Can Bunnies Lose Their Appetite For No Reason?

[Eucalyptus]

Just wondering, can a bunny have a lower appetite without some underlying health problem? Seems like Java is eating a lot less of his salad the past couple of days. I thought I was just overfeeding him, but I gave him about 1/3 less and he still didn’t eat the last 1/3 of it.

We have no reason for concern really – he’s drinking water, eating tons of hay (in the box eating now), pooping and peeing, etc. He’s more than happy when I bring the salad over, he’s just losing interest or something. And of course, he’s still taking fruit and pellets happily.

I know that people can just have a lower appetite sometimes, but we tend to have other factions like random stressors that we encounter, eating something that hinders our appetite later, etc. – things that bunnies aren’t really going to have. So is it possible for him to just not be as interested, just because, or should we be concerned about an underlying problem?

[MoveDiagonally]

What are you feeding in what amounts to what size bunny? (a bunch of questions rolled into one )

[Monkeybun]

Squirrel stopped eating his salad before… turned out he was just disliking the stuff I was buying. Switched to a different mix, and he wolfed it down again.

[jerseygirl]

He could be filling up on hay because he knows that’s what he needs mostly atm. Rabbits seem to be good at this.

I think timing of when we feed things makes a difference too. You might find Java polishing off his greens at a different time of day or night.

Ditto Monkeybun too. I’ve hear of rabbits turning up their cute noses at one brand of packaged greens and loving another. Do you wash any package greens that are labeled “pre washed”? Good idea to do this.

[Roberta]

Mine go through phases. Sometimes they decide they aren’t in the mood for salad. Some days they prefer pellets other days they will chomp down the bok choy like its ambrosia. I think with the greens it just depends on how fresh they are what part of the season it is and where they are grown. I have found the same greens fro two different growers one will be devoured and the other ignored. The weather can also effect their daily preferences.

[Elrohwen]

Low level teeth problems are the first thing that comes to mind. When I got Hannah she would barely finish a salad over the course of a day. I took her to the vet (just for a checkup, not because of that) and it turns out she had molar spurs. After getting them fixed and healing, she could eat a salad in under 5 minutes.

I wouldn’t rush out to the vet right away or anything, but I would keep it in mind and maybe schedule a checkup in the next month or two.

[Sarita]

I checked your profile and it says your lop is 3 to 4 years old so I have to agree with Elrohwen on this – possible dental problems would be worth having his teeth checked out.

[Eucalyptus]

I almost forgot about this until Java hardly touched his salad. So let me answer everyone’s questions.

Java’s 3-4 years old (no known birthday) and about 5.5 lbs. He gets 15-16 different veggies and herbs in his salad right now. I could list if necessary. I wash everything. The only thing he’s turned his nose up to is a snow pea, but when we first tried giving them to him, he would just eat EVERYTHING except that. Now, he’s just eating some stuff from the top and leaving the majority of it. Then, he goes off and eats more hay and lounges about.

It would be interesting if he really was saving his appetite for hay, but he doesn’t seem to be eating anymore than usual. But once again, he left his salad just to go to his box and eat hay.

If he was having dental problems, wouldn’t he stop eating hay, too? Maybe not, but just a question. He’s been flopping constantly, even more than usual. It would be surprising if he really had a health issue going on.

I’m going to schedule an appointment tomorrow – off to lovely Dr. Harvey it is!

[jerseygirl]

Oh you’re lucky to have Dr Harvey as his vet!

He’s been flopping constantly, even more than usual. It would be surprising if he really had a health issue going on.

Is he staying in the flopped position or is it more like flop-get up-flop again? The latter is more of a sign of discomfort.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Bunnies with teeth problems can vary with what they refuse. Sometimes it’s hay, sometimes it’s pellets or veggies. Depends on the rabbit.

[Elrohwen]

Yes, agreed with LPT that when they’re having teeth issues, they can vary what they will eat.

[Eucalyptus]

Posted By jerseygirl on 03/12/2013 01:56 AM 
Oh you’re lucky to have Dr Harvey as his vet! 

He’s been flopping constantly, even more than usual. It would be surprising if he really had a health issue going on.

Is he staying in the flopped position or is it more like flop-get up-flop again? The latter is more of a sign of discomfort.

He flops and usually will adjust his head. But he always does that, literally. He almost never stays flopped like super dead bunny status on his side except sometimes. And, like I said, he’s always done that since the day we got him.

This morning he devoured his salad. The whole things been pretty varied – sometimes he eats like 1/6 of his salad, sometimes half, sometimes the whole thing.

I spoke with someone at Dr. Harvey’s office and she’s having her call us tomorrow. I explained everything and she didn’t seem concerned enough to say we definitely need to bring him in, but she’s going to let Dr. Harvey get more info and decide for herself.

[Eucalyptus]

I just thought I’d update this.

I waited until the following day for Dr. Harvey’s call, but never got one. I had a missed call the next morning (I was at work) from an “Unknown ID,” which may have been her, but I never got a voicemail. I’ve been pretty busy working, and just didn’t get around to trying the office again.

But the good news is, I’m not sure if he was going through “something,” but Java has been eating normally again. He had actually been eating a tad less hay, and pooping a little less (not enough to scare us, but it was just a bit noticeable), along with sometimes ignoring his salads or not finishing them. For the past 4 days, though, he’s eaten all of his salads, eating TONS of hay, pooping like crazy, actually drinking a little more than usual, and eating tons of sticks.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Glad to hear he’s got his appetite back.

[Author]

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