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Why would a bunny be unexcited about food?

dumblepaws

Mama Doe
Why would a bunny be unexcited about food?
The little guy we are bunny sitting is a really selective eater and really unexcited about food. It’s not that he’s not eating – he’ll nibble on some fresh grass or coriander or have a pellet or two and he’s is weeing/pooing, but there’s no excited running up to you to see if you have food, no snuffling through the hay box to find nyommy bits or eating things as soon as they’re put down. He won’t eat hay – I’ve tried him with about 12 types, from hay for pets timothy&rye, to readigrass to wilkos to oxbow orchard and oxbow timothy and deans meadow hay, even with blackberry leaves and nettle and plantain and mixed dried herbs and grated carrot in. He likes carrots – but again not super excited when he gets it, but eats it eventually.
I’m not sure if
- it’s a habit he’s evolved to make sure he doesn’t run out of food
- he’s depressed
- he doesn’t have food competition from another bunny so there’s no need for him to eat it straightaway
- he’s got teeth problems
- he’s a sugar addict
- he’s got tummy problems
- he’s in pain
- he’s got a UTI

He’s off to the vet tonight for a health check, and I’m going to take a poo sample and hopefully a wee sample too but any other thoughts on what could be up/what the vet could do to help him? The vet we’re seeing went to the RWAF conference so is hopefully a bit bunny savvy!

Thanks in advance

This is the little guy:
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Is it the change in his environment? Or he might be overweight- when I have taken in overweight rabbits they don't eat normally.
 
Thanks tulsi

Tonibun - could be change in his environment but his owner said he doesn't scoff pellets straight away but grazes slowly on them throughout the day. Not sure if he's overweight. He's 2.8kg and seems to have a podgy tummy but spiny back.
 
If there's no contributing health factor, I would say he could be a bunny who is accustomed to lots of his favourite food/treats and has got his owner well trained?

I board lots of bunnies, and I see some very picky ones. They often get too much food of a sort they love and are not encouraged to eat hay. Once they get a teenie bit hungry they will start to munch readigrass, fresh grass and then hay.
 
I would certainly rule out health aspect first. Any single bunnies I've had, have tended to eat slower than pairs but they still get excited at its arrival. Do you know what his diet at home it like, it may be that he's used to a continueous supply of dried food and very little hay. Its very hard to tell from the pic as may just be the way he's lieing, is he overweight at all?
 
If there's no contributing health factor, I would say he could be a bunny who is accustomed to lots of his favourite food/treats and has got his owner well trained?

I board lots of bunnies, and I see some very picky ones. They often get too much food of a sort they love and are not encouraged to eat hay. Once they get a teenie bit hungry they will start to munch readigrass, fresh grass and then hay.

Yes, that's exactly what my bunnies were like when I first got them. Didn't take long to turn them into crazy bunnies at feeding time!
 
Can't offer any advice, but he's a handsome little chap, hope all goes well at vets and he gets the all clear :thumb:
 
Thanks everyone.
Amy104 - his owner said he didn’t eat much hay, but that he liked herbs and carrots and tended to graze on his bowl of pellets throughout the day. So I think his diet has room for improvement, but I’m not sure if he’s overweight. I only really have experience of my two mini rexes who are much smaller and much shorter furred. So I’m not sure – his spine feels more prominent but his tummy feels more podgy, so he could be under or over or fine.

Sarah P – How did you turn them into crazy bunnies at feeding time? And MightyMax how can I make him hungry? He doesn’t seem to do much but sit on the cushion and when I’m with him, he demands lots of headstrokes. Very limited hopping around. He has lots of things to jump on and card board boxes to hide in and mats to chew and balls to throw but he seems to like sitting.

Chasing him to get him moving and try and work up an appetite seems a bit mean, as does only giving him hay until he eats it as I don’t want him to get more stressed or end up in stasis. Grated carrot in hay hasn’t really worked on him either as he either just gets the carrot or ignores all of it.
He seems to hop ok so I don’t think he has muscle wastage, he’s just lazy. And he’s chewed on sticks sometimes so I think his teeth are probably ok. I think he’s depressed, but not sure what the vet will do about that. He gets a few hours with me each day, but I’m at work a lot. Which is ok for my pair as they have each other. Not sure I can send him back neutered and with a little bunny friend though!

And Pets mum thanks for the good wishes for him.
 
Sounds like he could be depressed, I look after a friends lone outside un neutered rabbit each year and he is the same :cry:
 
Sarah P – How did you turn them into crazy bunnies at feeding time?

With mine it was because they had full bowls of dried food that they grazed on all day. They looked at hay as if to say 'you want me to eat that?' I gradually reduced their dried food down and the hay eating increased, to the point where they ate their dried food quickly and therefore turned into crazy bunnies at feeding time. :D
 
With mine it was because they had full bowls of dried food that they grazed on all day. They looked at hay as if to say 'you want me to eat that?' I gradually reduced their dried food down and the hay eating increased, to the point where they ate their dried food quickly and therefore turned into crazy bunnies at feeding time. :D

Will keep trying with him. He's only on a handful of pellets at the moment though
 
Vet said his tummy and teeth are fine (teeth in so far as she could see without giving him a GA) so is probably change in environment. And to keep offering hay but that it would probably be easier to change his diet when he was at home.

He seemed a lot perkier this morning though. He'd previously just been in his bed, but last night seems to have hopped around (and pooed on everything. I think I liked him more when he was depressed...) and seemed more interested in things this morning
 
When I took Pixie from my friend she had loads of food in her avery that was uneaten and with the change of environment she didn't eat much for a good few days, I thought she wasn't a foodie.

Now however she would take my arm off for a single pellet, I think in her case she was being over fed and therefore was never really hungry. I never thought her fat but when I look at photos and compare to what she is like now she was actually quite chubby!

Glad to hear bun is ok and moving (and pooing :lol:) a bit more!!
 
I know this sounds controversal but personally I wouldn't reduce his pellets dramatically if he's used to a lot more, it can sometimes do more harm than good. It would be better to reduce it gradually and educate his owner so they can follow a long term diet change.
 
Omg my heart actually stopped for a second when I saw him. Pure white bunny with black eyes and ears! It's Dexy! Don't give him back send him to me, I'll sort him out!! He's probably lonely & depressed like my Blackavar was until I got Cherry & now he's a totally different bunny!
 
Omg my heart actually stopped for a second when I saw him. Pure white bunny with black eyes and ears! It's Dexy! Don't give him back send him to me, I'll sort him out!! He's probably lonely & depressed like my Blackavar was until I got Cherry & now he's a totally different bunny!

Awwww really?
He's perked up a lot the last few days - he's had the odd bit of hay and dried leaves and his poos are much bigger (but icky) and he's hopping around and jumping on things and grooming a soft toy. Amy, I'm making sure he has enough food he will eat, but also lots of yummy hay and readigrass around in case he fancies some...

And after he goes home (no, not to you sarah1989, sorry though) I am a two bunny girl. No more coveting jasper and boo boo and speedy and elmo (although I think zoobec and elmo would work really well)

Am glad to be less worried about him. But I am still causing my two unnecessary trauma as I keep forgetting which coat goes with which bunny :(
 
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