• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Rabbit not eating properly

J

jay_s1ngh

New Kit
Hello everyone, I'm after abit of advice.

My rabbit is 10 months old and has recently stopped eating his pellets. He still eats fruit and veg and hardly eats any hay and a very small amount of pellets compared to before. He's stopped drinking from his bottle and only drinks from a bowl now.

The vet said his teeth are fine but one side of his gut sounds weaker so she gave him a pain killer and another injection to boost his gut. She also gave me a powder mixture which I've been syringe feeding him but he doesn't really have much.

I'm going to try grinding up some pellets and mixing them with water to see if he'll have that through a syringe as well.

After any advice on other things which may work or any help.

Thanks in advance
 
My first thoughts would be to have his teeth checked thoroughly. Did the vet look inside his mouth when he checked his teeth?

How long is it since he stopped eating pellets? Is he pooping OK?
 
Yhhh had a look at the back and said everything was fine...been just under a week now and he's not really pooping much
 
Did your vet check to see if there was any blockage (I am guessing things were moving if he gave him metoclopromide). Is your bun moulting at the moment?

If you can encourage him to take some more water it will do no harm. The bowl is the best and if you add a dash of boiling to make it room temp they like it like this.

When did he have painkiller last and did the vet give you any more to give him when that one wore off?
 
Don't think there were any blockages...and its not metoclopromide, it was supreme science recovery satchets. And he's just finished moulting.

I'll do what you said about the water and she only give the one injection on the day I went vet. She said to go back in a few days to get him checked again.
 
I would still consider dental problems a possibility as it can be hard to get a clear view of the very back teeth without sedation. With dental problems, bunnies will often eat only certain foods and avoid the ones that cause them pain when eating.

Also bunnies all have different pain thresholds &, while the teeth might look ok to the eye, they could still be causing some discomfort. Bubbles has had a few dentals now and, on a couple of occasions, there wasn't anything visible to suggest her teeth were the problem. After having them burred though she returned to her normal eating habits almost immediately.

The most important thing at the moment is to ensure he's eating regularly still to keep his guts moving while you work out what's wrong. Will he eat grass? Or you could try softening the pellets with water before offering them - Bubbles turned her nose up when I tried it :roll::lol: but some rabbits seem to like them this way.

Sending lots of vibes for your bunny and hoping you can get to the bottom of the problem.
 
If your bunny is in pain it will not eat, he really needs to see the vet again asap. An injection normally lasts 24 hours.

Did your vet check in his mouth with an instrument as this is the only way they can see without giving a bunny a GA (even then they can't see everything, only a GA will allow them to be able to see properly)

Metoclopromide is the gut stimulant normally used. Science recovery is the food (I find Oxbow Critical Care fine blend a lot better and more tastier for buns who will take it usually without having to force feed).

Moulting can cause a build up of fur in the tummy which can slow things down and potentially cause blockages. During a moult I tend to give my bunnies some fresh pineapple juice as this is rumoured (nothing proven) to help break down hair. I just buy a fresh pineapple cut a couple of slices, squeeze it with my hand and the buns readily take a syringe of it.

Keep tempting him with foods and also some herbs. You could also add a bit of banana in with the mashed pellets to tempt him.
 
Thanks for all your suggestions...and I completely forgot the main thing I was meant to write about.

When he eats cabbage, he dosen't eat it like he used to. He has to have it in smaller amounts and when he does bite it, he takes longer to eat it. He also holds it half hanging out and swings his head around almost as if its stuck and can't bite through it.

And, what do you mean by having the teeth burred?

I'll take him to the vet asap and get them to check his teeth properly
 
Rabbits need hay type foods available 24 7, so maybe if he's not a very good hay eater he needs to eat similar foods such as grass or redi grass(dried grass that can be bought from some pet shops or online).
The reason I'm saying he needs to eat hay is because rabbit teeth grow all the time they never stop growing because of this they need abrasive high fibre food that they can munch on - grinding their teeth and wearing them down.
If spurs develop on their teeth it causes them pain and they need dentals to remove them.

So basically hay is the best and saves loads of money ! ;D

What vet do you use, out of curiosity?
 
It really does sound like teeth problems. Even a small spur can cause discomfort and stop bunnies eating (this happened to my bunny 3 weeks ago but I know he is a dental bunny).

Burring is basically a dental for bunnies where they remove spurs and if necessary level teeth etc.
 
For you info some of the signs of a bunny needing a dental can include the following (it could only be one of these):

drooling/wet chin
hunched up
lethargic
dropping food
stopping eating hard food / hay
lying down then getting up (i.e. not settling)
Looser poops
Eating food slower
throwing head back when eating
 
Last edited:
jay_s1ngh said:
Thanks for all your suggestions...and I completely forgot the main thing I was meant to write about.

When he eats cabbage, he dosen't eat it like he used to. He has to have it in smaller amounts and when he does bite it, he takes longer to eat it. He also holds it half hanging out and swings his head around almost as if its stuck and can't bite through it.

And, what do you mean by having the teeth burred?

I'll take him to the vet asap and get them to check his teeth properly
Click to expand...

It sounds very much like teeth problems from what you've described above - Bubbles does the same thing with veg when her teeth are sore.

Their teeth are always growing and the back teeth are worn down by the sideways chewing motion from eating hay and other similar abrasive foods. If the teeth don't line up, or the rabbit doesn't eat enough hay, small spikey edges (called spurs) can form on the teeth and these will dig into the mouth when the rabbit tries to chew.

Burring is the procedure using an instrument to 'grind' the sharp edges off (rather than clipping them).
 
Burring means filling down their overgrown teeth and spurs (spurs -which look like spikes on their back teeth, behind their cheeks).
Spurs aren't visible without a instrument ,which is used by a vet to look inside a buns mouth.
 
Also I don't think cabbage is good for a rabbit ,that alone can cause an upset stomach too.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong :oops:
 
Cabbage is ok, as long as it's introduced gradually like any other veg. :) I think it can be quite gassy, so it might not agree with some bunnies.
 
Really hope your bunny starts to feel better soon. It sounds like possibly dental problems to me too, hope these can be looked in to further when your bunny is feeling better.

I have two dental bunnies here and I sometimes have to wait to get them booked in for a dental (change of system at my vets). In the meantime I tend to offer soaked pellets - this would be their usual pellets and I add water to soften them down in to a think paste. If the bunny has an appetite, or when it starts to come back, you can just put this in their bowl and it may be enough to tempt them.

Fresh herbs if you have any are good to tempt the bunny, you can leave them a bit wet after washing to help with adding fluids. A very small amount of grated pear, apple or carrot or even a slice or two of banana can sometimes tempt a bunny in to eating again, but as they are high in sugar it is not recommended to feed much of this as it can worsen stasis symptoms, but it may stimulate in to eating for himself again. Hope this makes sense.
 
You would be best trying to get him booked in for a dental today with it being so close to Christmas (my vets normally fit me in if my bun stops eatings). At the very least some metacam (painkiller) will help him if you can't get him booked in today for the dental.

Hope he is feeling better soon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

rosaleen
Feeding bunny with sticky poops
Replies
14
Views
503
rosaleen
rosaleen
H
Showing no symptoms - then stops eating
Replies
18
Views
983
bunny momma
bunny momma
Zigzag
Struggling with Zigzag- not eating hay
Replies
18
Views
513
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Back
Top