Please help!!!! Bunny hardly eating

[Bunnyguy101]

Hi

Last week my bunny was fine was eating all of his hay and draining a lot of water, on Monday I changed his hay to one from the local pet store, he didn’t eat much that night, and was chewing on the rug and being a lot more naughty then usual, then on Tuesday afternoon when I got home he still hadn’t touched his hay however thrown it all over his cage, so I rushed out to pets at home and bought him Timothy hay which he was eating before hand and he still keeps throwing it around his cage. He eats his pellets with gusto and eats the odd bit of hay when I am home and can keep an eye on him, also he usually drinks most his water bottle and he seems to of Barely touched it.

He isn’t lethargic and runs around a lot and still follows me around.

The only changes this week was the different type of hay that I changed back to his usual that he loved and some new peanut treats (only give him 1 or 2 a night) that he eats straight away aswell.

Any ideas?

[Luna]

Is he going to the bathroom normally? I’m not sure if lack of lethargy automatically rules out stasis, or any blockage (ie. from ingesting too many carpet fibers).

How much pellets do you give him? So he was eating Timothy, then you switched to something else, then switched back to Timothy? Will he drink water from a bowl at all?

[Bunnyguy101]

As far as I know he’s still peeing, i clean out his litter tray every 2 days and their was a lot of wee that clumped the litter also I have seen a few poo’s some are beige colour unless their dry old ones and yes when I’m home I put a water bowl down it used to be in his cage but he kept tipping it, he does drink out of both.
Also he has eaten a few bits of hay tonight but no way near what he usually eats in a day.
And yeah he loved Timothy switched to a different hay then noticed he wasn’t eating it then went back to timothy

[Luna]

Assuming it’s not health related:
– he might eat more hay if you give him fewer pellets (but you don’t want him to not eat at all)
– if he’s a picky hay-eater and was eating a different cut (ie. 1st, 2nd, 3rd) of hay before than now, you might need to switch back to his preference
– the hay might not smell ‘fresh enough’ for him (you can try mixing up the hay in the bag)

[Bunnyguy101]

I will try and shorten his pellet supply and the hay is exactly the same as before thank you hopefully he starts eating more if no improvement will take him to the beta

[Bam]

Try to tempt him with some fresh greens dipped in water. Fragrant herbs are often the best thing to spark an appetite in a bun. Parsley, cilantro, fresh mint, dill. Hydration is important, hence the dipping the greens in water before serving them to him.

You can give him baby gas drops (simethicone) in case he has gas. Gas can make a bunny stop wanting to eat. Simethicone might also help lubricate the GI canal so intestinal contents can slip through easier. It’s not absorbed by the body and can be given on suspicion of gas according both to Medirabbit and Dana Krempels. Many of us here swear by it.

It’s of course great that he’s moving around. Clean out his litter box so you can keep track of his poop. If there’s really few poop or if he declines in some other way, you need to take him to a vet. A bunny not eating can become critical very soon. Do not wait more than 8-12 hours before seeing a vet if he’s not eating or pooping.

Is his ears cold he might need some warming up, although if he’s moving around normally he probably is keeping warm. If you have a thermometer you can try and take his temp like in this excellent video by Mary S Cotter:

http://www.howcast.com/videos/514693-how-to-take-a-rabbits-temperature-pet-rabbits/

Sick bunnies often get hypothermic, so that’s sth to watch out for.

[Bunnyguy101]

Will I be able to feed him veggies pepper etc? Thank you bam helpful as always I’m so hopeless this forum been a life saver he’s eating quite abit of hay now while I’ve been talking let’s hope it carries on

[Luna]

Here’s a good link to a veggie list http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/.

[Bam]

Bunnyguy, I’m so glad to hear he’s eating more hay! Hay is the absolutely best food for a bunny, it helps keep both the tummy and the teeth in shape, and it has more nutrients than you’d think.

[Bunnyguy101]

Hello sorry for the late reply I’ve wanted to wait and give an update.
I put hay in his hay rack everyday and he scratches at it through the bars, I think he is having trouble getting hay from it however he does get some, and then I either come home or wake up to an empty hay rack and hay all over his cage floor which he does eat a little of. He’s eating a lot less hay than he used to but I don’t know how he wants to eat it. I’ve left him with the hay on his floor today, then replaced the hay rack hay and he’s eating from that but I know I’m gonna wake up to more hay on his cage floor

Any ideas guys?

[Luna]

Some of the commercial hay racks have the bars really close together and makes it hard for hay to come out. Others have huge spacing and all the hay falls out. So I built a custom hay rack from poplar wood. Also, 95% of the time Luna eats while sitting in her litter box. Maybe try placing the hay rack right in front/next to his litter box, and also place a small pile in his litter box as well.

[Bunnyguy101]

Yeah I think I’m gonna half his hay for his cage and then half in the rack and see which one he goes for more try and see what the little guy prefers, he used to always eat from his rack though so is just confusing me

[Author]

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