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Help! What could be wrong with him?

2 and a half year old male mini lop. Lives outdoors, sleeps in hutch located in our shed and has access to part of the house (conservatory) at all times for relaxing etc.

Generally in good health apart from losing a lot of hair lately (as in I have to give him a thorough brush every day to remove lots of excess hair). He's usually quite an inquisitive/happy rabbit but lately I've noticed he's developed some unusual head movements as well as being quite quiet and not himself/slightly off his food.

I feed him twice a day usually on pellets from pets at home and sometimes I alternate with wagg, he very rarely eats timothy hay although he always has access to it. He is drinking as normal.

Although I don't have scales to weigh him he feels a little bit on the thin side - I noticed this before whilst grooming him.

The problem is when I pour out some food for him he gets all excited as usual - sometimes even clawing at the bag as I'm pouring it, then once it's in the bowl he is ignoring it. When he does eat he seems to spend a LONG time just brushing the food around the floor with his head, he has also developed a habit of tipping over his feed and drink bowl in some sort of protest. When he has food in his mouth he keeps raising his head in an odd fashion.. quite high and then back down again - it looks like he may be struggling to eat or something?
When I give him a fruit treat such as a small slice of banana which he usually loves - he will take it and then sit with it in his mouth while raising his head up and down as if he can't do anything about it?!

Lastly I've noticed when he sits down there is movement coming from under his chin sometimes - like a kind of grinding or something? I can't hear any noise coming from him but I thought I'd ask on here if these symptoms sound familiar to any owners here. We'll be taking him to the vets this week. Or any suggestions would be awesome in the meantime!

Thanks!
 
Just a guess but I wonder if he has an issue with his teeth?
I'm not sure but hope the vet finds a solution :)
I'd take him sooner rather than later, as if he stops eating and his guts slow down it can be bad news.
 
It sounds like he is in pain and that there's something not right in his mouth. Tooth grinding, being quieter than usual, sitting hunched and not eating are usually signs of pain. As he doesn't eat much hay, dental problems are likely. It also sounds like his gut has slowed down, which is probably a result of whatever is going on in his mouth.

Best to get him to a vet tomorrow and get them to have a good look. In the meantime, keep a close eye on him, try to keep him eating and drinking and remember that if he does stop eating completely it is an emergency and he won't be able to wait till tomorrow.
 
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Hello, it really sounds like he is having problem with his teeth. I had the same thing my my bunny when I fed him yesterday, he had to have a dental at the vet and already had a little but of a bloated tummy so was given gut mobility drugs as he hadn't poo'd. Has your rabbit poo'd much today?

You will need to take your rabbit to an emergency vet today. Don't want to panic you but this could be very very serious.
Good luck
 
It sounds very much like your bunny needs his teeth checking. This would also account for him feeling a bit on the skinny side. I had a rabbit making strange movements with his head and he needed his front teeth clipping as they were growing unevenly. I would recommend you take bun y to your Vet as a matter of urgency as front teeth can grow up into the top of the mouth and cause a great deal of pain.

When you get this problem sorted out you can adjust the amount of pellets he eats to about an eggcup full per day in the hopes that reducing the amount will get him to eat more hay which is good for his teeth.
 
I agree it sounds like something going on in his mouth. Their teeth can overgrow and cause cuts to the cheeks/tongue which can mean although they are hungry, actually eating can be really painful.

The vet will take a look in the back of his mouth with a scope, but might need to do other investigation too. Let us know how you get on :)

As tonibun said, there are diet changes that can help reduce the chance of recurrence once the vet sorts them out.
 
Thank you so much for your advice everybody. We took him to our vet today who was fantastic with him - he is currently in overnight and will be receiving an X-Ray tomorrow along with dental work.
I hope he returns to his usual self soon - he looks so sad.

I think the lesson here is to make sure your rabbit is always eating roughage/foliage. Mine has such a habbit of wanting only pellets that he barely touches his Timothy hay. If all is well tomorrow and he can come home I will have to buy him a selection of foliage to try out so if anybody has some suggestions I could try him on then please feel free to say :) I will be sticking to just an egg cup amount of pellets each day to hopefully wean him back on to his roughage which will be better for his teeth. At the moment he actually eats more like a cat or dog :(
 
Sending vibes bunny will be ok. Some rabbits eat as normal after a dental but some don't. Just go carefully with him for a couple of days, he will probably prefer greens or grass until he recovers properly. Please let is know how he gets on. I give mine farm hay as I have a lot of bunnies. If you start a new thread asking for advice on different hays I am sure someone will recommend some.
 
Thank you so much for your advice everybody. We took him to our vet today who was fantastic with him - he is currently in overnight and will be receiving an X-Ray tomorrow along with dental work.
I hope he returns to his usual self soon - he looks so sad.

I think the lesson here is to make sure your rabbit is always eating roughage/foliage. Mine has such a habbit of wanting only pellets that he barely touches his Timothy hay. If all is well tomorrow and he can come home I will have to buy him a selection of foliage to try out so if anybody has some suggestions I could try him on then please feel free to say :) I will be sticking to just an egg cup amount of pellets each day to hopefully wean him back on to his roughage which will be better for his teeth. At the moment he actually eats more like a cat or dog :(

Good luck, hope the vet can sort it out and he makes a speedy recovery.

It can take a few days after a dental for them to feel better, even longer if his mouth is really sore. Remember to make changes to his diet gradually so don't suddenly drop to an eggcup of pellets if he's currently having a lot more - gradually reduce over a couple of weeks.

You could try getting a mixture of hays too to encourage him. My two almost never get 'treats' in the conventional sense but they get a handful of fancy hay which is a treat to them!
 
Hope he feels better soon! Just out of interest how much dry food is he getting? If they get too much they will eat the pellets rather than hay so trick is to gradually cut back and the hay eating should pick up :) I normally give an eggcup twice a day per bunny (more to my very large rabbits) and then unlimited hay. they get through masses of it :)
 
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