Concerns about the amount of water and food intake on rabbit rescused

[Missye87]

3 days ago i found a young male rabbit  (about 6 months) outside on my front porch eating  birdseed  he was nervous and couldnt approach him , keep feeding him and the following day lured him  into the house trail of food once inside  he let pick him up put in cage.  He is very underweight but seems to be healthy what is concerning me though is drinking alot water as soon put bowel water in cage you can hear just gulping it down looking for more and he is franticly eating food wont stop ,i have been giving sm amount pelts , alot hay , little vegtables through out the day but he just beside himself looking for more . He eating pooping fine , do not know if this normal or something should be concered about

[DanaNM]

Poor baby, thank you for rescuing him!

I think you are doing the right thing by not giving too much too fast. Is he eating his hay? Is he also peeing a lot? It’s possible this is a response to being hungry and thirsty for too long :(, but I would recommend having him checked out by a vet to see if there is anything going on with him.

. . . 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.  

[Bam]

Thank you for taking this bun in!

My first thought is he was starving when you found him. If you feel him over, like you seem to have done, you’ll find he’s skinny, with protruding hip bones. It’d be a good idea to weigh him twice per week (I weigh my buns in a bowl on normal kitchen scales) and write down his weight. That way you can make a weight curve and see pretty much exactly how he fares. You are likely to see considerable weight gain over these next few weeks.

If he is getting more dry food from you than he’s been used to, (hay, pellets) he’ll drink a lot. This is normal and good. Keep a close eye on output -pee and poop. Ideally his poops will be big and round and plentiful. If you see a few extra cecals, it’s still normal, he’s adjusting to getting good healthy food on a regular basis. It’s wise to not give too much pellets, but you can give hay freely.

I currently have a young fosterbun who was food deprived in his former home, due to a very bossy brother. This bun is obsessed with food. Rabbits should always be “food addicts”, but this bun is obsessed.

In short, I think your bun was very lucky to have been rescued by you. Keep an eye on poop, pee and weight. Signs of good health are, for example, a shiny coat of fur, bright eyes (no discharge) and a clear nose (no thick snot).

 

 

[Missye87]

Thank you for replies i will take him to vet to get checked out since its not emergercy wont get an appointment for 1 1/2-2 weeks away no other vet close by. Yeah he has no fat on him he skinny can feel his ribs and  hips bones are protuding. I asked my mom to borrow baby scale so weigh him keep track of it.  He is peeing and pooping good all normal. He is mostly getting hay , mby a sm tbsp of pellets morning and night also  1/4 cup veggies also morning and night.  Strange how the everthing i had lost my previous rabbit  just a few  months ago very suddenly of g.i issues  she was still young i was considering adopting another but i was not sure if i was ready yet and then he just showed up on my porch

[DanaNM]

Oh wow! What timing!

If he’s handling the pellets well you could increase them gradually. Since he’s likely young then getting extra pellets is OK, and since he was malnourished they will help him get some weight back on.

 

. . . 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.  

[Bam]

It seems he needed you and you needed him 🙂 Sometimes the Universe makes these things happen! It doesnt sound like he needs an emergency vet visit. He’s eating and pooping and peeing. His current diet seems fine.

I’m very sorry you lost your rabbit.

 

 

 

 

[BZOO]

Hope to see pics!

Did you name him yet?

Thanks for saving him!

[Bam]

Yes! Name! Pics?! 💗

[Missye87]

Uploaded pictures of him on my profile , he still dosent have a name think going wait to get know him and his character a little more for now its Mister lol  think he is around 6 months his testicles have not fully descended

[DanaNM]

Aww he’s so cute! Now that you got them on your profile you should be able to add them to posts using the “Add Media” button if you’d like. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[Bam]

He’s beautiful! And very skinny, like you said. He was truly lucky to find you 🙂

[Missye87]

[Felicity0118]

Just a heads up! My bunny came from a rescue and he drank LOADS! Fast forward a year and a half, lots of peeing and took him to the vets yesterday and he had a seizure 🙁 please consider EC as polydipsia is a symptom, just sharing as I feel so guilty I didn’t even look at EC beyond head tilting

[DanaNM]

Hi Felicity0118, this is an old thread so the OP is unlikely to see this reply. We ask that members don’t reply to old threads for that reason, so I’ll be locking this thread now.

. . . 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.  

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