rabbit losing weight

[lozzkate]

me and my sister got two rabbits two years in may and the first year went ok with a few trips to the vet for my sisters rabbit thumper who had skin problems. second year was the worse thumper went down hill November/December as he damaged his low back which ment he couldn’t use his back legs sadly we had to put him to sleep on the 10th December. because of this i booked my rabbit mischief in for a check over and the same vet who put thumper to sleep was the one who checked mischief. she said that he had lost weight but was fine and when i said he hasn’t been himself since thumper died and that i think he knows that he is now on his own she looked at me funny and said that he can’t tell if he is on his own which made me want to hit her and find someone else. since then mischief doesnt seem to eat much and to me still seems thin is there a way to get him to gain a bit more weight as i am really worried about him.

sorry for the long story and thanks for any help 

[thumperluv]

Awwww, maybe mischief is missing his little friend! I would try giving more of his favourite foods because maybe that would encourage him to eat more? Sorry but that all I got hope that helps

[thumperluv]

I’m so sorry for you… My bunny’s name is thumper too and this is making me sad

[tanlover14]

Sorry, but your vet sounds like a total ….. Mhhmmm. LOL.

I would start by getting a rabbit-savvy vet to check over your guy because this vet obviously has no idea what he’s talking about. I’m assuming the two bunnies were bonded and the loss of a mate can be extremely hard on a bun, especially if not provided with the proper time to mourn and to acknowledge what has happened (for example, leaving the dead bun in with the other one so he can understand the situation). I’m assuming this didn’t happen as you said you were forced to put him to sleep which is understandable and not many people actually know they should/can do this for the other bunny mate.

As Thumper said, you should definitely try enticing him with his favorite foods so you know he’s at least eating something. What is his normal daily diet and how has it changed since you lost the other bun? I would start by giving him some of his favorite veggies. And spending A LOT of time with him. I imagine your bun is feeling lonely and depressed (just like a human would) so any comfort you can give your bun will surely help them begin to heal.

I REALLY urge you to find a different vet to take your bun to though. Loss of weight can be a symptom of so many things and a rabbit-savvy vet wouldn’t just write that off as nothing. Do you know if he checked his teeth? Teeth problems are a very typical cause of buns not eating as much as it pains them to eat. I would get this ruled out right away. If it IS physical and not emotional, you’ll be able to save yourself and your little bun a lot of stress and possibly pain.

[lozzkate]

when i took him in for the check up she look at his teeth and started talking to him as he was trying to bite the thing they use ( forgotten name of it ) and yet she looks at me like im mad for saying he misses thumper… she said his back teeth were a little grown because when i moved them into the house we didnt give them hay, was more focused on thumper and poor mischef got left out  we are currently in the process of making a new shed for him so i can give him unlimited hay and so i can spend more time with him outside as the cold affects my asthma. we have tried giving him foods that we know he likes bananas being one of them but everything else he eats  couple of mouth fulls then leaves it there’s been a few time were ive been to feed him and put him away for the night and there is still lots of food and when we go near him he curls up in the corner trying to keep away from us were normally we have to push him away so we can walk in a stright line, and the thing is our vets are the only vets i know around us that specialise in small animals thanks for the help by the way

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m sorry for the loss of Thumper. You are very correct in assuming your bun is missing his buddy. Bunnies grieve just like humans.

How old is your bunny? How much does he weigh and what is his daily diet?

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