Holland Lop diet change

[Boozhy]

Greetings.

We’ve had an awesome little Holland Lop (named Boozhy) since he was a few months old.  He’s about 6.5 years old now, and he’s been very healthy and happy the whole time with the exception of some bouts of gas bloat and/or GI stasis occasionally.  A few months ago, he became rather disinterested in eating like he used to.  He seems quite bored with most food.  Where he would eat plenty of Timothy hay and three small servings of pellets with some oats each day, he’s backed off to lazily and eventually getting to most of the pellets, and he won’t touch numerous styles of hay with the exception of third cutting Timothy hay.  But he’s so finicky, that he really only likes the hard stalks out of that!  His water intake is proportionate to his food now as well.  We use Sherwood and Small Pet Select products.  Every once in a while, we give him a few greens, which he still seems ok with.  Otherwise, he is still very playful and content, but we don’t want his appetite to keep getting away from him if possible.  He’s only about 3.5 pounds as is.  He has a large playpen area in our house, and we try to find things to keep him entertained.  But he always gets good checkups with the vet, and he shows no signs of dental or gut issues currently.  Anyone else experience this kind of thing?  Thanks much.

[DanaNM]

Not eating as much with more selectivity but with no other real symptoms is a huge indicator for a dental issue. Lops are prone to dental issues, and around middle age buns can have some bone density shifts that can cause molar alignment to shift a little.  Has he had a deep oral exam? At just a normal check up the vet can’t really see the back molars. For that they need xrays or light anesthesia. I would discuss this appetite change with your vet and request a full oral exam.

How is his weight doing? You might try offering some pellet mash or recovery food (my bun loved Emeraid Herbivore Sustain) to make sure he’s getting enough fiber and calories.

. . . 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]

I agree. If he hasn’t had a thorough oral exam since this has started, then I would definitely talk to your vet about it.

[Boozhy]

Thank you for the replies.  I have a call in to our vet to see him again.  He last had a checkup in Spring, but this is new since then.  We have a great vet who is trained and experienced with bunny care.  A couple strange things about Boozhy’s behavior now is that he likes the tough hay stalks the most, and he seems as happy and content as ever otherwise.  But it is hard to read their behavior sometimes.

[DanaNM]

I think that’s wise. I’ve heard of buns becoming more selective about which hay stalks they want (some start preferring the crunchy ones, others want the soft ones) with molar spurs.

. . . 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.  

[Boozhy]

I took him to our vet, and he had passed the exam with normal results.  Our vet doc is great, and she gave him a very thorough exam.  She looked at his teeth and mouth three times through a couple different scopes, and she said he would be on the mild to moderate molar spur range.  There were no ulcerations to be found in his mouth or on his tongue.  She also agreed that it seems strange that he prefers the tougher stalks of hay to the rest.  She said to monitor him for the time being, and if we want, we can have blood work done.  So, good news on the positive exam, but frustrating that he’s so finicky with his diet yet.  At least he’s still happy.  If anyone else has any suggestions, I’d welcome them.  Thanks!

[DanaNM]

There have been buns on the forum that presented eating selectivity with just mild spurs. They can cause discomfort even if they don’t cause ulcers. I remember one member who’s bun would practically go into stasis anytime it got a tiny molar spur.

. . . 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]

I agree. You would be surprised and how much it varies. Some bunnies can go until their mouth is one big ulcer. Others stop eating at the first sign of anything even remotely sharp developing.

[DanaNM]

Buns can be so *dramatic* 😆 

. . . 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.  

[Boozhy]

Greetings.

I’ve tried to come back  here to post a few times, but this website often doesn’t let me.  It keeps having me sign in, then I go back to the post, and it tells me I have to sign in, and the cycle repeats… Regardless, it obviously works today!

I have more of an update than anything. We took Boozhy to our vet, he had blood tests (and another exam) which showed nothing abnormal. He’s still not eating like he used to – really picky with the hay and pellets, but still liking the 3rd cutting hard stalks the best. We’re trying a number of different styles with little change to his preference. We started giving him small amounts of greens each day to add in some more nutrition, which he really likes.

Otherwise, he’s always playing or resting. He seems like eating is time wasted when he could be playing or resting!  He starts to eat and then runs away from it like it’s cutting into play time. He’s very content, flops a lot and doesn’t seem to be any worse for the diet change. We keep weighing him, and while he is down from a year ago, he’s maintaining his current weight.

If anyone has other insight into his appetite/diet change, your thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

[LBJ10]

Did you get a thorough dental exam?

[Boozhy]

He had a thorough dental exam in September that I mentioned in a post above, and he has another scheduled for late next month.

[LBJ10]

Have you considered trying a different brand pellet and/or hay? When I first brought my bunny home, I picked up some pellets from the store (didn’t know what he was previously on). He did not like them! I tried different ones and he loves them.

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