Oreo is sick. And I don't know what to do.

Oreo's barely eating. She reluctantly ate maybe 3 pellets this morning. Normally on normal days I have to try and feed them pellets in different directions at the same time because they steal food out of each other's mouths. Hobnob is eating but he doesn't seem to want to - he just wants to sit and groom her. They've barely touched their hay overnight.

The appointment with the vet is at 3. I'm terrified. And an awful human being because a tiny bit of that fear isn't about the bunnies. Dogs will be there. I need to take them. I'm scared we'll come home a bunny short, I'm scared I've done something stupid, I've not done enough. Yesterday she wasn't enthusiastic about food but I thought it was me. She got out into the garden on Tuesday. My fault, I forgot to slide the door closed on their other run and she couldn't work out how to get in the hutch again and she was scared. I thought she just didn't want food from me. They're outside, I have no idea what to do. I don't even know if she's pooing because they have two litter trays but they both use both of them. She had some herbs yesterday. I should have thought when she didn't want apple. She never turns down apple. I'm sorry

What should I do?

Personally, i'd call the vet and ask to bring them in as an emergency. 4 hours is a very long time for a bunny who isn't eating

i agree, your bunny needs to see the vet as a matter of urgency i hope shes ok x

We're all home now. I tried to ask to go earlier but mum said no as she was eating a little bit and I was borderline hysterical.

It was her teeth. We have Metacam and she's going on Monday to have them sorted. We also have some recovery food. It turns out Hobnob also has dental things but they aren't as far along. We phoned the RSPCA back because they're who we call first to let them know Oreo will be fine because they asked us to, and they were surprised it was her teeth. They said they might do something (not sure what but its nice of them).

My heart can now return to Normal. Until Monday when I will be a nervous wreck over anaesthetic.

Thank you for your help! Between here and the vet I think Mum will agree to an emergency appointment if it happens again. I feel guilty we didn't get her in sooner but I'm hoping well be better prepared in future.

Glad you are getting things sorted.

About your mum: a lot of people don't realise just how critical it is to get to the vet urgently if a rabbit stops eating - their digestive system just seizes up if they are not constantly eating, good hay preferably. By the way, do they normally eat plenty of good quality hay?

Yep, we just went and bought a bale, (we thought it would probably fit in our hay bin as it's not really that small. It didn't. In a big way.) because we're really getting through it. We had to experiment a bit with the amount of pellets to make sure they actually eat it but they seem very keen on the new hay. It does smell pretty nice to me and I'm allergic to it! And it has green bits and yellow bits... I was buying it from pets at home but we decided to try something different. Although they sit there munching most of the day they don't eat as much as I'd really like but they live outdoors and eat as much grass as they can get their paws on. I give them a pile the size of themselves but there's always some left over.

P@H hay is absolutely rubbish. If you fancy something for a change, you could try HayforPets Timothy & Rye (on-line ordering) which seems to go down very well with most rabbits here. (You can get a sample pack of all their hays for free, just pay postage).

Babsie said:

P@H hay is absolutely rubbish. If you fancy something for a change, you could try HayforPets Timothy & Rye (on-line ordering) which seems to go down very well with most rabbits here. (You can get a sample pack of all their hays for free, just pay postage).

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Please don't feel bad about buying P@H hay. It's not top quality no, and a lot of bunnies prefer other hay which will come in long strands and be fresher, but at the end of the day P@H hay is still hay, and will still wear down a bunny's teeth, so although it's not the finest stuff, don't feel bad for buying it rather than other stuff. I was just a bit worried that you might read that comment when you're worried about your buns already and be feeling sensitive and get a bit upset! (Babsie- that wasn't a moan at you either )

Other options if you don't want to buy online that other people do (like me!) is to look for a local pet supply shop or a farm shop or even a local farmer. These all usually work out cheaper as you can buy a large bag or a bale. If you ask around on the forum for storage ideas (some of which could be outside or in a shed) then that usually works out cheaper then buying lots of small bags from P@H. I hated the P@H hay as it was cut so small it hurt my hands when I took it out, and the small strands aren't as good for a bunny's tummy.

Thank you! Luckily we have farm shops round here so I think that option is a bit more likely. Hay for pets looks brilliant but it's a little on the expensive side but it sounds really good, so maybe occasionally... I didn't realise that long strands were better, I need to make a list of good hay things for our next hay expedition!

And thank you some more - I do tend to get a bit oversensitive sometimes. Especially at times like this! I'm really worried it's all my fault, and it kind of takes over. Now she's eating a bit better and having a hop about I feel a lot better even though the problem is still there. But I'm really glad I know more now. Pets at home was the easiest choice to be honest, with not being sure of other places to buy hay, the fact it's in a bag and allergies and everything, not being sure how much we use... but I'm glad I can do better for the bunnies now. Lots of thank yous!

I hope your buns feel better soon

To be honest I used some p@h hay recently as it was donated to the rescue I work at and I was really surprised at the quality. Also if your guys eat a lot of grass then that is just as good as hay to waer teeth down!

Hope the dental goes well. Sending lots of vibes for Oreo xx