Rabbit isn’t eating very much

[Shadow13]

I just got back from camping yesterday so I had someone come feed my rabbit for one day, the day I wasn’t there. When I got home I noticed he didn’t eat very many pellets or hay (but he normally didn’t eat very much). But he still drank a lot and his litter box had been peed and pooped in. So the next day (today) I got up and I normally give him 3 tbs of pellets (he’s still only 4 months so he gets unlimited but only eats 3 tbs) and he normally eats the whole bowl except 1 or 2 pellets. Well today he only ate 1 tbs (so when I got up I measured to see how much). And he did drink lots of water and agian not a lot of hay. He still pooped and peed. And he also ate all his veggies I gave him last night.

Today I took him out and put him in his play pen and he’s running around acting completely normal (binkying, trying to escape, etc) I Evan gave him his favourite treat and he only ate half of it and he normally eats it so fast.

Please help I don’t think it’s GI since it’s been almost 36 hours since I noticed and his poops normal.

Is it because I left and he was worried and sad or something like that because we have a really strong bond so I thought maybe he was lonely and sad.

[Wick & Fable]

He could be having teeth trouble, which would explain why he’s okay with soft veggies, but not crunchy pellets/hay. You’ll want to take him to the vet, as the vet can tell you with much more certainty what it is.

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.

[DanaNM]

Even though his poops look OK, turning down a treat is a big warning sign. 

Either teeth or GI issues could be at play. You should have him seen by the vet asap, since the issues have been going on longer than a day at this point. 

Since he isn’t eating too much, you might try boosting his veggies a bit for now, just to make sure to keep things moving. 

. . . 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.  

[Deleted User]

Awww poor little bun!!! Sorry to hear that. Since he failed the treat test, a visit to the vet is in order! Like the others said, it could be something dental since hay/pellets are not being eaten as much but veggies still are. Sending good vibes! Keep us updated!

[sarahthegemini]

I agree with the others – turning down a usually irresistible treat is a big red flag.

[Shadow13]

Thank you everyone for responding!

Unfortunately my vet is not open today and the next closest vet is 6 hours away and by the time I would get there it would be closed plus it’s a far distance to travel (but of corse I would do it). I called the vet and they said just keep a eye on him to make sure he’s still pooping and try to get him to eat. So I’ve gave him extra veggies and he ate all of them and I am hand feeding him pellets and he’s also eating them. He’s drinking and acting normal. And I tried giving him a treat and he ate all of it this time. I’m going to watch him to see if he eats all his pellets tonight and the vet said if he does then I shouldn’t have to bring him in and he might of just been acting weird.

[DanaNM]

Ok, well it’s very good that he ate all of his veggies and pellets this time! 

Do you have any critical care on hand? My girl will eat it off a spoon, and it might be good to get more nutrition and moisture in him. 

If his pellet-eating and veggie eating gets back to normal, but hay eating doesn’t then it really might be a dental issue and he should be seen. 

In either case, it does sound like he was having some GI slow-down. Important to figure out the cause. Did your pet sitter come twice a day? If only once, maybe he wasn’t eating enough hay to keep things moving along?

There is a good guide on this sit that you can give your pet-sitter to make sure they monitor him closely for any symptoms in the future, because I’m assuming you will go out of town again someday  

. . . 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.  

[Shadow13]

I do not have any critical care. Which I’m trying to get some but every time I find it it’s out of stock or takes 3-5 months to ship.

My bunny sitter only came once . I didnt know that I was supposed to get them to come twice. I feel so bad That I didn’t no that. I will get them to come twice next time.

[DanaNM]

Posted By Shadow13 on 7/24/2017 7:10 PM

I do not have any critical care. Which I’m trying to get some but every time I find it it’s out of stock or takes 3-5 months to ship.

My bunny sitter only came once . I didnt know that I was supposed to get them to come twice. I feel so bad That I didn’t no that. I will get them to come twice next time.

Aw, I don’t think you should feel bad! I only have my pet-sitter come once a day too! I was just thinking that maybe the problem started with eating less hay, and then only getting pellets and veggies once a day caused the problem to manifest?

But maybe since this happened, it might be good to have them come twice in the future? 

What country do you live in? Critical care is usually readily available on amazon. You can also make up a pellet mash, which some members have success with. 

. . . 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.  

[Shadow13]

Canada. I’ve never thought to look on Amazon. I didn’t think they would have it.

I just tried mashing up his pellets and adding water and he hated it. He was probably thinking why are you feeding this yucky stuff to me. I even added dry herbs. But he still hated it. Then I gave him a tiny bit of paypya and he ate it. Then I soaked it in water and he wouldn’t touch it. I think he hates everything that is mashed in water.

I’ll check amazon and if they have it I’ll order it. Unfortunately it won’t probably get here for a couple days or weeks.

[Shadow13]

I just read more about the symptoms of GI and I read that stress like a owner going a way can cause GI or not enough exercise (which he didn’t get out of his cage well I was gone).

And some symptoms are loss of appetite which has happened and another symptom is small poops. I check his litter box and most of his poops where normal size but some where small.

Now I’m REALLY worried this is GI I didn’t think it was because rabbits need to be sen by a vet in 24-36 hours of the first symptom but it’s been almost 2 days.

What can I do the vets open tomorrow but I’m might not be able to get an appointment

Do you think it’s GI Stasis? What do I do!??!?!?

[DanaNM]

Ok, so just to be clear, is he eating veggies?  and pellets? 

And he is pooping still? Clean the litter box often (like every 6 hours), so you can monitor them carefully. 

From your post earlier, it sounded like he had mostly bounced back, did he get worse again?

I might have scared you by mistake with the wording of my post. I meant to say it sounds like he was slowing down a bit, maybe from stress, but had started recovering, not going into full stasis.

Keep pushing hay and veggies. If you hold a piece of fresh hay in front of his face, does he take it?  

. . . 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.  

[Shadow13]

Yes he’s eating vegetables and when I put a pellet in my hand he eats it he’s also drinking. He’s still pooping but some poops are small about 60% of them are normall size (so 40% small poops). To me it’s seems he’s getting better he’s drinking out of his bowl and once in a while goes to his pellet bowl and eats a couple. He only takes some of the hay I put in front of him but that’s normal since he’s a very picky hay eater and I’m still working on him eating more but since he’s still young and gets unlimited pellets he likes to eat all the pellets before his hay.

I’ve read that giving lots of vegetables and soaking them in water so there wet is a good thing to do for GI. Is this a good idea or will he get worse.

[DanaNM]

Ok I understand now. I would take him to the vet tomorrow, unless he is 100% better in the morning.
since he is eating veggies well, and pellets ok, and pooping some, you aren’t in an emergency situation right now, but he should still be seen.
Yes soaking veggies in water can help.

. . . 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.  

[Shadow13]

Ok thank you. It’s 11 pm right now so it’s night and the vet opens late tomorrow at 10 am. Hopefully I can get an appointment if I need one. Tomorrow I will give him more veggies with water. Once I put him back in his cage I noticed his poops where still small but seemed to be getting bigger. And he also ate a lot of pellets and drank lots and nibbled on some hay. I gave him some dry herbs and ate those to.

Thank you for your help. I will do an update in the morning.

[Deleted User]

How is the little fluff today?

[Shadow13]

I think he’s doing a lot better. He ate almost all his pellets (he left about 10) and he drank a lot to. I left hay in the corner where he sits and he ate lots of that of corse there was poop everywhere in the corner. Some of his poops are still small but it looks like 80% are normal size. He also woke me up by scratching at the cage base which is very loud and annoying but it’s normal he does it almost everyday.

[Deleted User]

Glad to hear he is getting back to normal! Just monitor for appetite changes again. Perhaps it was due to stress because you were away, but if something like this happens again in absence of some external cause, I would go ahead and bring him in to the vet and make sure it’s nothing dental.

[Shadow13]

I thought it was probably Dental but today he was chewing on the bar of his cage and it seems weird because that would be hard on his teeth.

[Shadow13]

Just called the vet to see if I could get an appointment but my vet is on vacation right now so they brought in another vet to fill in but that vet only does dogs and cats. She said I could bring him in but if it was GI or dental problems she wouldn’t know what to do. I old her I would watch him and if he hot worse bring him in. There’s another vet but he’s 6 hours away and I don’t want to drive that far if it’s not necessary.

[DanaNM]

Glad to hear he is improving!

I agree that you should just keep monitoring him, and are probably ok without the vet today, especially since it’s not the rabbit savvy vet.

Chewing on bars doesn’t rule out dental issues, because the problems are usually with molars, which aren’t used for that type of chewing.

. . . 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.  

[Shadow13]

O ok I didn’t know that.

Is there any way I could tell if it was dental problems?

[DanaNM]

Well, it can be a bit tough. I think your bun is a bit young to be having dental problems, so it seems more likely that he was stressed while you were gone. But, it never hurts to have an extra check up to make sure everything is OK. 

The first symptom is often a change in food preferences, shifting towards softer foods (so starting to refuse hay, for example). 

Some bunnies will drool, but that is usually in more advanced cases. 

The vet would look deep in your buns mouth to look for any sores or visible spurs on the molars. To see the really far back molars they would need to do an x-ray. 

Here’s a good article that mentions some of the various ways molar spurs can manifest: http://www.bunssb.org/bunnies/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.  

[Wick & Fable]

Based on my experience, your rabbit could be having dental issues, as this was around the same time Wick had his first dental procedure. He then had one three months later (aka literally today!), and will probably continue to need it. Netherland dwarfs are a bit more susceptible to dental issues than other breeds due to size and jaw structure, so encouraging chewing when possible is good. Wick doesn’t chew, so I live with being on guard for dental-problem symptoms.

Usually, rabbits will show the same signs each time their teeth are bothering them, so be observant if this ends up being teeth related.

Wick’s usual teeth symptoms are:
1) Starting to eat a piece of hay (progresses into the mouth), but then deciding not too (piece starts leaving the mouth and gets dropped back); proceeds to find another piece of hay.
2) Drooling; usually evident since a dent forms on either side of the mouth because wet fur mats down, so the side face profile will look weird.
3) Frustration pees; Wick gets irked when he doesn’t get food when he wants it, or if he’s shoo’d from somewhere, but when his teeth are bothering, he’ll express frustration by peeing wherever he’s standing, or a few hops away.
4) Increased water consumption
5) Bouts of small poops

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.

[Shadow13]

Thanks!

He does have some small poops but they are starting the get back to normal size. My bunnys always been a big chewer he chews on everything! I have to constantly be buying new toys because he completely destroys them. If I give him plastic toys he doesn’t care for them since he can’t destroy them and he also think toilet rolls are boring. He is still chewing on all his toys.

My bunny isn’t a big hay eater which I know is bad I’ve been working on decreasing pellets so he will eat more hay but now I just want him to eat as many pellets as he wants so he’s getting food in his tummy. If I give him a piece he eats some but then leaves some of the hay left but that’s always been normal.

I’m going to try to keep him eating hay and pellets and hope he’s gets better because my vets on vacation tell august 6th. And as I said the other vet is 6 hours away and reading the reviews that people with small animals wrote it doesn’t seem like, a good place to go.

Hopefully this will just change in a couple days and he could of been stressed like DanaNM said.

[Shadow13]

He has been eating but hasn’t pooped for 6 hours. He’s produced cecotropes and ate them but I haven’t seen any poop.

I’m going to keep watching him but if he doesn’t poop by the time I go to bed them I’m taking him to the vet tomorrow.

[Shadow13]

Update…

He just pooped they were not normal size but not to small.
He’s been grooming. And grooming his face and cheeks so I would think if he had molar spurs it would be soar if he touched his cheeks.
He just “flopped” on the ground to get comfy. And it was adorable as always.
He’s been eating lots of cecotropes.
His poops look like they have more hay then usual which is because I’ve been trying to hand feed it to him all day.

I’ve seen him drink water but I’m still worried that he’s not getting enough. I’ve soaked all his veggies in water And he already ate them and I don’t know if I should give him anymore I already gave him a cup.should I give him more?

Should I try giving him some pedialyte? If I should how do I give it to him?

Thanks for putting up with me constantly posting. I’m just really worried about him.

[DanaNM]

Hi Shadow, 

Sorry he is still worrying you. My buns sometimes don’t poop that much during the day, because they spend most of that time sleeping. 

But, the important question is, is he improving overall? Or does he seem to be bouncing between good and bad? Or just declining? 

If he still has a good appetite for veggies and will eat hay, then things are doing OK. I’m not too sure about how much extra veggies you should give, but it would probably be good to offer a small amount extra, spaced over a long time after meal time, to serve as a test as to whether his appetite is still good, and to keep him extra hydrated. 

I don’t recommend pedialyte (I’ve never heard of giving it to rabbits), but you can try canned pumpkin (unsweetened). You’ll probably need to syringe feed it, since you said he doesn’t like mashed foods. 

The vet thing is tough, and a somewhat touchy subject. I do not recommend driving the 6 hours. That is my personal opinion, and others may disagree, but I think that if his condition was set on by stress, a 6 hour car ride could make him much worse, when he seems to be on the mend (at least from my point of view). 

I also worry about taking him to a dog and cat vet, as there are stories of them making the situation worse. 

Are you absolutely certain there are no other rabbit/exotic vets closer to you? Is there are rabbit rescue in your area? They may be able to recommend a vet. 

This is touchy territory, but if it were my bunny, and he was slowly improving (eating a bit more each meal, pooping a bit more each day), I would hold off on the vet, unless I could find a decent one closer. 

If he seemed to be declining, the decision is harder, but I still don’t think I would go to the 6 hour vet… that seems way too far for a sick bunny (other’s may disagree though). I saw a post somewhere about not going to an emergency vet if it was more than 45 minutes away.

If you do choose to go to the cat/dog vet, bring a printed copy of this article: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html. The main things a rabbit savvy vet would likely prescribe (if they diagnose stasis and rule out an obstruction) are: pain meds and a motility medication (cisipride and metoclopramide are two common ones). Possibly fluids and critical care (but since he is eating on his own, might not be needed). The technicians at the cat/dog vet may also be experienced  with rabbits, which would be a big plus, since they do most of the interacting with the animals! 

At minimum, pain meds could help him if it’s a dental issue, or stasis (as stasis can be quite painful). Since he is eating and pooping, is isn’t in full stasis, but sounds like he might be skirting the edge. 

. . . 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.  

[Shadow13]

Thank you so much for helping me out with this!
It seems like he is improving because he’s already eating more pellets and he’s definitely eating way more hay (and more then he ever has). I got him a hay ball and it entertains him well he gets the hay since he swings it around.

I agree with you driving 6 hours away for a vet if he stressed isn’t the greatest idea. I don’t think I will ever go to that vet plus the reviews were not good. I have a dog,cat and small animal shelter 2 hours away I already called the vet the use for neuters and spays is a cat and dog vet not a small animal vet. Which is not a great idea to take him there either. I’ve looked everywhere for a vet. I live in a small town so the vet I use is 1 hour away.

If he’s not eating much tomorrow I will try pumpkin. But he seems to be eating a lot as I said above he’s been eating WAY more hay which is really good. I have just seen people with pedialyte in their first aid kits so I was wondering if that would work but he does seem to be drinking good. And I used it for my hamster when she was dehydrated.

Again thank you so much.

I will post another update tonight or tomorrow morning.

[Luna]

Buns tend to start having smaller poops when they eat less hay too. It sounds like he is doing better so he should be ok if he keeps improving .

[Shadow13]

Please go read UPDATE on my rabbit isn’t eating very much. I posted this in HOUSE RABBIT Q & A.

[Author]

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