Sudden change in diet, GI Stasis

Hello, I abruptly switched my 5 month old rabbit from an unhealthy pelleted food muesli(Versele-Laga. Composition: sunflower seed meal, alfalfa, spelt hulls, wheat feed, pea flakes, kibbled carob, maize flakes, wheat, wheat flakes, soya meal, wheat middlings, crushed maize, oats, maize, colza meal, beet molasses, rice bran, calcium magnesium carbonate, wheat gluten feed, timothy hay, linseed, lucerne protein concentrate, soya hulls, sodium chloride, sunflower seed, talc, maize steep liquor, oat hulls, vegetable mixing fatty acids, broken peas, maize, monocalcium phosphate, refined coconut oil, toasted soya beans, fructo-oligosaccharides, dried carrots, garlic, oregano, thyme, marjoram, Mojave yucca, mint, turmeric. Analytical constituents: protein 15%, fat content 3.5%, crude fibre 14.5%, crude ash 8%, calcium 1.1%, phosphorus 0.55%.)to a healthier rabbit food a week ago(Selective Naturals Grain Free Rabbit Food. Composition: Timothy hay, soya bean hulls, pea flour, flaked peas, ground soya bean meal, ground dried locust beans, whole brown linseeds, soya bean oil, calcium carbonate, hydrolysed yeast, Yucca extract. Analytical Constituents: Crude Protein 14.0%, Crude Fibre 22.0%, Crude Oils and Fats 4.0%, Crude Ash 5.0%, Calcium0.6%, Phosphorus 0.4%). Everything was going well, he had an appetite, pooped normally, energetic, etc(I had to hand feed him at first to accept the new food, but then he ate it by himself)until last night when he got GI Stasis(refused to eat his favorite food, lethargic, hunched position, etc). I treated him at home with Oxbow Critical Care and belly massages and he is fine now. I want to continue to keep him on Science Naturals Grain Free rabbit food(the new food)since he doesn’t eat enough hay(my goal is to get him to eat as much hay as possible and I know how to do this but it will take some time)and the first ingredient in this new food is Timothy hay. My question is, if I continue to give him the new food(Selective Naturals Grain Free food), will he get GI Stasis again? Or will he get adapted to the food and everything will be fine? What should I do?

That's a tough call - how quickly did you change him over to the new food? Because my immediate thought is that it was probably a rapid change from the old to the new food that caused the digestive upset. The timeline would support that, as although he liked the new diet, his large intestine didn't get a chance to adapt to it. Ideally, make any change over at least a week - or more - gradually increasing the amounts of the new feed and reducing the old. He was obviously adapted well to the old food, and while the new one does sound like it's a better option, I think the transition needs to be really careful, as obviously he's reacted badly. The other thing to bear in mind, though, is that it is possible that the gut stasis was caused by something completely separate, and just happened to occur at this point in time. I'm sure you know how serious gut stasis can be, and if you managed to get him eating and defecating normally again with home, care, really well done! I would however suggest that a vet check to rule out any other underlying issues would be a very good idea. Please let us know how you get on!

Hello - I agree that a veterinary appointment should be the first port of call.  Rabbits evolved to eat grass and scientific opinion suggests that forms of grass - including hay -are the best diet for a rabbit.  If he prefers sweeter, easier to eat /  quicker-burn feed, I wonder whether dental pain could be a concern.  This can appear suddenly in rabbits and, because they are so driven to eat, it can be difficult to spot the symptoms in the early stages.  It can take a lot of practise to notice signs of pain in a rabbit. Most rabbit illnesses do - on some level - impact eating and dental disease can also occur secondarily to short refusals of feed caused by other problems, resulting in a vicious cycle.  For this reason, i would strongly reccommend taking this episode seriously, seeking out a vet with an active interest in rabbits and having them check - or at least triage -- your bunny as soon as possible.   Vets can also find it useful if you get into the habit of weighing your rabbit on a daily or weekly basis at home, as weight change can be an early sign of illness.   I hope that something there is of use.