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Why is my rabbit's poop soft and he's not eating or active?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Small Animal | Rabbit | Male | neutered | 3 years and 6 months old

My rabbit has been having some issues. It seems like all of his poop is like his night poop, not normal. This has made our house smell quite bad and has been going on for a few months, but he seemed to be fine. Then, within the last few days he's slowed eating, going to the bathroom, and his activity level has diminished a little (this too could be because it's been so hot). Should we be worried about him? Is there a condition that would explain why his poop has not been normal?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jeffrey Milner

Veterinarian

Published on July 21st, 2017

It sounds to me like Monty may be experiencing the beginnings of some gastric stasis. This means that his stomach and / or the rest of the GI tract is not moving things along as it normally should. Without treatment, this condition can definitely become very problematic. Rabbits, much like horses, have very sensitive GI tracts that are very susceptible to even the smallest disturbances. It's hard to say precisely why the stasis is occurring, but I think Monty should have a physical exam performed to see if anything obvious can be determined. Options for the vet are going to be between simply treating the symptoms to see if things resolve on their own, or performing some diagnostic testing including imaging and blood work. Medications that would be useful in these instances include anti inflammatories / pain medication (as stasis tends to be very uncomfortable) and potentially drugs that help the GI tract continue to contract. Hope this helps.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on

    The soft stool may be caused by intestinal parasites or nutritional/diet imbalance. Submit a stool sample to your veterinarian to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. If you feed vegetables or pellets, discontinue and feed only timothy hay or similar grasses (no alfalfa). Feed as much as he will eat. Once the stool is firm and normal, gradually reintroduce vegetables (one at a time) and pellets. Feed no more than 1/8 cup pellets daily.

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