Gut stasis and digestive emergencies
This hub is a fast routing page: use it to choose the most relevant rabbit emergency guide, then call a rabbit-savvy or exotic vet if your rabbit has red-flag signs.
Fast answer for owners
- Go now if: Any digestive sign plus no eating, no droppings, bloat, collapse, cold body, or severe pain; baby rabbit diarrhoea or post-op not eating
- Call today if: Appetite, droppings, water intake, or caecotrophs changed but the rabbit is still bright
- Do not: Do not use the hub as a diagnosis; do not force-feed until blockage and bloat risk are considered; do not delay because one symptom seems mild
- Tell the vet: Which digestive route is closest: stasis, bloat, diarrhoea, dental, post-op, toxin, or dehydration; timeline and photos of droppings
Go now if
- Your rabbit is not eating and not passing droppings.
- There is collapse, laboured breathing, severe pain, bloat, flystrike, seizure, or inability to stand.
- You are unsure whether the symptom is mild or emergency-level.
Call today if
- Symptoms are mild but new, worsening, or combined with appetite or dropping changes.
- You need help choosing the correct emergency clinic or next safe step.
- Last normal meal, last hay interest, last normal droppings, current dropping size/count, and urine output.
- Belly shape, tooth grinding, posture, temperature if known, breathing, collapse, or weakness.
- Recent diet changes, heat exposure, surgery, medication, dental history, urinary signs, toxins, or chewed objects.
- Photos of droppings, urine, chewed material, and the rabbit’s posture in the carrier.
What to tell the vet
Guides in this cluster
RWAF gut slowdown guidance flags appetite loss or stopped droppings as an emergency and warns owners not to use gut motility drugs before a veterinary exam because obstruction changes what is safe.
Source-tied safety note
- Abdominal palpation for gas, stomach size, pain, doughy ingesta, fluid, or a blockage pattern.
- Temperature, hydration, gum colour, perfusion, body weight, pain score, and shock signs.
- Mouth and dental check because molar pain is a common hidden cause of reduced hay intake.
- Radiographs or ultrasound when bloat, obstruction, urinary stones, foreign material, or severe gas is possible.
- Blood glucose, electrolytes, kidney/liver values, and hydration markers when the rabbit is weak, cold, bloated, or not improving.
The practical question is not simply “is this stasis?” It is whether feeding, motility support, fluids, pain relief, imaging, or hospitalisation is safe for this rabbit.
What vets check across digestive emergencies
- Pain: dental disease, urinary sludge, arthritis, sore hocks, wounds, surgery, abscesses, or trauma can stop eating before owners see the original problem.
- Diet and fibre: too little hay, too many pellets/snacks, sudden greens changes, or spoiled food can disturb caecal fermentation and dropping output.
- Heat and dehydration: warm rooms, transport, fever, diarrhoea, or blocked water access can dry gut contents and worsen slowdown.
- Obstruction or unsafe ingestion: carpet, plastic, fabric, bedding, and some plant material change the safety of feeding and motility drugs.
- Post-operative or systemic illness: anaesthesia, infection, respiratory disease, kidney disease, and stress can all present first as a gut emergency.
Common cause buckets vets sort through
- No eating and no droppings: gut slowdown or obstruction risk; do not wait overnight.
- Hard, tight, or swollen belly: gas, severe pain, or obstruction risk; do not force-feed before assessment.
- Watery diarrhoea: dehydration and infectious/toxin risk, especially in juveniles.
- Soft stool or uneaten caecotrophs: diet, mobility, dental, or grooming issue; urgent if dirty-bottom, flystrike risk, or appetite changes are present.
- Not drinking or dehydrated: often travels with pain, heat, urinary disease, dental pain, or stasis.
- Moulting and hair in the gut: hair is usually a secondary risk when gut movement or hydration is already poor.
Digestive emergencies overlap, but the first visible pattern usually tells you which guide to use while you call the clinic.
Start with the closest pattern
All guides in this hub
Emergency FAQ
Can this wait until tomorrow?
Do not wait overnight if your rabbit is not eating, not passing droppings, weak, collapsed, breathing abnormally, bleeding, bloated, exposed to toxins, or rapidly worsening. Call an exotic-capable or rabbit-savvy vet while preparing to travel.
What should I tell the clinic first?
Start with the main sign, when it began, appetite, droppings, urine, breathing, posture, pain signs, recent surgery, heat exposure, trauma, and any possible toxin or medication exposure.
Should I use a product or home treatment first?
No. Products, food changes, supplements, and home care should only be discussed after a veterinarian has assessed the emergency risk. They are not substitutes for urgent veterinary care.
What changes urgency for this page
- The hub should route by risk: bloat is immediate, watery diarrhoea in babies is high-risk, and dental pain often presents as selective eating
What the vet is trying to rule out
- Temperature, hydration, belly palpation, pain, teeth, glucose, imaging, faecal output, and safe feeding plan
Source-tied safety note
RWAF: digestive warning signs: RWAF advises prompt veterinary attention when rabbits stop eating because gut slowdown can become serious quickly.
Page-specific owner FAQ
Is this hub a substitute for the guide pages?
No. It routes owners to the most specific guide and clinic call.
Which page should owners start with?
Start with the sign that is most dangerous right now: bloat, no eating/no droppings, watery diarrhoea, or post-op not eating.
Source-cited guidance; veterinary review pending.