Bunny hardly eats hay, and now eats less veggies! HELP

[naminegirl21]

Ok, so don’t know if anybody read my first post, but to summarize:

New pet bunny
Wasn’t adopted or bought. Stray from outside that’s been wandering since December.
Possibly pre owned and abandoned because he knows how to use a litter box
Unknown gender. But I say “he” because I’m guessing its a boy.

Anyway, when (ny mom) first brought him into the house on March 8th, I gave him pellets & veggies & unlimited hay. He ate all the pellets & veggies EVERY TIME I fed it to him. Cleared his plate, but only ate 1 piece/string of hay while pooping

But now, he barely eats hay and he doesn’t eat all the veggies. I give him 3 different types of greens and introduce 1 new green per week, but when I give it to him, he just ignores it. After about 30 minutes, he takes 2 bites. After another 2 hours, eats 1/3 of the plate. And then in the morning, eats 2/3 of it. Its not like I’m overfeeding veggies either. He’s only 3 pounds so I give him 1 to 1.5 cups a day.

I’m getting pretty worried right now. Last night i had a nightmare that he got very thin and started dying. I don’t know what to do! I’ve tried giving him timothy hay, orchard grass and oat hay, but he wont eat it!!! Not even fresh grass! And now he eats less veggies! He’ll eat treats just fine though.

All his poops are normal sized. He hasn’t suddenly stopped pooping. He drinks more water now. And he seems kinda happy, letting me pet him, doing the bunny 500 around the room & doing binkies. What would you do? I know I need a vet but I currently don’t have a carrier or a vet. (and my mom says i spend too much money on the rabbit, she thinks i should feed him once a day, and he’ll “learn” to finish his plate after being hungry. I said no, he has to constantly eat.)

Any tips?

[Deleted User]

If he’s not eating, that is very serious and he needs to see a vet. There could be something that is going on internally. Dental issues are common with some breeds of bunnies, and it makes eating painful. If a bunny stops eating or pooping it can lead to a very serious condition called GI stasis, which if left untreated can lead to death. Even putting him in a box and taking him to a vet is still better than without a carrier. The fact that he isn’t eating hay is a tip off to potential dental issues. Definitely get him to a vet. If he’s in pain, no amount of tips we give you will make him well enough to eat.

[justwildbeat]

It’s great that you took this rabbit in, but regular vet checkups is a part of pet ownership for any animal. You can help convince your mom by doing the research on nearby exotic vets and get their general exam pricing up front. So that there are no surprises when the bill comes. They’re also a great source of information and can help educate others like your mom. 

In the meantime you can try feeding your rabbit different kinds of hay. He may prefer a different type like orchard grass or oat. Or he just might be picky and only like softer pieces like from a 2nd cutting. Also split the pellet and veg feedings to twice a day. Keep the same portion, just split it between morning and evening feedings. These suggestions still require time and money, and are not a substitute for a vet visit.

[tobyluv]

Is he still eating all of his pellets? It could be that you are giving him too many pellets, that they are his preference and he is filling up on them. If he was wandering around in December, he is probably 6 months old or more (considered an adult), and should be fed pellets according to his weight. A 3 pound adult rabbit would only get around 1/8 cup of pellets per day. He may have been starving when you first rescued him and wanted to eat anything, but he may have decided now that he prefers pellets and just wants them. Of course, it could be dental problems as has been mentioned, but if you are feeding him more than 1/8 cup of pellets a day, slowly cut back and see if he will then eat hay and greens.  Even if he doesn’t have dental problems, it would be a good idea to take him in for a vet check, to make sure that he is healthy in all ways.

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