# Jelly like poop



## dunroven (Dec 6, 2004)

I have a rabbit that is eating, although not as well as usual, and has sort of a dark yellowish jello-like poop. What is going on with this rabbit and would I just be better to cull it or is there a fix I can do for him?


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## Goat Freak (Jul 6, 2005)

I have no idea, I am not a rabbit person, I like them but my mom does not. I hopet hat your boy gets better, and that someone will be here soon that can help.


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## Oscar (Oct 7, 2005)

First, what are you feeding the rabbit? Have you been feeding her large amounts of greens? If it is sweets and treats then STOP NOW and feed straight hay for a while. I have heard of feeding a bunny straight pumkin pie filling out of the can as a hairball remedy. This also binds things along thr GI tract, moves things along, detoxifies... blammo! This is what I have heard from various sources, though. I cannot get my bunnies to eat the stuff.

Secondly, is her belly flabby and squishy (as compared to the other bunnies)? Sometimes a rabbit will develop a bad infection in their lower intestinal tract and odd, slimy, soft poop is the result. This poop can also smell really "off" from normal.


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## dunroven (Dec 6, 2004)

Thanks Oscar!

No actually he is just getting Honor brand pellets. I thought it was only the 1 of them that was doing it as he was losing weight, but I find out that both in this cage (both little bucks) are doing this.

I found my copy of the ARBA's Raising Better Rabbits and Cavies and found in there that this is called mucoid enteritis and they also suggest high fiber, so I put some hay in for them to eat and I think I'm going to take the pellets clear out. What do you think? It didn't say anything about whether to continue with the pellets, but I don't think they are eating that much of it now. Says the prognosis on this is poor to grave, so I hope I have caught it in time. They say that stress causes it. The only thing I can think of that might cause any stress on these guys is the fact that my husband uses the hose to spray the floors clean under their cages. Other than that, they are left quite alone and have no stress on them.

Anyway, here's hoping for the best. The worst 1 is very skinny and is almost just bones. He had this yesterday and I tried calling vets but they didn't seem to have much experience with rabbits here, at least enough to really treat anything, so I tried on here and the FINALLY found my book. We moved my office and it was somehow left behind in the old office. It's home now too!


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## Xandras_Zoo (Jul 21, 2004)

Grind up some pellets in a coffee grinder, mix it with papaya juice, pineapple juice (they help get things going in the digestive tract) or just water, if neither of the latter are available and syringe it to them. You don't want them to starve to death, at any rate. You also don't want them to die of thirst, to see if you need to syringe them water, pinch the skin, if it doesn't go back to normal right away, then you've got a problem. 

As for the stress- it could be that your cage is over-populated.


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## dunroven (Dec 6, 2004)

I don't think this could be over population with only 2 of them in there and it is a BIG cage. They have plenty of room, probably could be another 4 or 5 rabbits in there, but I don't like to have more than 2 or 3 at the most, depending on the size of the cage. These are small rabbits anyway, but I don't think that overpopulation is the case. Thanks for that though! Good advice of something not to do!


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## MaineFarmMom (Dec 29, 2002)

Sounds like mucoid enteropathy. It doesn't normally have a good ending.

http://www.tours.inra.fr/urbase/internet/resultats/enterocolite/badiola.htm


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## Oscar (Oct 7, 2005)

I am sorry to say that my rabbit, with the lower GI infection (thought not mucoid enteritis) did not last long once she started losing weight. She was not a meat or pelt rabbit though, but a pet.


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## Ann Mary (Nov 29, 2004)

In the past Grapeseed extract has cleared up MANY problems in the GI tract of bunnies. I buy it at the healthfood store and put 10 drops per gallon of water and use it as their sole water for 10 days or so then cut back to 5 drops for another week or so. Has worked very well for me. However, this works best at the onset of any problem so I keep some on hand so I can jump on the problem if it should arise. Best wishes.


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## dunroven (Dec 6, 2004)

Well, I decided that since these rabbits are not of "major" importance to us although we really didn't want to lose them, I could afford to try different things with them and see if something works. I gave them hay last night. They ate some of it, not much, but some, figured that was a start. This morning, (I don't have any syringes), but I do have an eyedropper, I crushed pellets and mixed them with water. Both rabbits took some of that. Soooo, I am going back out at noon (when I am off work for an hour) and try to give them some more, then again at 5 and possibly again at 7 tonight. I kind of think if they take the noon feeding, they will be doing pretty good.

Thanks for the help! I'll keep everyone posted on this.


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## LizinNH (Feb 2, 2003)

I would add vitamins and electrolytes to the water source. This will help keep their bodies going. Give plenty of hay and if they aren't eating that an apple is also full of fiber. If your grain store carries them you may want to get some probiotics to add to the water to help replace the good gut flora.
Liz In NH


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## Sherpadoo (Mar 24, 2005)

One of the symptoms of mucoid enteritis is jelly like poop. I was sold some market pens that had this about 10 years ago. They'll start wasting away, panting even if it isn't hot, and if you kinda jiggle them you can hear kind of splashing inside. If you open them up you'll also find little white flukes on their livers. It could also be just diarrhea, which in our case blackberry leaves always cleared it right up. Hope its not enteritis....it doesn't end well


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