Bun not really eating

[Lilly+Zoe]

I’m sure if I should be worried but I have a dutch rabbit that I got when she only a couple months shes my first baby rabbit I’ve had and is usually a food lover. Recently she has kind of stopped eat but not fully. She will eat a little bit of her pellets which she gets at night but normal by morning there’s about 15 pellets left and now she still has about 1/4-1/2 of her pellets left. She is 10 months so I’m not sure if it could just be that she’s getting older and slowing down.

Not sure if a more experience owner has experienced this but I’m starting to get concerned since it has been going on for about a week but hasn’t gotten worse. Please help

[DanaNM]

How many pellets is she getting? And how is her hay and veggie consumption? Do her poops look normal?

Usually a change in appetite is a signal something is wrong, but if she’s getting a large amount of pellets she could just be eating her fill and then not wanting more.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

Yes, more information is needed. Is she still eating hay and veggies? Is she pooping OK? How many pellets is she getting and what type are they?

[Lilly+Zoe]

Her poop looks ok I’ve been noticing hair connecting some of her poops but I’ve seen that with other rabbits before. She is eating some hay but not a ton and she is still eating veggies but she just isn’t as exciting about food or treats. Her food bowl has measurements printed in it and I usually fill it up to the 1/2 cup mark since she is still under a year. I feed her a mix of selective science house rabbit food and kaytee timothy complete. The mix is about 2/3 timothy pellets and 1/3 house rabbit food because I was feeding her just the house rabbit a couple months ago but she was eating them to fast so I started mixing them with the Timothy pellets.

[DanaNM]

1/2 a cup is a lot of pellets. Even though some people feed unlimited up to a year, many people start reducing the pellet amount and transitioning to an adult diet around 6 months or so, unless it’s a giant breed.

Ingesting lots of fur can cause some digestive problems and molting in general can cause some bunnies to have some gi issues. I would give her a deep grooming, and reduce her pellets to 1/4 cup (or even less). Encouraging lots of hay consumption will help her pass the fur through and help with her digestion. Encouraging lots of water will also help her digestion.

If she doesn’t increase her hay intake right away to compensate for fewer pellets, then I think a vet visit is a good idea to rule out dental issues or early stasis.

. . . 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.  

[Lilly+Zoe]

Thank you for the advice I’ll try somethings and update if I remember. It’s nice to have someone else’s opinion because when I’m concerned about my bunny my parents don’t seem to take me seriously and never what to take her to an emergency vet or regular vet after previous experience with other rabbits. I’ve at least convince them to let me take her for a yearly check up.

[DanaNM]

It can be frustrating to convince people that rabbits are not like dogs or cats (where not eating for a day can just mean the animal is tired of its food). 🙁

I’ve found that many people are more aware of the fact that horses have sensitive stomachs and that GI issues in horses can become emergencies (many people are aware of “colic” in horses), so I will often explain that rabbits are like tiny horses (my vet has actually said that rabbit and horse medicine are almost identical!). They can’t throw up and must eat often to keep things running. I also often explain that because rabbits are prey animals in nature, they hide their symptoms very well, so it’s important to be vigilant and notice anything that seems like a change for your bunny, which you did!

I also think sometimes people think “well, what can a vet even do for a rabbit?”, which in the past may have been true. But rabbit medicine has come a long way, and giving a bun supportive care in the form of pain meds, fluids, and other medicines can save a bun’s life.

In general, a rabbit snubbing all food for more than a few hours is cause for alarm bells, especially if it’s during a time the bun is normally hungry. More subtle changes in appetite can be an early warning that a GI problem is brewing, an indicator of dental pain, or some other indicator of pain. It can also mean a bad batch of hay or pellets, like if you get a new bag of food and suddenly the bun doesn’t want it.

One of my bunnies, Myra, often gets kind of grumpy and weird when she first starts molting. I usually give her a tummy rub, some simethicone, and oral fluids if she doesn’t want to eat. So far she has always perked up within an hour, so I haven’t needed to rush her off to the vet for further treatment.

Hopefully with fewer pellets your bun will perk up and pass the fur more easily!

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

Yes, I think it’s probably time to start transitioning her to an adult ration of pellets. If she doesn’t become more interested in her hay and veggies, then I agree with Dana that it could be a sign that something is wrong. The beginning of GI stasis is probably suspect #1. She’s a bit young for dental problems, but you never know.

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