How can you tell they have GI Stasis? They are lethargic, they aren't eating...even treats.
Why do they get it? Disputed. But anything that makes them go off their feed--sore teeth, stress, run out of hay, etc.--can trigger it.
How do you fix it? Usually requires a trip to the vet. The first time Marshall had it was on EASTER MORNING (so that was a cheap vet visit...), and he had to have IV fluids and special syringe feeding and two types of medicine (something for the pain and something to sort of move his tummy along). The key to going to the vet is their temperature; by the time it's dropping, you need professional assistance. Until then, you can rub their tummy (which they HATE unless they are just miserable, at which point they'll tolerate it), making them move/hop, keeping them warm, and--this sounds dumb--making them feel....loved, for want of a better word. Apparently they, um, "give up" easily and if they're in pain and you aren't comforting them, they kind of just go into themselves and don't try to feel better. SUPER SAD.
With that background, I went into our bunny room this morning to let the little guys out for "big room run-around," aka when we open up the puppy play pen and they get to run around in the whole entire room, rather than just their "normal" area. Usually this is cause for lots of excitement.
This morning, Lily Bunn (solid brown) came barreling out of their cage, leaping and hopping and running and just really enjoying herself. Marshall (brown and white) did not. Instead, he just kind of sat there, all hunched up. Sometimes he is a little slow to wake up, so though I was a little concerned, I just patted him really good (he is such a love-bug), gave them both a tiny piece of blueberry-flavored bunny treat (which they both ate--a good sign) and sat around, keeping an eye on Lily. He did eventually get up and do a few little hops and then sat, hunched up again, outside his cage.
So I scooted over by him, coffee cup in hand (of course), and loved on him some more. He is such a snuggle-bunn. Then Lily, being herself, came over and started nipping him to make him move. She doesn't want to be loved on; she just wants to be the boss and push him around. Sometimes I scold her for being mean to him, but when he's feeling bad and needs to hop, well, I let her be the one to push him around. So she did, and he promptly went to his litter box and hid, and she followed him into their cage.
I figured I'd go ahead and feed them, since Lily seemed to be ready for food and Marshall wasn't playing. Plus, maybe I was wrong: he'd eaten his bit of treat, just no hay, and was acting a little funny. So I gave them their "appetizer"--usually a papaya tab (for tummy health), but today I went for the big guns of an Oxbow disgestive supplement, which is pretty much Marshall's favorite thing in the world. I figured, if he'd eat that, then I was just overreacting and he was fine.
He didn't want it.
BAD SIGN.
Lily wolfed hers down, so I went ahead and gave her some pellets, which he promptly ignored, and rubbed Mr. Marshall's tummy a bit. I am not very good at it, so I am never sure if it helps, but he did not resist. ANOTHER BAD SIGN. So I closed their cage and puppy pen and went and got their space heater, for when one of them is sick and needs to be kept toasty. I set that up and turned it on, and started rubbing Marshall's tummy again. This time, he decided that that was UNCOOL. He wanted to run away; since running can get his tummy going again, I let him "escape" from his cage and into the puppy pen, where he promptly went to his favorite box and hid. Lily then got all excited--"MORE playtime????"
Since I don't like to torture "my" bunny (Marshall--Lily is Dave's bunny!), I figured I'd give him a little time to recover himself before I worked on his tummy and made him hop more. So Lily's running around, Marshall's hiding, and I'm doing that thing where I crawl around the room and pick up the hay and cardboard bits and hair that they leave EVERYWHERE. This was sneaky of me: they like to "help," aka jump into the litter box I use to hold the stuff I pick up, and if I'm not careful, kick it all back out. Very helpful (hah), but they find it entertaining.
Lily is periodically popping into the box to check on Marshall and, I hope, push him around a little. (Based on the noises from the box, sounded like all was going according to plan.) Then I heard the sounds of chewing. GOOD SIGN. But which bunn was it? Both were in the box; opening the box would scare them and certainly make whoever was chewing stop, so would not be helpful anyway.
But then Lily came running out. So I carefully reached to the opening of the box and offered the digestive supplement. CHOMP.
So you can guess where this is going. I locked Lily in her cage for a minute to keep her from stealing his treat. When the nomming noises fro the box had stopped, I let her back out, and kept doing my sneaky picking-up routine. And they both started running and hopping. Marshall tried to steal the litter pan from me: ANOTHER good sign.
Right, so you get the idea. They played a bit more, and the next time they both went in their cage, I closed the door, topped off their breakfast ration (since I had not given them the full amount, as I didn't want Lily to eat Marshall's ration in addition to her own!), turned off their heater (don't want to COOK the bunnies), and kept an eye on them. He had some pellets; within a half-hour, he had some water and hay.
Pretty sure I got "had" by a rabbit. On April Fool's. Wicked bunny.
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| Older picture of Marshall, being his usual happy and inquisitive self. |
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