Not eating pellets!

[nicolex198]

I know how sensitive a buns digestive tract is and how much not eating can really affect them. My rabbit Bandit has been eating his hay, greens, and drinking water. He has been pooping normally also. He is as active as he always is, still running around, etc. However, the past 2 or 3 days he hasn’t been eating his pellets or his little yogurt snacks that he usually loves! Should I contact a vet since he wont eat his pellets? or is he maybe just not as hungry as he normally is? Like I said before, he’s still eating his hay and greens. There has been no change in diet or anything of that sort so Im not sure why he wont eat them. Any help given ASAP would be great!

[MStewart87]

Well, my Scooby has been having some digestive problems recently so I have been doing a fair amount of research about pellets since Scooby stuffs himself with them. What I have read is that some bunnies dont even eat pellts and that they are not really a necessary part of their diet, more of an additive. My buns digestive problems are from him stuffing himself with the pellets I suspect. I wouldnt worry too much as long as hes eating normal amounts of the other things and getting the nutrition he needs. Who knows he may just start eating them again soon, but if not from what I have read it is not the end of the world.

[nicolex198]

Thanks for your help! Yeah, he used to at least eat his two servings each day, but suddenly just stopped a few nights ago. And I have no idea why he wont eat his snacks because he used to go crazy for his yogurt treat at bedtime. I guess I’ll just keep an eye on him/his stools/his eating. If he becomes unlike himself or anything else that seems suspicious I’ll contact the vet immediately. It’s funny, I was just reading your posts about your bunny’s problem & then you help me out!Thanks a bunch & I wish the best of luck for your little bun. He’s very VERY cute!

[MStewart87]

You bun is cute too! I hate to seem like I wait to take my animal to the vet, because in reality I am paranoid about my animals health, but I just feel like if they are eating and drinking and being themselves without TRUE diarrhea then it is kinda silly to spend $80 or so for a vet appointment when they are going to tell you there is NOTHING wrong with them. I decided that after doing a bunch of research on the topic. If it became true diarrhea and/or they were not eating, drinking, or being themselves, I would take him the same day.

[skunklionshow]

nicolex is that a mini-rex?  We had a mini-rex at our pet therapy program.  Many animals have diet changes when the weather changes.  I’m in the NE and the weather has been back & forth b/t hot and cold.  Some days that eat every last pellet and pellet dust & other times they eat hardly any.  I hate to say it but I often guage their appetite by treats.  If they won’t go for the yummies they love most I get worried.  That’s when I put it together that Leo wasn’t doing well.  Since Leo lost a ton of wt post surgery.  I keep a food scale near the cage.  It keeps my mind at peace that he isn’t losing wt.  I highly suggest getting a scale, especially if your paranoid like me.

[Gravehearted]

was there any change in the pellets? new brand or package? also old or stale pellets can be unappealing to eat.
my concern is that he may be having some tooth pain since he’s snubbing both his treats and pellets.
it really may be worth seeing the vet to check and see if there’s a tooth issue

[nicolex198]

Skunklionshow- He’s a dutch rabbit. The angle of that picture is probably what would make someone confuse him with another breed, but if you saw his full body/markings, it’s completely clear he’s a dutch. But, I was thinking that it may be the weather change..but Im not sure, that’s why I wanted everyones opinions with this. He ate half of his little treat last night, but usually he LOVES them!

gravehearted- The night he actually stopped eating his treats/pellets was actually the night I had bought new treats/pellets. So maybe it is possible that they are old..but how can I really tell? If he was having teeth problems wouldn’t he not eat his hay or greens either? & like I told skunklionshow, he ate half of his treat last night. I’ve seen his teeth and they are growing normally. I just don’t want to put him through the stress of dragging him to the vet, especially with the really cold weather (it’s about 56 where I live). Also, vets charge so much, even when there is no problem, they find something to get you to pay for. But if he NEEDS to go to the vet, of course I would in a heartbeat because I wouldn’t want something to be wrong with him..Like I said, he acts just like himself. I have him out right now & he is just as curious as always, running around & having fun.

[LittlePuffyTail]

This is pretty weird. I logged on to ask you guys a similar pellet related Q so I guess I’ll just add it here.

Stormy’s last 3 meals (he eats a.m and p.m) he eats all his greens and most of his pellets but leaves about 5 0r 6 pellets in his dish. He normally eats every crumb. He is active out of his cage as normal and eating hay pretty much the same. I notice someone mentioned weather. The last 3 or 4 days have been much colder than usual? Maybe this has something to do with it? Tonight he didnt finish his pellets but I threw a piece of pineapple in his dish and ate that and even lapped up all the juice but didn’t eat his last pellets.

The only thing with Stormy right now is that he is shedding (I brush him once a day) and he is having a few of those "barbell" poops (I’m sure you know what I mean). But still pooping same amount and size. What’s with these poops? I know it’s fur so should I be concerned or glad he’s pooping it out of his system? Is that bad that he has these?

 

 

[Scarlet_Rose]

My two get about 2 tablespoons in the morning for breakfast and that is it.  They even leave some all day up until I come home from work and once in a while there will still be one or two left.  MStewart you are very correct that they are not necessary if fed the proper diet including the right amount of different veggies.  I would check with the tooth issue though and the saleness factor.  How are you storing the pellets.

The "barbell" poops are strung together because of the shedding. The usual thing to do is give them an additional papya tablet to keep the mucus from binding the fur together, creating a potential blockage.  Fresh pineapple works the same way. It is good that the fur is coming out but as a preventative during a heave shed, give 2-3 papaya tablets or a couple of small pieces of pineapple to help it pass through easier and to keep it from binding up in the stomach. 

[MsBinky]

The weather is changing and the buns are adjusting. A few bunnies will have some off days without any real medical issue. If he isn’t eating his pellets it isn’t as bad as not eating at all or worse, not drinking. It could be he is a lil constipated and knows it and it just resolving it. Bunnies know that the hay helps them digest. Some bunnies are moulting so that can be another cause as well.

If there is stringy poops, papaya, pumpkin, petromalt, pineapple juice, are all things that will help with it.

[Gravehearted]

well – some pellets do have a date marked on them, so it might be worth looking over the bag.  I’ve heard of bunnies not eating pellets due to tooth issues, as they’re much harder than hay or veggies. How’s he doing now?  has he started eating them again?  Is he taking treats yet?

By looking at a bun’s teeth, we often can’t detect the same thing a vet can. Rabbit’s teeth grow through out their lives, which can lead to problems with incisor overgrowth if the teeth aren’t lining up right.

The below is an helpful, fairly short article that talks more about detal care. Since he’s suddenly refusing treats in addtion to pellets, it has me concerned that something more serious might be going on.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

If you’re concerned about the weather, but do decide to take him to the vet, you can warm up the car first,  put a blankie a the bottom on the carrier and also surround the carrier with a blankie during the outside time.

LittlePuffyTail   – The "barbell" poops are sometimes called String of Pearls indicate he’s ingesting a fair amount of fur, so it’s really important to keep an eye on him.  Offer fresh water and lots of hay, since that’s the best thing to keep the bunny’s gi tract moving.  As Scarlet_Rose mentioned, the pineapple may help with that in addition to the other things MsBinky suggested.

 

 

[nicolex198]

I just wanted to update everyone about Bandits eating problem. He still has not eaten his treats or pellets. It’s now been about 4 or 5 days I believe. Since then I have slowly increased the amount of greens he was getting because I was guessing he is hungry! This AM before school I counted out 100 little pellets and put them into his bowl. He ran over like he was hungry and was going to eat them, but then just walked away, leaving me disappointed! So I went to school & came home and thought to myself, enough is enough! I called the vet that I had taken my last small animal to & asked if they had any doctors that specialized in rabbits, and luckily they do! I am getting out of work early tomorrow to bring him to the vet to have him looked at. He hasn’t had an exam yet, so its best that he does also. So I let them know he is not eating & I’m hoping that tomorrow when we go, we don’t find any problems =[. My poor little baby!! So I went out to buy him his own little cat carrier & it is all set up with a nice warm towel and everything for tomorrow. He’s actually in it right now! He loves it! He’s out in his little play pen and is laying all stretched out on his side in his carrier!! Hopefully it will make him a little more at ease being in his comfy carrier as opposed to the first one I bought him. He hated that! But I’ll let everyone know tomorrow night how things went. Wish little Bandit the best! Thanks everyone for your help and encouragement to make an appointment. I’m learning alot from everyone & I really appreciate it!

[Scarlet_Rose]

I really hope that Bandit is OK and he is going to be just fine.  Please let us know how the visit goes.

[nicolex198]

I just wanted to let everyone know how Bandits appointment at the vet went. Luckily it wasn’t as cold out yesterday as it has been, so I was happy about that! But I came home from work and guess what Bandit was doing..EATING SOME PELLETS! Go figure! But it’s best he got a little check up anyways. So he hopped into his little cat carrier & off we went to the vet. I made sure to put two little toys in his carrier for him so he wouldn’t be bored. We got to the vet & the second he heard a dog barking he started thumping his foot! So I would pet and talk to him to calm him down. So we go into the room and the dr. comes in. I told her that he does not like being picked up AT ALL! she seemed a bit disappointed which kind of made me feel like an idiot, but I rather not be able to pick him up than pick him up and have him wiggle so much that he hurts himself. So she put his carrier on the floor and had me take off the top and she struggled with him and finally picked him up. I felt so bad because he looks so stressed and scared. He was grunting and stuff =[ So she declared that he was a boy…which I already knew, that he felt like a good weight (she didn’t want to fight him to stay on a scale because she didn’t want to stress him anymore), and listened to his heart. Everything sounded great she said! She said that as long as he’s eating his veggies, hay and drinking water then there is nothing to worry about. So since he’s not eating his pellets anymore, she told me to increase his veggies to one cup, twice a day. But I feel much better now to know that he’s okay. I was kinda disappointed that she didn’t check his teeth, but next time I go I’ll ask if she could. She just didn’t want to stress him too much. But he was SO happy to get home after and be able to run around in his little play pen. He did great & he’s completely healthy, so I feel better now. He’s out right now running all over the place! Bunny 500!! Gunna go play with him. thanks everyone for your help & for caring so much to help me out! =]

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m glad your bunny is okay. It’s very stressful taking a bun into the vet!

[Scarlet_Rose]

I’m glad he’s OK but am a little disappointed she didn’t check the teeth.  Maybe next time.  Did you mention the wet chin to her?

[nicolex198]

Wet Chin? He doesn’t have that..

[Scarlet_Rose]

I should rephrase that, did he have a wet chin. If he does then that could also be an indication of a tooth problem. Sorry!

[Gravehearted]

it’s not uncommon for stress to make a bunny eat, so the visit may be what caused it. is he still eating ok??

i am very surprised she didn’t look at his teeth, since that is generally a very basic thing that every bunny savvy vet does during an exam, especially since he’s not been eating. do you know if she sees a lot of rabbits as patients?

[nicolex198]

Scarlet-no he doesn’t have wet chin. Sorry I had to ask about what you meant! hehe.

Gravehearted- I asked if she specialized in rabbits and they told me that she does have alot of bunny patients, as well as other small animals. I was kinda of curious why she didn’t check either but I really think it was because he was flipping out so much and she didnt want to hurt/stress him, and i totally agree with that! She had to sit on the floor with him and stuff because he hates to be picked up & was being quite difficult. He is eating his veggies two times a day now, he drinks normally and eats his hay. Im just trying new things for him like the vet suggested..different fruits and veggies. He’s doing great with it. Im going to start working with him with the whole being picked up thing because I need to be able to do so incase of an emergency because the vet said that he would be a very difficult patient which would make it less likely that they could help him in the case of an emergency since he flips out. & I want him to be okay with it.. Sooo yeah. Thats basically it. He’s doing well thank goodness! I was getting worried for a bit!

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