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Bloat Bloat as the name suggests is a build up of gases in the rabbits stomach. The rabbit will not be interested in food and will probably be hunched up as well as possibly grinding it's teeth, all indicating pain. Rabbits will often eat their mix very quickly, too fast for proper digestion, so food can't move properly along the gut. The rabbit won't be very interested in getting any attention and will probably be quite lethargic if you hold it. You will be able to feel a large lump in it's belly, which is the build up of gas. The most effective way I've found to treat this is with a generous amount of probiotic as soon as you notice the rabbit isn't hungry and has a distended belly and. I mix a full spoonful of probiotic - I use Pro C (spoon usually supplied with the probiotic) with water to make a solution and give this to the rabbit slowly by a 1ml syringe so the rabbit has the chance to swallow it properly. This rapidly increases the correct gut bacteria to normal levels and the distention in the gut disappears. I do this twice a day for a week to make sure the gut bacteria goes back to normal and is helped to stay healthy for another few days. However, if the rabbit has gone into a state of gut stasis, a visit to the vet for medical treatment with something to stimulate movement in the intestines is immediately necessary.
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