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› FORUM › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › Lily won’t eat her pellets
I fed Lily two hours ago and she barely touched her pellets. She ate some hay but not much last night. She always goes crazy when she hears me preparing their food but today nothing. She is in her x pen right now. She normally tries to escape when I open the door but today she acts like she doesn’t even see it open. She isn’t being very active and didn’t try to escape when I was trying to see if she was injured. Normally she will try to hop away. She has access to water. She even refused lettuce, her favorite! I don’t think the pellets, lettuce or hay was bad because Cocoa went crazy for her food and is acting fine. I tried to syringe feed her but only got a little in her mouth. What should I do?
Get some gas drops into her and try some gentle tummy massages. If she isnt pooping and still doesnt eat within 1-2 hours after, get her to a vet as she could be starting GI stasis. She would need motility drugs to get her eating again. And this is very serious. Stasis can kill in hours.
I know funds are difficult for you, especially when they’re for your rabbits, but these are all very classic signs of needing a vet. Rejecting food, especially favorites, and lethargy (disinterest in moving and being active) are big red flags that she is unwell.
How are her poops and pees?
The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
What type of gas drops do I use? I left her with some food and water and will check on her every 15 minutes. I have to get school done because I’m already behind but I’m almost done. Once I’m done I will just stay with her and if she won’t eat go to the vet.
I have enough money to get her to the vet. Her poops from last night are a bit larger and more egg shaped than normal. She did pee a normal amount and drank some water before I went inside
Erm, I don’t mean to be rude but seeing how your parents feel about rabbits, you might wanna start discussing the vet with them now rather than waiting.
You’ll want to get infant/baby gas drops. On the carton/bottle, it should say “simethicone”. Majority of them will be unflavored with no dyes (for safety reasons), and this is want you want. Just the most basic simethicone!
The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
Is she moulting? Buttercup sometimes does egg shaped poops and she’s constantly moulting.
STG brings up a good point. Have you been grooming her daily if she’s shedding? She may have ingested a lot of fur and either has a blockage or is working to push out a rather uncomfortably-sized fur poop/poop strand.
The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
Yes I have been brushing her daily. I am about to call the vet to schedule an appointment. My mom is fine with it because I am paying for it. If I didn’t have enough money, she would let me borrow money and then pay her back later
let them know it’s an emergency. She shouldn’t wait days to be seen.
We are bringing her in at 4:30 today.
Sending good vibes! Let the vet know as much detail as you can give them, and be sure to ask them about what you can do at home, what are signs of improvement, and what are signs she needs to come back in. If they give you medication, make sure to ask how to administer it and if you’re not experienced, ask them to show you a good method.
The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
Thanks wick I will. I have had to give medication before when she was spayed. I usually wrap her in a towel to do it
I am having a very difficult time surenge feeding her. I wrap her in a towel but she yanks her head away. I get her to eat barely any. What should I do?
I recommend a loose, open grip around her neck, so she can’t jerk her head away. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N12eJ5vdo4w
The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
I had left Lily alone in her pen for a while and I went outside to feed her again. She was hopping around and ate a small handful of pellets on her own! Do you think I can cancel the vet appointment and just watch her closely for the next day or two?
Honestly, I wouldn’t risk that. With bunnies it’s always be safe. I’d still take her as they’d be able to feel her stomach and listen to it for any signs of distress. They’ll also be able to asses her teeth in case it’s dental related.
This isn’t the one that shaved their teeth is it?
No this is the vet we went to right after the bad vet. This is what happened after Cocoa’s spay. She refused to eat but after a little surenge feeding, she was eating on her own and was fine. She did need mash for a few days because her teeth hurt but that was it.
But with Cocoa the obvious cause was the spay. With Lily there isn’t an obvious cause. Which is why I was saying still keep your appointment. She could have gas or a blockage or even have teeth problems that you can’t notice. They’ll do a comprehensive exam that should be given to a bun with any type of GI distress.
Did you get some simethicone?
I urge you to still consider taking her to the vet, but if you decide not to do that PLEASE get the simethicone and give it to her. That will at least break up any gas that may have formed in the last few hours of her not eating. You really don’t want to go to bed and leave her unmonitored for the entire night without making sure that she is eating on her own
I will not be bringing her to the vet unless she seems worse. She is fully back to her old self and Cocoa seems jealous of the special attention Lily has been getting. I will definitely get the simethicone. I will check on her every 30 minutes for the rest of the day. My mom isn’t home so I feel safer staying inside for now. Once she gets home I will stay outside with them.
And I have not gotten it yet but will get some tonight
Any updates on Lily?
She is doing fine and is back to going crazy when she hears the pellets
That’s good
Keep some simethicone on hand for future reference!
I will and I will also buy some critical care so I am prepared
Phew I’m glad Lily is doing better! ![]()
Once again lily isn’t eating. I will definitely take her to the vet tomorrow no matter what. The vet is closed today but I will pick up the baby gas drops. What can I do until then
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear about that. You can try to stimulate her tummy with massages like shown in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbyC6CWbm5M
Do you have something like critical care in the house? I’ve never used it myself, but other forum members often advise it for buns who don’t eat.
In the meantime keep watching her poops to make sure that her gut stays active. Monitor her drinking and her temperature. Many rabbits who have stasis will get cold, offer her something warm to lay on. Have a number from an emergency vet on hand, and find a way to get there when in need. In most areas there will be an emergency vet for the evenings and weekends, but it may be far away.
Wishing you all the best, I know I’m always worried sick when something’s wrong with Breintje.
I don’t have any critical care right now. I just mix water with pellets and syringe feed her that. She is eating a little pellets and I noticed she pooped and it was connected by a lot of hair
Ah, so you’ve found a possible cause! Glad to hear that she’s pooping
The pellets with water sounds like a good solution too.
Are your buns moulting or shedding a lot of hair outside moulting season? Some rabbits ingest too much hair by licking themselves or their buddies. Best get out the brushes, even if they hate it.
I’m not really sure. I just thought they were losing their winter coats like a horse would. Once I get her still, she does seem to enjoy the brushing. Can you tell me the difference between molting and shedding a lot out of molting season? Sorry if that’s a stupid question. I had one other question. I have a glitter tattoo on the back of my land. They haven’t noticed it but do I need to take it off anyways? I also had a henna tattoo and I wanted to make sure neither would hurt them.
Her front teeth are over her bottom teeth. Is this okay? What do I need to do about it? I can’t post a picture because she won’t stay still. She eats some pellets on her own and drank some mash on her own
How much simethicone and how often does she need it? She is four pounds
And my mom bought mylicon. Is that the same thing?
Mylicon is simethicone, so you’re fine. If it camee with a dropper, it may be marked .3 and .6. you can do the .6, and even up to 1.0. rabbits can’t really overdose on simethicone, but generally one dose an hour for two to three hours will relieve gas. If it doesn’t seem to help after that, simethicone probably won’t help anymore than it has/hasn’t.
Molting is a lot of shedding, so honestly you can kind of use the terms synonymously.
The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
What about her teeth?
And thank you for the info
I gave her about .5 ml. I wrapped her in a towel and was ready for her to try to refuse it. She seemed to like the taste and continued trying to get to the syringe. I’m glad she likes it so it’s easier for me
How long will it be before I see even a small change in her health?
Many rabbits like the gas drops. If she doesn’t seem to improve within an hour or two, it most likely won’t help her and she’ll need to assessed by the rabbit vet. If it does help her, it is equally essential to figure out way may have caused the gassiness in the first place. If she’s shedding a lot, a possibility is she ingested too much fur and it’s either blocking her tubes in a lainful way which is dissuading her from eating or there’s a good amount in there that makes it uncomfortable to move more through.
I can’t really make calls about teeth, because I only see Wick’s teeth, which are crooked and incorrect (his bottom teeth are on top of his top, so an underbite). A formal rabbit vet will be able to let you know if the alignment and length are appropriate. I’m unsure if healthy rabbit teeth overlap naturally or not.
The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
Whew, glad to hear that she likes the stuff. Breintje will twist and wriggle like a maniac, and he usually ends up with a face so messy that could belong in an “adult film”. At least he ingests his medicine when he washes himself afterwards.
Rabbits get ill quickly and may bounce back quickly as well. As long as she’s pooping and eating it’s a great sign. Whenever Breintje has a gas attack he gets very ill within 2 hours, and after the simethicone and belly massage he usually shows some interest in food within the hour. Pooping usually occurs an hour after eating something.
You’d best ask the vet about the teeth, different breeds have different teeth problems so it can be hard to tell for the layman.
Moulting is usually the seasonal coat change, you’ll see heavy shedding and a line across their bodies where the moult is progressing. Seasonal moults are the times when Breintje often has belly problems. You can easily see when it’s starting: one day he’ll suddenly have a sore belly, and the next day there are all these little tufts coming out.
Shedding is year-round to keep a healthy coat. The amount of shedding differs a lot between individual rabbits, their coat length and their age. I’d advice you to brush your bunnies more often if her problems persist. Hoping for some good developments
I do brush them almost everyday but not very long because they refuse to sit still for more than three minutes. Her poop is looking better and she has more energy. She ate a lot of pellets and drank the extra mash and still seemed excited for food which she wasn’t doing this morning
Since I am seeing improvement, should I continue with the simethicone in the morning or stop now?
I think going a bit longer wouldn’t hurt. Again, a rabbit can’t really be harmed with simethicone!
The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
How long should I continue for?
I’d say up to three hours total is fine. So if it’s already been that, you can stop. If anything further happens, you’ll want to see a vet since it means it wasn’t just simple gas.
The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
Wow, that’s great news! Glad to hear it helped ![]()
I’ve already done it three hours but i think i will give her one more in the morning just to be safe. Will it still require a vet if it was just gas?
› FORUM › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › Lily won’t eat her pellets
