Suppose you just got a rabbit and are still researching how to care for them. Suddenly, you see something odd in their cage and search the term, “What does rabbit vomit look like?” If this is the case, it is essential to know these things, as your pet may or may not get sick occasionally. Animals, especially tiny ones, must be protected and cared for like humans. So, what is the answer to the question at hand?
There is no such thing as rabbit vomit, as they cannot vomit or pass gas. This is because they do not have a gag reflex and contain a weak diaphragm and delicate stomach muscles.
A rabbit’s diaphragm, in particular, does not have enough power to move food in the back of the throat. However, because rabbits cannot vomit or pass gas, it can be excruciating for them to deal with and can often lead to GI stasis or other health concerns.
Although this may not be the answer you wanted to hear, you may be wondering, if rabbits cannot vomit or pass gas, what do they do instead? This also leads to another question: How can you help your bunny overcome its upset stomach?
Because of these questions, it is essential to read this article further, as it contains the necessary information on caring for your rabbit correctly. With that being said, we encourage you to continue reading for more.
Can Rabbits Vomit?
No, rabbits cannot vomit. This means that when they eat food, it will go all the way from their mouths to the bottom or through their entire digestive system. As mentioned earlier, a rabbit contains a weak diaphragm and delicate stomach muscles, which means it cannot move any contents in its system back up to its throat.
What Do Rabbits Do Instead of Vomiting?
Instead of vomiting, a rabbit will quickly digest whatever they eat and poop it out. This may also be a big reason why they poop between 200 to 300 pellets a day which is why you will have to potty train your bunny or clean their cage at least once a week to avoid a massive amount of poop lying everywhere.
In addition, if you suspect your rabbit has accidentally swallowed something toxic or an object blocking its intestines, it is essential to get it to the vet immediately.
Can Rabbits Get Upset Stomachs?
Yes, rabbits can get an upset stomach or GI upset (gastric distress). This is because your rabbit needs more fiber through hay or fresh grass.
Here are some other ways that can cause your rabbit to go into gut stasis:
1. Too Many Carbs
If your bunny has an upset stomach, it is most likely caused by overeating carbohydrates. Some carbs include fruit, carrots, pellets, or treats. It is essential to know that when feeding your rabbit, you provide them with the recommended amount of food.
Given that information, your bunny must always have access to hay. They can have Timothy hay, Alfalfa hay, oat hay, meadow hay, orchard hay. On top of that, rabbits can also have many different types of fresh grasses, including the following:
- Barley hay
- Wheatgrass
- Oat grass
- Barn-dried hay or dried grass
- Bermuda grass
- Bromegrass
Note: if you provide fresh grass, it is essential to ensure it is pesticide and chemical-free.
2. Dehydration
Another way your rabbit can get an upset stomach is through a lack of water intake, which an underlying medical condition can also cause. In that case, ensure you provide your rabbit with plenty of water. Check out this article to find the best water bottle.
3. Not Active Enough
Sometimes, your rabbit may need to get the exercise that is required. Life gets busy, but spending time with your rabbit outside its cage is essential. Let them out for at least one to two hours daily. This could mean you are playing with it, hiding treats for them to find, or simply putting them in a playpen with some toys for a couple of hours.
If you take them outside, keeping them out of direct sunlight is essential, as the sun can cause your rabbit to overheat. If you get a playpen, investing in some garden stakes for the cage might be a wise idea as an extra safety precaution. Another alternative is creating your playpen, which you can read about here.
4. Pain or Stress
Many things may stress your rabbit out, such as too much noise, lack of mental stimulation, illness, discomfort, small spaces, living alone, and inability to run away in stressful situations. On the other hand, if you have a young child or young sibling who may have held your rabbit too tight, it could cause them to be in pain. In this case, minimize these things and help the child or person handle your rabbit correctly.
5. Ingesting Foreign Objects
It is common knowledge that your rabbit chews on things, but what is not healthy is that they may chew on foreign objects, such as plastic, electrical cords, or a food they are not allowed to eat, like meat. In this case, you must keep your bunny from anything they could accidentally get into their throats.
How to Know if a Rabbit Has an Upset Stomach?
You can tell if your rabbit has an upset stomach in many ways. Let us review them in detail below.
1. Loss of Appetite
A significant indicator is your bunny’s drastically reduced or disappeared appetite. This also means your rabbit may stop drinking its water.
2. Little to No Bowel Movements
Another sign is that your little fur baby is no longer pooping, or their droppings have become much smaller than usual. Watch out for any oddly-shaped stool, like being malformed or loose. Depending on whether your rabbit is hydrated or dehydrated, they may be peeing normally or very little.
3. Lethargic
In addition, you will notice your rabbit’s stomach has become more engorged and is very lethargic. Some signs of lethargy include their backs hunched over, grinding their teeth, hardly moving, or grunting. Your rabbit might even be sitting exceptionally still and not moving very much. Some very loving rabbits will not want to be picked up or petted.
One thing to keep in mind is that if any of these signs occur in your rabbit, do not wait for it to pass. This is a serious and life-threatening issue, so immediately take your rabbit to the vet!
How to Treat a Rabbit’s Upset Stomach?
The information provided above may lead you to ask: what can you do if your rabbit has an upset stomach? Although you can help your little fur baby in many ways, remember that if you are in doubt, you must take them to the vet, as it is better to be safe than sorry.
At Home:
If your rabbit is not in dire need, here are some things you can do at home to help stimulate their digestive tract.
1. Give Your Rabbit a Proper Diet
The first thing to help prevent or remedy your rabbit’s gut stasis is to provide a proper diet. An ideal diet for your bunny each day includes the following:
- Unlimited amount of grass hay (make sure you never give lucerne hay as this is not grass.)
- 1/8 cup of grass-based pellets
- Roughly one cup of fresh greens, such as the following:
- Fresh dandelion greens
- Carrot tops
- Kale
- Chard
- Spinach
- Parsley
- Mint
- Basil
- Wheat grass
- Mustard greens
- Coriander
- Beetroot tops
- Endive
- Chicory
2. Gently Massage Their Bellies
Suppose your rabbit may have a hairball. In that case, gently massaging your bunny’s belly is a fantastic way to motivate gut movements. Not only this, but it will provide an effective and soothing treatment.
3. Encourage Your Rabbit to Be More Active
As mentioned above, inactivity can hurt your rabbit’s stomach. For this reason, we highly encourage you to help your rabbit become more active. This can be done through interactive play, toys, letting them outside (in a cage), or letting them roam around your room. Some rabbit owners allow their bunnies to roam freely around the house. If that is the case, it is imperative to train them properly.
Seeking Veterinarian Treatment:
On the other hand, if your rabbit is sluggish, make sure you seek professional care. Let us discuss what that entails.
1. Take Your Rabbit to the Vet
Digestive issues in rabbits can be life-threatening. Nevertheless, a veterinarian will perform tests to help solve or diagnose the problem.
The vet will conduct a physical exam and a diagnostic test to determine what is causing the problem. For example, if your rabbit has diarrhea, they will test the poop to identify what organism is inside of it.
Your vet may also take x-rays of your rabbit and/or perform an ultrasound if they believe it is GI stasis. These tests are necessary because GI stasis can harm your rabbit’s health or life.
2. Discuss Specific Treatment Options
After the initial diagnosis, your vet will discuss available remedy plans. These treatment plans might be as follows:
- Rehydration
- Pain control
- Restoring gut movement
Sometimes, the vet will treat your rabbit until it is well enough to come home for any at-home care you provide. Rest assured, if that is the case, it is in good hands. Another thing to consider is that not all treatment plans are the same, so they will vary depending on the severity.
3. Provide Plenty of Hydration for Your Bunny
Suppose your rabbit is dehydrated. In that case, your vet will provide fluids through oral treatment, under the skin, or in their veins. Putting more fluid in your animal’s body will allow them to quickly pass anything in their digestive system. The severity of the situation and whether your rabbit can drink independently will determine whether these factors are used.
4. Encourage Your Rabbit to Eat
Before your rabbit is released from the vet, they will ensure it is eating healthy. However, if your bunny still struggles to eat after everything else, your veterinarian may supplement your fur baby with a high-fiber product, such as EmerAid Sustain, through a syringe.
5. Use Medication to Stimulate Gut Movement
Just like people sometimes need help getting better with medicine, a rabbit needs help stimulating its digestive system. This medicine, called prokinetics, helps the gut get moving again and treats diarrhea. However, taking this medication is not ideal if your rabbit has a blockage in the passageway.
6. Relieve Your Bunny’s Abdominal Pain
Because gas is extremely painful for your rabbit’s stomach, the vet may administer pain medication to control it as soon as possible. Once your rabbit is better, the vet may still prescribe a pain medication for you to give to your pet at home.
Treating Specific Digestive Problems
Lastly, we will review how to treat specific digestive issues in your rabbit.
1. Relieve Gas From Your Rabbit
You can relieve your rabbit from gas in two ways:
- Tummy massages, as we mentioned earlier.
- A product containing simethicone. Although you can find these products over the counter, it is wise to talk to your vet before administering anything to them.
2. Provide Probiotics
Suppose your rabbit has had a lot of hairballs recently. Also, if they were given an antibiotic, it can disrupt the good bacteria balance, harming your rabbit’s gut. In this case, your vet might recommend providing your rabbit with a good probiotic, such as HealthyGut Probiotics. Doing so will increase the good bacteria, creating an even healthier rabbit.
3. Break Down Any Hairballs
It is entirely normal to find some hair in a rabbit’s digestive system or stool. However, if your rabbit has a rather large hairball, your veterinarian will try to help break down those hairballs using pineapple or papaya juice. Both contain enzymes that break down any mucus that holds the hairball together. If your rabbit has gas, then your vet will treat both issues.
4. Keep Your Bunny Warm
If a rabbit gets too cold, it could easily lead to hypothermia. In this specific instance, make sure to keep your rabbit warm. You can do this by holding them, placing warm water bottles around your rabbit, or using a heating pad. Ask your vet how long the heat should last; you do not want to risk overheating them.
Final Thoughts
To summarize the initial question, rabbit vomit does not look like anything, as rabbits are physically incapable of doing so. However, due to the lack of vomiting, rabbits can have stomach problems, which leads to an issue becoming fatal. Because of this, providing your rabbit with a healthy diet, probiotics, plenty of water, and stimulation, like exercise and toys to play with, is extremely important.
