Big changes curbing appetite

[SeaTurtleSwims]

I adopted a lionhead mix doe two days ago. I was told she was spayed about two weeks ago.. She is so sweet! Friendly, active and seems to be doing quite well with brief, supervised neutral territory visits with existing neutered Holland lop buck. Surgery site is healing up well. She will drink on her own, but I can’t get her to eat! Part of me thinks she is just stressed from all the changes. Anything I can do to stimulate her appetite? She has turned her nose up to all veggies/herbs/pellets/hay offered except Apple slices haha.

[Luna]

It’s good that she is drinking, but she definitely needs to start eating more to prevent stasis, and I agree the changes could be affecting her appetite. What kind of hay do you give her? Maybe try a different brand or kind. For instance, if she isn’t eating Kaytee brand then try Oxbow; or if she isn’t eating timothy hay then try orchard grass hay. Is she not eating pellets either?

[sarahthegemini]

I think you need to let her settle in before starting bonding – too many changes can definitely cause stress and lead to stasis.

[tobyluv]

I agree with sarahthegemini. It would be better to let your new bunny get used to her new environment before putting her with your male. A week would give her more time to let her get settled. Make sure that she is eating well and making good poop first.  Also, since she was just spayed 2 weeks ago, it would be good to let another week or two pass before bonding.

[Azerane]

Has she not eaten in the two days that you have had her, except apple slices? Is she still pooping? I would be getting her to a vet because two days is a very long time for a rabbit to go without eating.

[Bam]

I agree with Azerane, she must eat more than apple slices. A vet can give fluids + vitamin B to stimulate appetite and a gut motility drug to get things moving. If a bun won’t eat of its own, you might have to syringe feed pellet mush (=pellets soaked in water) or Critical Care (=a nutritious powder you mix with water).

I too believe you should hold off on the bonding until she’s settled in properly, it’s best to wait a full months after a spay anyway to give her hormones time to die down, it takes some time for them to do that.

[SeaTurtleSwims]

Thanks for the tips on introduction, I will slow down that process.

Good news on day 3- I took out her top level which she kept hanging out on so that her cage was only one level. While I was at work today she ate the greens I put in there and munched on some celery this evening. I’m still not sure what to do about pellets and hay, they seem untouched, but small progress is better than none. I can’t tell exactly if she’s been pooping regularly because I’ve caught her eating day poops, not sure what that’s about, but I did find a few poops (as in four) in her cage today, though not sure if there were more and she ate them or if 4 was just her number….

I’m going to add more greens tonight. Do you think the pellet mush should be used if she is eating greens? The spinach/chard/endive mix is not exactly a timothy replacement, I know :/ I have not called the vet just yet upon seeing the munched greens tonight, but I will call if the condition changes. She is still active/drinking/seeking affection with no obvious stress signs, but I will keep watching her.

[SeaTurtleSwims]

GREAT NEWS SHE IS EATING HAY Y’ALL

[Azerane]

I’m glad to hear that and I really hope she continues to improve 4 poops is nowhere near enough but I suppose that’s probably all that was in her system. Rabbits should leave 200+ poops a day. The fact that she is eating hay will really help, but if she continues not to be pooping then I definitely recommend a vet visit. A rabbit not eating or pooping for more than 12 hours should be considered an emergency situation.

[SeaTurtleSwims]

Okay well, the good news is there were plenty of poops this morning. The bad news is (getting away from diet&care a bit- sorry for off topic), she is protective over her poops haha. At first I moved all the mess into the litter box and then moved the actual litter box/food/water to sit in the corner she was going in. Now she is using new empty non litter box corner, and was agitated I was invading her house and moving things around (I will be sure to only do moving objects/litter change maintenance when she’s having floor time in the future to minimize her agitation). I did not leave on a bad note and made sure to pet her plenty, only after she approached me for affection. I understand most rabbits neutered later in life can have some sass factor that can be addressed through appropriate behavior modification…From my understanding (Please correct me if you have read otherwise!!), it is appropriate to move in slow, do your thing i.e. moving poops, aiming to have no reaction to her when she boxes at me over her pellets? (It’s really not a bad box- she’s being quite gentle about her sass LOL). If I could equate it to a dog throwing shade but not actually biting, it would seem like that haha. She’s very gentle- even when she’s trying to be mean she’s bad at it LOL

I just want to make sure I’m taking the best tactic to continue potty training while getting her appropriately adapted to people touching her “belongings” even if her prized possession is poop, apparently lol

[Author]

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