Gastrointestinal stasis is a common, painful, and potentially fatal condition in rabbits that is largely preventable through appropriate diet and environmental enrichment.
Rabbits experiencing GI stasis suffer significant abdominal pain from gas accumulation and gut distension. The condition can develop rapidly and owners may not recognise signs in a prey species that hides illness. Without emergency treatment including fluid therapy, pain relief, and gut motility drugs, affected rabbits may die in significant distress. Prevention through unlimited hay provision addresses both stasis risk and the chronic dental disease that develops from insufficient fibre. Many cases of GI stasis reflect preventable husbandry failures.