Change in Behaviour

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 12sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 7 months ago by Sarita.

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- 07/03/2009 at 5:35 AM
  Firsttimer
  Participant
  144 posts
  I’m not sure if I’m being an overly concerned bunmum but I thought I’d post my concerns to see if anyone has any ideas. Pepper is just over two years old now and over the last few months my husband and I have noticed a difference in her behaviour, she seems much more relaxed about things, doesn’t fight being held and basically seems to have come through the ‘teenage’ period well – is this too early to be thinking this?
  
  Anyway, my real concern is about her eating habits. Her appetite remains as good as usual but strangely the speed at which she eats has slowed down dramatically, to the point where i have to seperate her from Dylan to make sure he doesn’t eat her food – it was always the other way round as Pepper was the greedy guts that always looked starving. She went to the vet at the beginning of April for her Myxi jag and he gave her a full check up and didn’t say anything about her teeth, but the only thing I can think of is that her teeth might be bothering her. Should I be concerned at all or am I just being over dramatic?
  
  When I first got her I met her parents and her dad had just had his teeth removed, that’s possibly what’s making me think this way, but the rabbits were not treated well and didn’t seem to be provided with anything to knaw on. Pepper has all manner of toys and blocks to chow down on and she is using most of them and getting unlimited servings of hay. She eats everything she is given but my concern is why has she decided to eat slowly all of a sudden.
- 07/03/2009 at 5:41 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  That is certainly a possibility. I would have the vet check her teeth. Sometimes dental problems can be very subtle and it’s possible if the father had dental problems, she may too.
- 07/04/2009 at 3:06 PM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  A dental problem could have developed since last April, so I think another vet check would be a good idea.
  
  But yes, she is mellowing out of her teenager years. Now is when she can be the most fun and laid back for several years to come.
- 07/04/2009 at 8:04 PM
  wendyzski
  Participant
  1312 posts
  I can often tell when Pepper is developing another tooth spur because she will tear into her food with her usual enthusiasm but won’t finish her pellets in one sitting. She’ll leave them and come back later. We eventually figured out that it was because her mouth hurt.
  
  If this sounds like what you have going on, then you might want to get her teeth checked.
- 07/05/2009 at 8:42 AM
  Firsttimer
  Participant
  144 posts
  Yes that seems to be what’s happening. I’ll take her to the vets tomorrow. Thanks.
- 07/05/2009 at 4:20 PM
  MooBunnay
  Participant
  3087 posts
  I hope that she is feeling OK – I know that tooth problems can be very painful for bunnies. It might also be that she is ju st not as excited for pellets as usual. When I was giving my bunnies 1/2 cup of pellets per day they stopped caring about them as much. So then I cut down to only 2 tablespoons of pellets per day, and they seemed to get more excited about the pellets because they were more “rare.”
- 07/06/2009 at 10:57 AM
  Firsttimer
  Participant
  144 posts
  I’ve been to the vet and it wasn’t as straight forward as I’d hoped. He checked everything, teeth, stomach, bottom, ears the lot and could not find a thing. But her weight has gone down from 2.45kg to 1.4kg. He’s given her an vitamin injection and given me something to feed her with a syringe but I’m now so worried. She doesn’t act ill, she looks so happy jumping about with Dylan.
- 07/06/2009 at 11:08 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  Was that weight loss since April? Did he do blood work?
  
  That is quite a few kg’s in that amount of time.
- 07/07/2009 at 2:07 AM
  Firsttimer
  Participant
  144 posts
  Her weight was 1.9 at the end of April and 2.45 just before Christmas. So now I have no idea when the weight loss started as she was on a diet over the winter at the Vets recommendation. He didn’t do bloodwork as he said he wouldn’t think it would come up with anything but that I have to go back tomorrow and he will reassess the situation. He talked about a referal to Edinburgh where there are rabbit specialists but left that to me to think about as she is not insured. I had decided not to insure her and instead I have been putting money aside every month for her so if she needs it I can probably afford to go to Edinburgh. This morning she ran excitedly to her hay when I refilled her rack but once she got there she didn’t eat any of it. The vet thinks that her stomach is shutting down and it needs a kick start.
  
  I went to the supermarket last night and bought in loads of food that the Binkybunny food list has on it. She refused to eat Asparagus, curly kale (which she previously couldn’t get enough of), broccoli and mint. She ate Strawberry, banana and carrot quite happily. Tonight I have some mango for her to try and I’m lost as to what other healthy food to try with her.
- 07/07/2009 at 5:21 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  I think you are going to overload her on sugar though with those fruits and that is not good. Hay and fresh green vegetables are best.
- 07/08/2009 at 3:27 AM
  Firsttimer
  Participant
  144 posts
  She is refusing to eat the hay and the fresh greens so at the moment, although last night she tried a couple of leaves of basil, I feel I should give her what she wants to eat just for the sake of giving her vitamins. Going back to the vet tonight.
- 07/09/2009 at 1:42 AM
  Firsttimer
  Participant
  144 posts
  She is now getting worming treatment. I think it’s the Vets last guess.
- 07/09/2009 at 5:18 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  Continued vibes.
  
  It could take a few days for any treatment to start working…don’t get discouraged.
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