Gastrointestinal stasis is one of the most common and most serious health problems in rabbits. Understanding what it is and how to prevent it is part of properly caring for an animal whose digestive system simply cannot stop.
What stasis is
Stasis is the term for a situation in which a rabbit's digestive transit slows down drastically or stops. When that happens, the contents of the gut compact and stop moving forward, the flora in the cecum becomes unbalanced and the animal stops eating, which worsens the cycle. It's a serious problem that can put its life at risk within hours.
Warning signs
The signs that should put you on alert are the rabbit stopping eating, its droppings becoming smaller, scarcer or disappearing altogether, and it appearing listless or hunched, often in a curled-up posture. A rabbit that has gone more than twelve hours without eating or passing droppings is a veterinary emergency, not something that can wait until the next day.
Why it happens
Behind a case of stasis there's usually a diet poor in fiber, with too many pellets or too much sugar and too little hay. It's also encouraged by pain of any origin, stress, dehydration or lack of movement. In many cases it's the result of a diet that doesn't revolve around hay.
Fiber as the first line of prevention
The best prevention is simple and within everyone's reach: quality hay available at all times, clean water always, and a diet with a small amount of pellets. The long fiber in hay is what keeps the digestive engine running, and a rabbit that eats plenty of hay has far fewer odds of suffering stasis.
What to do if you suspect it
If you suspect stasis, get to the vet as soon as possible and don't try to medicate on your own. This article is informational and doesn't replace a diagnosis: when a rabbit isn't eating or passing droppings, it's a professional who decides on treatment.
