Should I be worried?

Hi, this evening I've noticed my rabbit has been behaving a little differently to usual.

He hasn't eaten any pellets or hay today - or if he has it's a very small unnoticeable amount. He has drank as much as he usually does.
My main concern though, he has been lying on his side for a while (which he does do sometimes) and making clicking or tutting noises, which I've never noticed him doing before. When I walk near him he does get up again, and he has pooped and pee'd today and been playing with his toys and such.

He has a vet appointment next weekend for his injections, should I try to get another a bit earlier to get this checked out? Or is it normal for him to do this?

If he hasn't eaten or pooed then he is in GI Stasis which is an emergency. The noise you've described sounds like teeth grinding, a classic sign of pain, which will go with the lying down. Your bunny is very ill and needs to be seen as a matter of urgency, id VERY strongly taking bunny to a rabbit savvy vet immediately, rabbits can go downhill so quickly. He could do with being seen tonight really, poor boy :-( good luck x

Eta: sounds a bit abrupt but wasn't meant to be, I'm just rushing!

JemimaH said:

If he hasn't eaten or pooed then he is in GI Stasis which is an emergency. The noise you've described sounds like teeth grinding, a classic sign of pain, which will go with the lying down. Your bunny is very ill and needs to be seen as a matter of urgency, id VERY strongly taking bunny to a rabbit savvy vet immediately, rabbits can go downhill so quickly. He could do with being seen tonight really, poor boy :-( good luck x

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I echo this. It does sound like GI statis and that bun is in pain. Unfortunately when a bun is in pain it won't eat which slows down the GI tract. I would personally seek emergency vet treatment as the will be able to check for a blockage and provide painkiller, gut stimulant and if necessary fluids.

The main thing is to ensure that the bun is pooing. As soon as there is no more poo, that's an emergency situation. Sorry for very quick/abrupt message!

What are his poos like?
Can you get close enough with disturbing him to hear his stomach?
Also one thing that helps my rabbit if I think he needs a little help pooing, I rub his tummy very gently in circular motions.

When you say your rabbit is lying down can you get a picture? You will know the difference between a comfy bunny flop and a painful posture but if your not sure post a piccie we can try and decipher the pose.

I would recommend going to the vets ASAP just in case it GI statis which is a killer.

Hi thanks for the replies.
He is still pooping as normal and has just took some rotastak 'fruity shapes' treats from me, but wont eat any pellets.

He is a very fussy eater though, he generally will only eat pellets and a small amount of hay and wont bother with fruit and will occasionally nibble some of his vegetables - which is again only a very small amount that he'll eat. My vet knows about this and has said in every other check we've been to that he's doing fine considering this and there's been no need for intervention. And he's lived happily this way for 2 and a half years.

He's not flopped down since I started this thread but if he does again I shall try my best to get a picture.
I got as close to him as I could without disturbing him and I can't hear anything out of the ordinary, the clicking noise as gone now he has stood up as I only heard it when he was flopped.

With GI would there be any other symptoms? E.g - lack of interest in me/his surroundings? I've opened his pen door and he's as interested and inquisitive as he usually is wandering around?

As I've posted this he is happily destroying my bed covers - digging them up and pulling them around. Now he's out he seems full of energy.

This doesn't sound like GI stasis. My experience of a bun in stasis is sitting hunched in the corner, not wanting to move, and obviously no pooing or eating. I'd definitely get a check up sorted, but it doesn't sound an emergency. Obviously keep a close eye though.

SarahP said:

This doesn't sound like GI stasis. My experience of a bun in stasis is sitting hunched in the corner, not wanting to move, and obviously no pooing or eating. I'd definitely get a check up sorted, but it doesn't sound an emergency. Obviously keep a close eye though.

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This has calmed me slightly. He's gone back into his pen and cleaning himself. When he was flopped out earlier he was right in the center of his pen where he usually chills.

I guess I'll wait until morning and call the vet for a check, and hope he's eaten by then.

How about hay? Is that being eaten at all?

The most important thing is definitely to keep an eye on the output, as I mentioned. You need poo, poo and more poo.

SarahP said:

How about hay? Is that being eaten at all?

The most important thing is definitely to keep an eye on the output, as I mentioned. You need poo, poo and more poo.

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As I said earlier he generally doesn't eat much hay. He usually only really entertains his pellets, which is where some of my worry lies as the bowl is still full. It doesn't look like much hay has been touched either.

There is the usual amount of poops for this time of the night though and they look the same as they always do.

It could be a problem with his teeth to mean he doesn't want to eat...

Diet-wise,not sure if you've tried this, but it may be that he doesn't eat much hay because he has a lot of pellets, so a gradual cut down might mean he's more interested in hay. They do tend to prefer the pellets if they have the option. Apologies if you've already tried this!

Got to log out now, so best of luck for eating and poo tomorrow! x

Poppy went a bit like your describing before she needed a dental, I just had a feeling that she wasnt the same as usual but couldn't put my finger on it, she wasnt as excited about food and wasnt eating as much hay as usual. The vet examined her and couldnt see any dental spurs but wanted to give her a GA and examine her thoroughly, it turned out she had tiny spurs that needed treatment. She has been fine since.

I would get him checked over by the vet:wave:

He's taken some fruit treats from me, which are of the same size and as solid as pellets, so I'm not sure if it is his teeth?

And yes we've tried cutting down on pellets many times since we got him 2 years ago but after he's eaten the small amount we give him he then wont eat anything else so it doesn't last long, generally we can only manage 2 days of it, as we don't want him to starve. Which our vet has agreed that we've tried the right thing.

He's sat and groomed himself for a while now, stretched out a few times and done a few more poops. He went near his food bowl but just rubbed his chin around the outsides. Not sure what to do for the best? Should I just leave him for now or keep offering him pellets/hay by hand?

Just to update, I had just seen him eat a few pellets. Probably no more than around 5 or 6 but it's a start I guess.
Still a little worried that he hasn't eaten much and about how he was flopped earlier as it wasn't how he usually lies.
Think i'll check out how he is in the morning then give the vet a call for some advice.
I'll keep you all updated, and thanks for the help tonight.

Hope he's feeling better in the morning

BioHazard9509 said:

Just to update, I had just seen him eat a few pellets. Probably no more than around 5 or 6 but it's a start I guess.
Still a little worried that he hasn't eaten much and about how he was flopped earlier as it wasn't how he usually lies.
Think i'll check out how he is in the morning then give the vet a call for some advice.
I'll keep you all updated, and thanks for the help tonight.

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I would go to the vet in the am.

Get his teeth checked out and see if there could be anything else. Get some pain meds and gut stimulant while you're there.

You don't really want to leave a bun that's not eating, I was at a lecture the other day talking about GI stasis, and the bunny refusing to eat.
Basically becuase of their complex digestive system it is very important that their tummies are never empty.
A human/dog/cat can go a few days without food and be ok, totally different with a bunny.

That's why they go downhill so quickly, it's very dangerous for them to stop eating.
You have already noticed something is not right, this is your gut talking, always go with your gut instinct.
Even though you're saying 'I'll just call the vet in the morning' I bet you still have a niggling feeling that something isn't quite right.

I recently looked after my cousins bunny while she was on holiday.
The first night he came he went into stasis, I noticed his small poos, and asked my cousin about them. she said he'd done this a few times before and had always been fine.
I kept an eye on him, he refused all food, apart from a little brocoli. He lay down funny and was also doing strange tooth grinding.
I syringe fed him as he wasn't eating and hadn't really ate for a few days prior to coming to me, gave him pain meds and a gut stimulant to keep things moving through the night.
Went to my vet in the morning she looked in his mouth and sure enough there was a spur scratching into his tongue.
I had to syringe fed him for a few days and then he got a dental.
He was right as rain for my cousin coming back, and since then my cousin has been educated by myself and my vet on how to treat him etc and what is normal and what is totally not normal for a bunny.
At least if you get him checked out and it's not his teeth it puts your mind at rest, but you still have to find out what's wrong xx

Sounds a bit like teeth to me too. It sounds like he's feeling frustrated ie. digging and it could be because he's hungry but it hurts to eat. If he doesn't eat much hay generally this is more likely because the hay won't be grinding away at the teeth surfaces keeping them worn down. Picking at his food is another symptom, again, hungry but eating hurts.

Have you noticed any drooling from the mouth or increased water consumption?

Some buns just don't eat hay and rely on sufficient pellets to keep their teeth down to some extent. However, with a dental bun the malocclusion or molar dental spurs will usually grow bad enough that the bun will stop eating pellets. At this point, the size of the poos usually start to get smaller and stop altogether.

When a bun stops eating pellets, which they would usually go mad for, then this is usually a sign of pain and needs treating urgently with a pain killing injection, along with a gut stimulant. Also, be aware that molar issues can not usually be seen or dealt with properly without a GA.

Please try to get your bun seen by a vet as soon as possible, especially if his poos have decreased in size. My vets are really good, and I can take him in without appointment and get seen within half hour. If your vet does not see him as an emergency, then try to find a rabbit savvy vet..as stasis and not eating is an emergency in buns.

In the meantime, try to keep his gut going by feeding him his favourite herbs or try pellets dipped in water ( buns often prefer them moist when they are refusing dried pellets).

edited to say, I really wouldn't leave him till tomorrow... can you not take him to a vet today?

Hi - sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this!
I did take him to the vet on Sunday morning and they couldn't find anything wrong with his teeth and said they were just as they always are when we go for check ups.

Also as he is still pooping at a normal rate with normal sized and colour poops the vet was against giving him a gut stimulant, which made sense.

He is currently eating very very small amounts - even for a bunny who doesn't typically eat much as it is. Nibbling at no more than around 10 pellets a day.
The vet gave him a full check over and couldn't find anything wrong. Ed wasn't showing us he was in any pain at all throughout the examinations, he even got checked for other more unlikely things, such as infections in the ears and throat but he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. He got a pain killer injection anyways just in case but it doesn't seem to have changed anything.

He still seems more lethargic than usual inside his pen, however when the door is open and he's out he seems himself (I even tried putting the food outside the pen but it didn't tempt him)

Can't work out why he still wont eat. I've stocked up on his favourite herbs but he hasn't shown an interest. I've tried feeding him moist pellets but he's not bothered.

I trust the vet as he's who I've taken all my rabbits and guinea pigs to for years and he has always treated them very well and genuinely cares for the animals as he owns rabbits himself. But he too isn't sure what's wrong with Ed. We're going to go back in a few days and see if anythings changed. The vet has also advised me to try to allow him some more time outside of his pen, and a day away from his bunny wife to see if perhaps eddy is depressed/bored/or being bullied when I'm not around watching them.

Any other tips from you guys would also be greatly appreciated.
Thanks - and sorry for the super long post!

Elena said:

Have you noticed any drooling from the mouth or increased water consumption?

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Theres been no drooling or any kind of discharge from him and he's drinking as normal. I filled up his water bowl at 6am this morning and I've just emptied a small amount of the water out and refilled it again at 7, which is how it always is.