unhappy bunny

My young rabbit is about 8 months old and today we have noticed that he is very tired looking, quite slow, off food and water. he has been out of hutch for most of day but has started showing these signs tonight? what could this be and what can be done about it? help please my son will be distraught if anything happens to floppy!

Sounds like a vet trip is in order for tomorrow; especially if Floppy's off his food.

hope its nothing serious any ideas what could it be?

It can be anything from a dental problem, to GI stasis, to anything else.

There are about as many reasons for rabbits to go off food as there are days in the year! :shock:

Going off food is serious though, as rabbits are hind gut fermenters & they need their GI tract to be constantly moving, hence why they eat throughout the day.

what is this GI stasis about?

GI stasis is when a rabbits' gastro-intestinal tract stops moving, often because of a blockage (rabbits don't have the vomit reflex & can't vomit) or other reason.

Edit: This link is good: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

ok so it can be treated at the vets then? Will take him tomorrow, just been out to clean his hutch and fill water etc and he is in his bed not doing much! worrie about this thing rapidly taking hold in the night before The vets. How much time do we have before it gets very serious? sorry to keep asking but really concerned.

It *may* be able to be treated at the vets; generally if he hasn't eaten or poo'd for around 12 hours then worry.

When I first got Lucifer she had a bout of stasis but luckily I noticed because I'd cleaned her hutch out on a weekday morning (was off ill!) & by the next day she hadn't poo'd :shock:Had her at the vets that day & the shaved her bum because it was a bit sticky, gave her a gut stimulant (metaculpromide (sp?!) I believe) & gave me some fibreplex to give her. The second day after the vet trip I knew she was better because she didn't want the fibreplex! :roll::lol:

Don't want to scare you .. but when rabbits get poorly and go into GI stasis they can go downhill REALLY quickly. Is there an emergency vet that you could at least phone for advice?

if he has eaten and poo'd today at some point then I should leave it till the morning.

Gut stasis - which can be brought on by such things as change of diet, becoming frightened by something, having a pain somewhere (teeth for example), is a real danger but if he has pood and eaten today then it is still at the 'coming on' stage. It can kill if left so do take to the vets in the morning.

Gut obstruction is something rather different where an item actually blocks the gut - this comes on very rapidly and results in complete stoppage suddenly - the rabbit can die very quickly . If you have obstruction the rabbit will bloat up very visibly within a couple of hours usually.

Can I ask whether the rabbit has had their myxi and VHD innoculations?

I take it that you are relatively new to rabbits (apologies - this is not meant to sound rude) and so syringe feeding with warm water is not something you have experience to do as this may help in onset of gut stassis.

all sounds complicated I know - but rabbits alas are complicated little things!

PS Really your post should be under 'Rabbit Care' section - but alas I do not know how to move it! Hopefully one of the moderators will come on and do that and then it will get more replies.

thanks very much for your replies they really helped with the care of floppy. I did take him to the emergency vet last night and he did have GI stasis. It was in its early stages and he had injections to sort it out.
The vet gave us some green powdery stuff to mix with water but he won't have this unless given through a syringe. Also some stuff for his water but he isn't having this either. Not sure what to so about this. He is eating dandilion leaves and we have had a few poos today so hopefully he will start perking up soon.

Yes we are new to rabbit life but are learning.

Any suggestions are welcome.

thanks to all those who have contributed so far!

Well done for taking such quick action! If only all owners were quite so caring. You have one lucky bunny....

You were right to take him to the vets that night rather than leaving him. If a rabbit shows clinical signs that he is not well then he should be seen sooner rather than later...unless you have experience with such matters. One of my little rabbits had a bout of stasis yesterday morning but I noticed immediately and gave her some gut stimulants, pain meds and zantac (after speaking with vet over phone).

Gi stasis can be brought on by many things, but the number one cause is stress. If your rabbit is being over handled, scared in any way etc that could cause an onset of stasis.

If bunny is still not eating dry food/hay then keep on syringe feeding the critical care. Offer some fresh herbs such as parsley or basil to entice him to eat as well as plenty of greens. Sure he'll pick up soon!

clarke said:

thanks very much for your replies they really helped with the care of floppy. I did take him to the emergency vet last night and he did have GI stasis. It was in its early stages and he had injections to sort it out.
The vet gave us some green powdery stuff to mix with water but he won't have this unless given through a syringe. Also some stuff for his water but he isn't having this either. Not sure what to so about this. He is eating dandilion leaves and we have had a few poos today so hopefully he will start perking up soon.

Yes we are new to rabbit life but are learning.

Any suggestions are welcome.

thanks to all those who have contributed so far!

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Well done for taking such quick action - I thought about this and wondered if I should have been clearer in my post that it was only OK to wait IF he had pood and eaten later in the day (ie quite recently).

You may need to ask a vet or vet nurse to show you how to syringe feed if he still doesn't eat much today, or just in case this happens again. I find this easiest not with a syringe (the stuff is difficult to get through even large syringes and you stand a chance of accidentally pushing the plunger just as they breath which is a disaster!) but try instead with a plastic pipette cut off quite high up. The vets nurses should have some.

Try feeding him things like fresh corainder leaves, fresh parsley (flat leaved is a favourite), grated carrot (the smell and juiciness tempts them), . Bunches of the fresh herbs can be bought at supermarkets - or much more reasonably priced and fresher at veg markets. In my experience coriander never fails to tempt them!

I also invested in a juicer/smoothie maker which liquidises carrots and apples and broccolli which can be used as the base to add the critical care food to - making it much more yummy!

Anyway - you have certainly found the right forum - I have found everyone on here SO helpful and friendly and knowledgeable!!

Glad to hear Floppy's doing better

glad to see that floppy is on the mend and yes sometimes you do need to get to the vet pronto with them...........a coupe of weeks ago 2 of my buns had the onset of stasis and what i try first is to get them moving as this can help stimulate the gut.....sometimes it works and they start eating again but if afetr a couple of hours they are still wanting to sit in the same place i get them to the vet even if it means driving into the city centre and having to pay £50 before any treatment! the other sign i look for in them is what their eyes are like.....if they are looking dull then i know they are not well..........if they refuse one of their treats then that's a sure sign that something isn't right..........
hope floppy continues to recover!

So glad to hear your bun is on the mend. Well done for coming on here and asking for advice, many people would just assume that a rabbit not eating is a having an "off" day, like other animals may have, but alas it far more serious for buns.

I hope he continues to improve, keep us updated

Vibes for you and your bun!

I'm glad you went to the emergency vet. For future ref., rabbit goes down hill very fast, they can die w/i 12 hr., so as soon as there is signs of bunny not eating, it's time for the vet

Welcome to the forum:wave:. Well done for picking up on the warning signs so quickly and acting on them. Hopefully Floppy is continuing to improve. Keep us udated.