listless rabbit?

Hi

first time rabbit owner here, since I was about 6!!

since yesterday she is sitting in her hutch, or laying really, often stretched out, hasnt eaten anything and just looks really fed up?

advice?

suzy bunny said:

Hi

first time rabbit owner here, since I was about 6!!

since yesterday she is sitting in her hutch, or laying really, often stretched out, hasnt eaten anything and just looks really fed up?

advice?

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If she hasn't eaten anything since yesterday then she needs to see a vet right this minute as an emergency. Please call your vet and let them know you are coming down this morning.

Sounds like possible GI stasis (see here: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html )

Your bunny needs to see a vet as soon as possible.

In the meantime see if you can pick her up and warm her up by wrapping her in a blanket/towel and holding her close to you provided this does not stress her too much. Otherwise put her in a carry cage with a blanket. You can also use a warm hot water bottle but be careful as sick buns can not respond to heat like you and I can so just use warm water, not hot. Make sure she can not chew the rubber. I would also try tempting her with some greens/grass or anything you have that she likes whilst you wait to see the vet.

Hi and welcome to the forum :wave:
I agree with whats been said above, it sounds alot like the symptoms of stasis which is where the gut slows down and sometimes even stops moving. This can be very, very dangerous and she needs to see a vet RIGHT AWAY, especially as she hasn't eaten for so long. Get her into a carrier with a hot water bottle or snuggle safe, and towels or blankets to wrap her in and get her to the vets.
Hope all goes well, keep us updated xxxxxxxxxx

Hi and welcome :wave:

I also think it sounds like GI Stasis. Pie had it afew months ago and she was exactly the same. Wasnt interested in food, kept lying down then getting back up and lying down again. She was also very hot and was shaking abit.
I agree 100% with the others, get her to a vet asap.
In the mean time, try her to with her faveorite treat to get her to eat.
Keep us updated. Hope she'll be ok.

ok off to the vets then

it is hard to say if she is pooping still, there are some in the hutch, and she did wake up at 2am as usual and start bounding round the hutch making noise (this is normal for her as she likes to wake everyone up in the middle of the night)

that said, she ate no tea, which was leafy-based, and hasnt eaten breakfast.

she isnt hunched up, so much, more laying out..

Good luck at the vets Please let us know how you get on.

Yeh stretching out can be a sign of stasis aswell as hunching. Clean out her cage before you put her back in it after the vet visit so that you can monitor her poo output. Hope she's ok!
xx

suzy bunny said:

that said, she ate no tea, which was leafy-based, and hasnt eaten breakfast.

she isnt hunched up, so much, more laying out..

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This is the crucial issue... when she last ate really. Not all buns sit hunched up when they have abdominal discomfort. I have one who hunches and the other who lies stretched out in order to stretch his tummy and try to relieve the pain. Going off food is such a wide symptom - it could be dental related for example...HOWEVER, any bun not eating, for whatever reason, will very quickly get into GI issues if they can not be got eating again immediately. Good luck at the vets

Hi again,
Have you been to the vets yet? Just wondering how she's doing?
xxx

on her way back from the vets as we speak.

They dont know what it is!!

but she hasnt got a temperature, hasnt got a blockage, her gut sounds 'gurgly' however, and we have been given a variety of fibre based feeds to give her two-hourly, and we are going back this evening if she is no better

Did they give her any gut motility stimulant or most importantly pain killers? I'm surprised they didnt give her sub cutaneous (under the skin) fluids to keep her hydrated :? Its great that you've got some stuff to feed her, be sure to make sure she's getting loads of water aswell to keep everything moving. Also keep her warm and quiet but allow her to exercise as much as she wants to as this helps keep the gut moving too.

If shes still not eating by herself later I'd definatly request pain killers as rabbits commonly refuse to eat when they're in pain.

Keep us informed, hope shes ok xxx

well, I am not there, stuck at work, and directly my other half remotely, via your views and her feed back on Suzie's progress, so I may have a little second info etc

She has apparently now begrudgingly taken a little fibreplex,

and is sat up eating a carrott!!

so fibreplex was one thing given, plus some food as well, (dont the vets always slip in the dietary food?)

and we were to go back for fluids via iv etc later if she didnt perk up

Ok well its great news that shes eaten abit of carrot on her own. Keep up with the fibrelex, its great for keeping their guts moving. If shes still not right later on I'd definatly request some painkillers though, is very important for a bun thats refusing to eat.
Good luck xxx

I'm glad she's doing ok and has perked up enough to eat some carrot, that's positive. I'm rather surprised by your vet trip, rabbits in ileus or stasis will not have a raised temperature unless there is infection, they usually have a lower than normal temperature as lack of eating makes them hypothermic. I'm also a bit surprised they did not give your bun some pain relief or sub cutaneous fluids. It is rather neglectful I feel to say come back for iv fluids if she needs them.... generally if concerned that bun could become dehydrated or is slightly dehydrated you don't wait until they are so moribund that they will only respond to iv! Covering fluids would have been sensible for two reasons - because she has not eaten in so long and because she has a gurgling stomach which would indicate gas build up - common with GI stasis and ileus. Fluids are an essential part of the treatment, as are pain killers.

If she is willingly taking fibreplex that's great, I woud keep encouraging her to eat, and offer plenty of soaking wet and washed greens/grass or whatever she normally has, make sure there is a bowl of water as well as a bottle available and if she does not eat anything more herself then give her the critical care/recovery or whatever it is that they have given you. Any deterioration or failure to improve requires a trip back to the vet for the necessary medications they failed to give first time around! Gut motility drugs as someone has already mentioned are part of this. If you can get hold of infacol (from any chemist) this can help with the gurgling and gas - you can give 1ml couple of times a day or as needed. Hope she feels better soon.

Hi everyone, thanks so much for your replies and help, it made such a difference.

Suzy has been eating all afternoon and has been drinking lots too. We've even seen several poo's too, so it looks a bit better than it did this morning.

We are a bit concerned about why she got this problem though, as we have recently moved the guinea pigs she was indoors with (in seperate cages of course) to their outside hutches now the weather is getting better. We are VERY reluctant to let Suzy live outside because we have a very large amount of foxes living nearby and one of my neighbours feeds them at night, so they are regular visitors. Thankfully the piggies are in fox-proof hutches and raised off the ground to make breaking the doors or wire even harder (and we have piggy-cam so we ca soon hear and see if anything is going on).


Anyway, I digress. Since Suzy has been a bit miserable since then we took her into the garden on her harness and lead last weekend for a little run around. She wasn't out very long and was under constant supervision, so if she did eat anything she mustve been really quick. She normally spends her time indoors and we let her out in the lounge, which she seems to enjoy.

However, I wonder whether she is lonely and would like a housemate? Do you think she would be happier if we found a friend for her? We are at work during the day but we have cats and a dog, although I doubt they make a point of annoying Suzy at all, so she is on her own until we get home in the afternoon during the week.

She has been speyed and is about 9/10 months old, but she is a very opinionated bunny who bosses everyone around and gets her own way. Would she be able to bond with another rabbit now and would a younger/older or male/female rabbit be the best option to try?

I don't want to stress her out after sorting out the gut stasis only to put her under more stress with an introduction that goes wrong and the whole thing start again!

My rabbit has just been to the vets today for the same raeson that your bunny has. She may have a chest infection there not sure? However tehy have given her some injections and is more "perky"! Good luck :wave:

Hi

thanks for the reply

Suzie is fine and back to her normal (destructive self)!!

we have moved her hutch to the linge while she was ill, as opposed to the spare bedroom where she normally is.

So we are not sure if she was fed up or ill?

She is enjoying watching tv, and of course having people in the room most of the time with her?

hope your rabbit is ok, do you just have one by itself?

Hiya,
Stasis can happen for many reasons, stress, underlying illness, many of which are a mystery. Its very frustrating, I know, and if it reoccurs you might want to ask your vet to investigate further. As petitlupin said (and I was too much of a wimp to say!) I think you might benefit from a more rabbit savvy vet, as the treatment, or lack of, given by her was very limited. Just a suggestion.
However I would definatly suggest getting her a husbun. Bunnys are very happy in the company of another bun, to play and snuggle with while you are at work. Of course wait for a few weeks until she is completely over this episode of stasis and then go for it. A neutered male would be the best match. Theres loads of buns in need of a loving home from rescue centres, alot of which are posted on here If you are unsure about how to bond bunnies you can always ask the rescue centre to do it for you, for a donation. You can of course also do it yourself if you have the time and patience! There'll be loads of people on here willing to give you bonding advise if you start a thread on it (me included!)
Glad to hear shes eating and pooing again, thats fab news
xxx