Rabbit not eating as much, infected toe?

[Bunmumof6]

Ok so I have rabbits who have what I call “bunny condos” in our mudd room. This is not inside our house but is not outside, it is cooler but there’s no harsh breeze passing through. I always feed/water my rabbits every night when I come home. I noticed on Monday morning that I had not needed to top up my male rabbits food since Friday night. When I went to interact with him he was just laying in his bed looking miserable. He is usually alert and always looking for a head scratch and a treat. I than flipped him over to check over his teeth , body, incl.Genitals. His toenails were getting long and I knew I needed to trim them soon. I thought maybe he was just adjusting to the cold. I changed his litter box which I do every 3 days in the winter time, plus he’s pretty clean either way. When I was about to but his litter box back I seen he had ripped out one of his toenails and I applied polysporin. I checked it that night and it hadn”t gotten any more swollen/infected. I’ve only noticed him eating small nibbles of things but still drinking plenty. He has been pooping but not regular , more light and dry looking. I’m worried about him and he has an apt Monday, just looking for some advice until and if he stops eating I’ll make one sooner.

[jerseygirl]

It’s good youve refreshed the litterbox so you can keep an eye on that aspect. Ive had rabbits tear off nails and they havent seemed bothered by it in the least. Id be surprised if it is only that that has him feeling poorly. Perhaps he strain his foot also or his back?

Could you create a mush with his feed and see if he’s more willing to eat that? That could indicate if it’s his mouth worrying him. I usually pour a little boiled water on it and zap briefly in microwave so the pellets swell and break up. I let it could then give to bun, maybe with a little fruit puree mixed in sometimes. 

 
If you use water bottles, do check it’s functioning properly and not leaking. It may appear a rabbit is drinking when it is actually leaking and they’ve become dehyrated.

Will he eat some herbs at all? If tou have some roses, try the leaves and petals. My rabbits will often only eat that when they’re not quite right. And willow also.

I do suggest you see if you can get an earlier appointment so you don’t get caught out over the weekend. If he worsens, you’d end up having to see an out of hours vet.

[12345ABCDE]

I honestly think you need to have him looked at before Monday. If he hadn’t eaten much between Friday night and Monday morning and he’s not pooping as normal, that is dangerous

[Bunmumof6]

He has a heated water bowl because like I said it can get cool. I mashed some banana and gave him natural apple sauce and sunflower seeds. Although this isn’t proper rabbit food I wanted to see if he’d eat a soda biscuit cause he has eaten them before and he did eat two. I’m thinking I will get him a sooner appointment because he is not eating properly bit he’s stoll drinking and pee/pooping.

[Bunmumof6]

If he does not eat anymore today I’m calling tomorrow morning to get a same day appointment. Thank you for your responses !♡ much love

[Bunmumof6]

He went to the vets and is on 2 antibiotics and I’m hoping for the best please wish him the best ♡

[Wick & Fable]

Best wishes! What antibiotics were you given and is he accepting of them or are you having difficulty administering?

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.

[12345ABCDE]

Best wishes! Lots of love, Peanut and Buttercup xxx

[LittlePuffyTail]

((((((Get Well Soon!!!)))))

[Bunmumof6]

So he is eating veggies mostly some sunflowers seeds and he will still eat soda biscuits but I don’t like giving them too him too much. His stool is looser and his genitals still swollen a bit but no huge infection. I gave him a salt bath the other night. What are some dry food besides pellets/hay (which he won’t eat) that I could give him? Might have to bring him back to the vets… thank you everyone for your kind wishes ♡♡♡♡♡ Rascal appreciates it too.

[Sirius&Luna]

He really needs to be eating hay, a diet of sunflower seeds and soda biscuits will only lead to other issues. You could possibly try oats as a dietary supplement, but it is really important to get him eating hay again. What about hay cookies?

Did the vet look at his teeth? Did he used to eat hay and pellets? Do you have any untreated grass that won’t have been peed on by wild animals you could try him on?

[12345ABCDE]

It’s really important that he eats hay. Has he always been uninterested in hay or is this recent? Perhaps because he is enjoying the veggies and seeds too much? If you need to re spark his appetite for hay, I would definitely suggest trying different varieties of hay. Even ones you might have tried before. My two weren’t interested in Oxbow Orchard grass when I first offered it at the beginning of the year and now they can’t get enough! If that doesn’t work, you could try a few options for hay toppers such as dandelion, birch leaves, even a sprinkling of Alfalfa hay?

It’s really important that he has plenty of fibre, that will help massively with firming up his stools and probably make his tummy ‘run’ a bit better. Have you tried fibafirst pellets? I’ve not tried them but plan to in the new year. They are a hay based pellet with (I think) 30% fibre so that would make a difference. Of course, introduce anything (with the exception of hay) very slowly.

Another option if he really puts up a fight with hay and pellets is to syringe feed some critical care or pellet mash. Not an ideal solution long term but should help him whilst you try and encourage some hay eating on his own.

Fresh grass is also a good option. Or even Readigrass which is supposedly yummier than regular hay.

Hay based toys might work too. Oxbow do these timothy hay twists as well as timothy carrots and a few other items. All made completely of Timothy Hay so if he chews them, that might help with some fibre as well as make him see that hay can be tasty!

A lot of it is perseverance. Many bunnies will chose to eat anything over hay so it’s all about helping encourage them to eat, hence the hay toys

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