drugs doing the same as these plants can be ridiculous.
Of course, I’m not a vet, and if you’re in doubt, take your bunny to the vet. Never hesitate.
I was well aware of Buttons’ issues because he has been struggling with tummy issues for ever.
Remember: Gut stasis is brought on by a chemical change in the bunny’s gut, which kills gut flora/bacteria stopping them to digest food properly. You have to get them to digest food, so by giving them foods that stimulate eating and promote digestion and regrowth of gut bacteria, you can only help them, it can’t make it worse.
You have less than 2 hours to jump on it before it can get serious and you will have to take the bunny to the vet.
Buttons cannot eat any leaves from the brassica family. That causes some issue with my veggie patch, where I planted kale for him. Oh well, maybe I’ll sell the seedlings – I haven’t got the heart to dig them up and chuck them in the bin.
Brassica Family
Brassicas, also called cruciferous vegetables, contain 3,700 species of flowering plants. They are characterised by four-petaled cross-shaped flowers that have two long and two short stamens.
They produce pod-like fruits known as siliques, which is when the fruit matures and dries it separates into two or four segments called valves, and leaves a persistent partition that bears the seeds.
They are part of the cabbage and mustard family and include the following vegetables:
Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, turnips, bok choy, choy sum, cauliflower, collard, radish, rocket.
If you want to know more about feeding rabbits, check out the Good and Bad Foods article