Need a little advice - Can hot weather change rabbits eating habbits?

Ok so Fudge is a really good eater. She gets 4 different pellets a day fed 4 times a day but tiny amounts!

During her vaccination 3 weeks ago she got weighed and was under weight weighing only 1.3kg so i decided to give slightly more food and add a little mix into her pellets to help her put on weight.

a week after her vaccinations she started to eat her dinner in 2 stages. Eat half at 5 and then not eat the rest til 7ish!

It wasnt normal so i put her on metacam since she has known dental problems. I didnt take to the vet as she was still eating just not all at once and she ate her fav pellets and mix first!

after a few days she didnt go back to normal eating so i took her to the vets!

I explained that her water intake and pooing was all normal but her eating was different.

They gave her a good check couldnt feel anything and didnt see anything mayjor in her mouth and weighed her again and she now weighs 2.1kg. They said to keep on with metacam and it may be she isnt used too that amount of food so is eating when she doesnt feel full.

So i took her home and her eating habbit continued. Now she picks at her pellets and she takes ages to eat any of her food be it breakfast lunch or dinner! But continues to eat veg and treats all at once!

Her wee is slightly different too. She peed on her towel and it dried white on top not seen that before!

She is drinking normal and pooping normal so im not sure if its dental time as its different to her normal dental times!!

One thing i should mention is the vets have stopped using metacam and now use loxicom.

I got the loxicom the day of her vaccination and the first time i gave her it she pushed her tummy into the ground! Its really been since i started loxicom!

Could this be a cause of her strange eating habbits?
Her behaviour is normal, although the temperature in the house has been hotter due to the sun being out!

Trying to give as much info as poss to help understand whats going on.
Any help is really appreciated.

From me and Fudge :wave:

Has the eating changed just since you started giving different types of pellets at all?

I didnt give new pellets but i added a mix into her diet a few weeks before her vaccination! It was a week after her vaccination (2 weeks today) that her eating habbit changed.

When she got her vacc the vet had a hard time when injecting in her ear! Fudge wouldnt sit still and the vet had tried to inject 4 times before she got a little bit in. Her ear was bruised but its fine now!

Theres nothing i can remeber that could have triggered the sudden change in her eating!

I dont know if she is just being a selective eater since adding the mix to her diet, cause she eats all the mix right away with no bother just the pellets she picks at! I stopped the mix a few days ago but she still picks at the pellets she prefers where as before she would eat the good ones first and then clean her bowl and lick it clean. She doesnt finish it all in one sitting anymore!

Rabbits are a grazing type animal and rent really supposed to wolf it all down in one go. They do this with treats in the same way that we dont make a choc bar last all day whereas we would maybe pick at a fruit box through the afternoon.

If she isnt showing any problems I would keep an eye on her and keep as you are, be careful she doesnt end up overweight though

Thanks for the post

I know they are grazing animals but its unusual eating behaviour from her! she usually eats all her food in one go so its just strange to see her pick at her food instead of eating it in one go.


I have had a thought though! The weather has been warm the past couple of weeks and my flat gets the sun all day so it does get warm. and at night the bedroom (where she sleeps) gets really hot during the night. I keep a fan on her all night to keep her cool.

Could it be that the heat is causing her to not want to eat? I know in the summer and when its hot im not too keen myself to eat unless its cold food (ice cream etc.) and she does eat all her veg straight away!

Ive stopped her loxicom because she doesnt seem in pain and has been fine without it today.

For the past few weeks her ears are always really hot so i think it could be the heat? anyone have opinions on this?

She has a granite type slab that ive put in the fridge too cool down and she is happily lying on that just now. and ive had all doors and window open all day today to keep the house cool.

would be good to hear your thoughts on the heat causing rabbits to change eating habbits?
:wave:

Hot Weather

I live in America, Texas to be exact. Our temperature to day was 104 degrees! Yes, heat can definitely affect your bunny's eating habbits. My bunny is a house bunny because of our extreme heat. Bunnies do best is lower temperatures. They actually like it about 55 degrees Farhenheit.One thing you can do is to freeze a bottled water and place where your bunny can lay next to it. You can also use a fan that your bunny can't reach. Another thing is to spinkle water over the fresh greens your serve your bunny, this helps with water intake. Also offer a few blueberries, slices of apple, bits of plum, or appricot - these fruits have water in them. It is a good sign that your bunny is pooping and peeing.Good Luck.