Should I be worried?

[binkiessince2010]

Charlie, my mini rex rabbit, loved to eat. Recently, (the past 2-3 days or so) he started eating less. He still does binkes when I open his jar of food, but then he’ll take about two bites and walk away. Same wth lots of other foods. He’ll eat if i put food in my hand and ask him to eat, but that’s about it. I noticed his water wasn’t going down, really, so i got a dropper and let him lick the water off of that. He loves doing that, but he still wont drink out of his bowl. I fill the dropper with the bowl, so its not that it tastes better or anything…. I opened the window, thinking he may be hot, but he’s still the same. I don;t know if I should be worried or not… 

Otherwise, he seems the same. He’s maybe slightly less grumpy, but not really. He’s running around, giving me flicky feet, and jumping onto my bed….. 

Does anyone have any clue what may have caused this and how to treat it? 

Thank you so much!

[jerseygirl]

It’s definitely a change that is probably worth a vet visit if his appetite doesn’t pick up again.

Maybe his teeth are bothering him. Or something else is giving some discomfort.
Sometimes the heat or when rabbits are moulting they can go off their food a bit.
Is he still eating hay and his poops looking healthy?

[binkiessince2010]

Yes, he’s still eating hay, and he hasn’t stopped eating completely yet…… he is molting, so that may be it… thanks!

[binkiessince2010]

Update:
Well, I guess he drank something recently, because I stepped on my bed to dust the shelves, and what did I step on but a nice, smelly, cold puddle of pee? Well, at least i was just about to wash the sheets anyways……. X

[LBJ10]

My first thought was teeth too. It’s definitely worth checking out. You don’t want a minor problem to develop into a major one.

[binkiessince2010]

I thought that too, but i caught him nibbling on some wooden popsicles sticks and toys, which you’d think he’d be more likely to eat his food than wood…..

[LBJ10]

Not necessarily. If he has some spurs, he might be trying to remedy it by chewing on hard things. It’s the smaller things like pellets and hay that need a lot of manipulation by the tongue that could be difficult to chew on.

[Bam]

It really is rather typical of a dental problem if a bunny eagerly takes food, then drops it after a bite or two. And I do agree with LBJ about the urge to gnaw on hard stuff – before my bunny Yohio’s molar spurs caused him to stop eating, he was chewing on his card-board houses like a madbunny.

Not being able to chew food properly affects the GI system as a whole and can cause gas, which is painful. A very, very light tummy massage can help against gas, here’s a great instruction-video with Mary E Cotter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnuxGLa2reg Getting him to move about is also good if he has gas, and if you like, you can give baby gas drops (simethicone) on mere suspicion of gas. Excessive ingestion of wood (or cardboard or other non-food items) can cause an intestinal blockage, which is serious.

Bunnies often get a bit of tummy trouble during a molt, but you still have to do sth about loss of appetite. They must have food in their belly all the time, they can’t refuse food for a day or two like a dog can and then snap out of it and start to eat again. Without food their GI system shuts down in 8-24 hours, meaning the intestines stop moving. This is very serious and called GI stasis. So you must see to it that he eats and poops, give him freshly rinsed, wet greens and brush him often and try to remove as much hair as you can.

If this doesn’t get better soon, you should call your vet. They can give motility drugs to help the tummy and check his molars over (not possible to do without a special instrument.)

[binkiessince2010]

Thanks for the helpful, speedy replies!
Charlie is drinking his water via the dropper still, but has slowed down on other foods. I went out and bought cilantro and gave it to him and he started eating readily enough, but i don’t know if he’s finished it yet. I found some poops in his litter box and they looked slightly smaller than usual, not sure if that’s a clue. I offered 2 baby carrots and he gobbled those down and pulled the out of my hands like usual LOL. So he does have some food and water in him, but I can’t do this long-term. I have school and I cant be here to give him water or hand-feed him his pellets and whatever…..
Oh, and he’s eating as much broccoli as I will let him. I think we’re out now, but for the future should i get more and let him eat as much as he wants? I know in general broccoli isn’t good for buns with sensitive guts, so it might not help with his digestion……

[binkiessince2010]

Posted By LBJ10 on 5/14/2016 3:40 PM

Not necessarily. If he has some spurs, he might be trying to remedy it by chewing on hard things. It’s the smaller things like pellets and hay that need a lot of manipulation by the tongue that could be difficult to chew on.

I may sound stupid, but what are spurs?  I’m fairly new to bunny health….

[LBJ10]

Sharp points on the molars. They can poke the tongue and/or cheek and cause sores/ulcers which can be very painful. So anything that involves a lot of manipulation of the tongue, like eating hay or pellets, can be uncomfortable and they don’t want to do it very much. And they may instinctively gnaw or chomp on hard things to try to “fix” the problem. Unfortunately, it isn’t something that gnawing can fix. They have to have the spurs filed down by the vet.

[Q8bunny]

I agree with everyone else – my first instinct was tooth spurs (teeth that have worn down unevenly, causing sharp edges that cut into the bunny’s tongue etc). The smaller poops are indicative of less food and/or slower gut.

I would have a savvy vet check him out thoroughly while the issue is still early days. With buns, you really don’t want to wait until it becomes a serious problem.

[jerseygirl]

Posted By binkiessince2010 on 5/14/2016 2:24 PM

I thought that too, but i caught him nibbling on some wooden popsicles sticks and toys, which you’d think he’d be more likely to eat his food than wood…..

They’ll do this also when molting as they’re wanting the type of fibre wood provides. The right fibre will help keep the gut moving and help pass the fur through. Some rabbits will go for lots of cardboard which can actually end up being a problem. 

So he does have some food and water in him, but I can’t do this long-term. I have school and I cant be here to give him water or hand-feed him his pellets and whatever…..

Could you set up a sipper bottle for him in the meantime?  If he likes water off a dropper, he may go for the bottle. Easy way to tell how much water they’ve had also.  I would leave a bowl in though in case sipper is faulty or they can’t get the hang of it. 

You could leave things like the sticks and leaves from willow, apple trees and roses bushes.

[binkiessince2010]

Thanks for the helpful suggestions!

Charlie seems much better this morning. I gave him a bit of a belly rub, and when I fed him his pellets, he seemed to eat them all in one sitting, albeit slower that usual. he ate more hay later on, and there were plenty of poops in his litter. I think i saw a pee spot, too.  It looks like he drank some more water on his own, at least, he isn’t accepting any from the dropper. he’s flopping and running around as much as usual still. I did see a chunk of hair on my be, so it may just be that he’s molting.

[Bam]

Great news! Good boy Charlie!

[binkiessince2010]

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