What is GI stasis (or RGIS)?

One of the most common medical problems with rabbits is when they suddenly stop eating/pooping. This is often referred to as gastrointestinal stasis (GI stasis) or rabbit GI syndrome (RGIS).

When a rabbit stops eating, usually their body temperature will start to fall, and their internal organs will become stressed. Without intervention, this condition can become life-threatening within hours.

While we don’t want to think about the death of our beloved pets, it’s good to think ahead about the option of doing a necropsy (animal autopsy).

Benefits of Necropsy

A necropsy allows us to learn more about the cause of death of our pet. This can help bring closure about why our pet died. If you have other pets, necropsy can help determine whether death was caused by an infectious disease that could be contagious, and may help guide treatments for your other pets. Necropsy can also help our veterinary team better understand the disease process, with the possibility that we can better help pets with similar health issues in the future.

For your rabbit’s health, mental and physical happiness, and for you to better know when something about them changes, a puppy exercise pen (also often called an x-pen) works well as their home base for when you are sleeping or away from home.

Turtles can develop diseases of the respiratory system, shell, skeleton, and skin when their heat, UVB light, water, and dietary needs are not being met. Here are some products to help prevent many of these problems, and get you set up for success.

You might not have known that hedgehogs can be pets! Learn more here.

When it comes to the health of rabbits, it’s all about where they put their weight, where they chew their food, and where they digest.  That will account for about 90% of a rabbit’s health issues.  If you take good care of these parts, you are less likely to have more than your twice-yearly well check-ups at the vet.

Hamsters…they’re the stereotypical first pet for a kid.  Small, easy, sweet and cuddly.  Well, yes, they’re small.  But it can kind of end there.

If you own or are considering getting a parrot, there’s something you probably already know. Parrots are smart.  Parrots are clever.  Parrots are social creatures.

If you own a parrot, or are thinking of one as a pet, here are 5 things you should know.

Some tips on pet rabbits that every bunny owner should know.

Here's what you need to know about sugar gliders before bringing one home as a pet...

Thinking a hamster might be a good pet for your kids? Know these 5 things before bringing one home...

Bet you didn't know these 5 things about rats as pets! (hint: they're pretty amazing animals!)

They're soft, they're fast, they're weird-looking little creatures... but there's much more to know about chinchilla pet ownership...

Some VERY important guinea pig tips! Read on...