Winston didn't want breakfast, how worried should I be?

Normally when my OH goes into the kitchen in the morning Winston rushes over and gets really excited, and when he puts his pellets in his hay Winston goes and starts eating straight away. However this morning Winston was really subdued and very quiet and didn't want his pellets. When I went down a bit later he still wasn't interested in his pellets. I put his veg and herbs down and he ate one carrot peeling and one bit of parsley and then left it. I did manage to get him to eat a fenugreek crunchie but he normally rushes over to the area we keep them when I go and get one but he stayed over the other side of the kitchen and I had to hold it under his nose for him to take it from me.

I'm going to change his litter tray so I can monitor his output. Is there anything else I need to do? Should I phone the vet?

When Milo went into GI stasis (gut slow down) the first thing I noticed was that he didn't want his usual pellets or greens.

It might be an idea if you think he is acting ''off'' go get him checked out with a vet, rabbits can go downhill quickly and they only give very subtle signs of something being wrong. When I took Milo to the vet's the only symptoms he has were refusing food and being a bit ''quiet'' but the vet said he had an enlarged tummy already with gas and fluid, which was painful for him and stopping him eating.

The faster you get them treatment the better chance there is of recovery, the rabbit needs pain relief quickly unless they will generally not eat at all which will make the situation worse. If rabbits do not eat for 12 hours they can be in serious danger.

Milo had a gut stimulant, gut protector and pain relief to have regularly as well as syringe food to give him when he wouldn't eat for himself. But you must ensure there is no gut blockage before syringe feeding, vets can do a blood glucose test to determine if there is one.

Sorry I hope that's not information overload!

Sarah1991 said:

When Milo went into GI stasis (gut slow down) the first thing I noticed was that he didn't want his usual pellets or greens.

It might be an idea if you think he is acting ''off'' go get him checked out with a vet, rabbits can go downhill quickly and they only give very subtle signs of something being wrong. When I took Milo to the vet's the only symptoms he has were refusing food and being a bit ''quiet'' but the vet said he had an enlarged tummy already with gas and fluid, which was painful for him and stopping him eating.

The faster you get them treatment the better chance there is of recovery, the rabbit needs pain relief quickly unless they will generally not eat at all which will make the situation worse. If rabbits do not eat for 12 hours they can be in serious danger.

Milo had a gut stimulant, gut protector and pain relief to have regularly as well as syringe food to give him when he wouldn't eat for himself. But you must ensure there is no gut blockage before syringe feeding, vets can do a blood glucose test to determine if there is one.

Sorry I hope that's not information overload!

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Thank you Sarah for your reply. Okay, i'm just waiting for some plumbers to arrive, they should be here in the next 20 mins. In the meantime i'm going to phone his usual vet which is half an hour away and ask if I should bring him to them or my emergency vet which is 5 mins away.

Sarah1991 said:

When Milo went into GI stasis (gut slow down) the first thing I noticed was that he didn't want his usual pellets or greens.

It might be an idea if you think he is acting ''off'' go get him checked out with a vet, rabbits can go downhill quickly and they only give very subtle signs of something being wrong. When I took Milo to the vet's the only symptoms he has were refusing food and being a bit ''quiet'' but the vet said he had an enlarged tummy already with gas and fluid, which was painful for him and stopping him eating.

The faster you get them treatment the better chance there is of recovery, the rabbit needs pain relief quickly unless they will generally not eat at all which will make the situation worse. If rabbits do not eat for 12 hours they can be in serious danger.

Milo had a gut stimulant, gut protector and pain relief to have regularly as well as syringe food to give him when he wouldn't eat for himself. But you must ensure there is no gut blockage before syringe feeding, vets can do a blood glucose test to determine if there is one.

Sorry I hope that's not information overload!

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Sorry to bombard you….but i've just gone in to check on him and he's eating hay, done some poos which look like his normal poos and eaten almost all his veg!!! Do you think I can save him a trip to the vets now he's eaten and pooed?!

ImoT said:

Sorry to bombard you….but i've just gone in to check on him and he's eating hay, done some poos which look like his normal poos and eaten almost all his veg!!! Do you think I can save him a trip to the vets now he's eaten and pooed?!

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No its not a problem! I remember how frightening it was when I found Milo not eating!

I think if it looks like he's eating normally again it's probably safe to keep an eye on him for now, but if it still doesn't appear to be eating as much as normal I'd be tempted to get him checked, not eating can be a sign of lots of things, teeth trouble, gut blockages, EC, gas, just pain in general somewhere... If it were me and I'd gone in to find Milo eating normally again I would probably wait and observe him, but only because I'd be confident doing that and have a vet close by if anything went to pot.

But obviously I am not a vet so I can't say. All I know for certain is that its imperative that they continue to eat and eat well. Drinking helps keep the gut hydrated and moving along nicely too so maybe change his water a little more than usual to encourage him to drink well? Or you can offer a little peppermint tea (cooled obviously) in there for him, most bunnies love that. You can also encourage him to hop around to get the gut moving along as well if it has slowed down a little.

I've personally heard of a couple of cases where rabbits have stopped eating for a little bit and then seemed to go back to normal by themselves within a little while, but its obviously very important to be aware of how much he is eating and his output. x

I'd try and get him moving about (he won't like it) as that can sometimes help to dislodge anything that's making them uncomfortable. If that doesn't work pretty quickly (say 20 minutes) I'd get him down to the vet.

Sarah1991 said:

No its not a problem! I remember how frightening it was when I found Milo not eating!

I think if it looks like he's eating normally again it's probably safe to keep an eye on him for now, but if it still doesn't appear to be eating as much as normal I'd be tempted to get him checked, not eating can be a sign of lots of things, teeth trouble, gut blockages, EC, gas, just pain in general somewhere... If it were me and I'd gone in to find Milo eating normally again I would probably wait and observe him, but only because I'd be confident doing that and have a vet close by if anything went to pot.

But obviously I am not a vet so I can't say. All I know for certain is that its imperative that they continue to eat and eat well. Drinking helps keep the gut hydrated and moving along nicely too so maybe change his water a little more than usual to encourage him to drink well? Or you can offer a little peppermint tea (cooled obviously) in there for him, most bunnies love that. You can also encourage him to hop around to get the gut moving along as well if it has slowed down a little.

I've personally heard of a couple of cases where rabbits have stopped eating for a little bit and then seemed to go back to normal by themselves within a little while, but its obviously very important to be aware of how much he is eating and his output. x

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Thank you, I am a bit of a worrier but I do know how important eating is and how behaviour change can mean something more sinister. I would just hate for something to happen to little Winston!

I've just changed his litter tray, given him some new hay and some extra treat hay, and changed his water. He's never been much of a drinker, I do try and encourage him. I did try him with peppermint tea once and camomile tea but he didn't seem interested in either of them at all! I will try him again with peppermint tea though and see if that takes his fancy. He has done lots of binkies at the excitement of fresh hay, gone straight into his litter tray and eaten lots of hay and done lots of poos….so for now I will keep a good eye on him and if he stops eating again or his poos change/he stops pooing then it will be straight to the vets!

ImoT said:

Thank you, I am a bit of a worrier but I do know how important eating is and how behaviour change can mean something more sinister. I would just hate for something to happen to little Winston!

I've just changed his litter tray, given him some new hay and some extra treat hay, and changed his water. He's never been much of a drinker, I do try and encourage him. I did try him with peppermint tea once and camomile tea but he didn't seem interested in either of them at all! I will try him again with peppermint tea though and see if that takes his fancy. ….so for now I will keep a good eye on him and if he stops He has done lots of binkies at the excitement of fresh hay, gone straight into his litter tray and eaten lots of hay and done lots of pooseating again or his poos change/he stops pooing then it will be straight to the vets!

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That's really good!

I hope he stays that way! If he looks to be back to normal I would just observe him closely to ensure his appetite doesn't go back down. If it does I would be straight off to the vets, he may have just had a little gas making him uncomfortable and has managed to shift it himself. If anything else sinister happens definitely get him checked :thumb:

He may have had a bit of a gassy tummy first thing this morning. Once things start moving through more the gas disperses and Bunny feels a lot more comfortable. Do you feed him any fresh Veg and/or grass ?

BattleKat said:

I'd try and get him moving about (he won't like it) as that can sometimes help to dislodge anything that's making them uncomfortable. If that doesn't work pretty quickly (say 20 minutes) I'd get him down to the vet.

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Thank you, he has been moving about a lot and seems back to normal now

Jack's-Jane said:

He may have had a bit of a gassy tummy first thing this morning. Once things start moving through more the gas disperses and Bunny feels a lot more comfortable. Do you feed him any fresh Veg and/or grass ?

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Yes he gets broccoli, cauliflower (including leaves), kale, spinach and the occasional few carrot peelings. He also gets herbs (parsley, mint, basil and thyme). He does get a handful of readigrass once a week in his hay. He only very occasionally gets grass when we strim (not mow) the edges, he has only had a handful twice so it's definitely not a main part of his diet.

Overnight he only has hay, so I don't know what could have caused the gas during the night?

ImoT said:

Thank you, he has been moving about a lot and seems back to normal now



Yes he gets broccoli, cauliflower (including leaves), kale, spinach and the occasional few carrot peelings. He also gets herbs (parsley, mint, basil and thyme). He does get a handful of readigrass once a week in his hay. He only very occasionally gets grass when we strim (not mow) the edges, he has only had a handful twice so it's definitely not a main part of his diet.

Overnight he only has hay, so I don't know what could have caused the gas during the night?

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Broccoli and cauliflower are often the cause of 'gassy tummies' in Rabbits. It can be a cumulative effect, so the problem comes on after the Rabbit has eaten either over the preceding few days. That's why I only feed my Rabbits fresh herbs now. Also, if you use the bagged kale it is often pre-washed in a chlorinated water. This can cause GI upsets in some Rabbits.

If we think about it in the wild a Rabbit would not eat the more succulent parts of veg, they'd grab what they can from the scraggly tops of carrots and the dry shrivelled outside leaves of brassicas etc. Where-as we tend to feed our Pet Rabbits the parts of the veg humans eat. IME it can just be too much for some Rabbits to process, their GI tract is designed to take in a constant supply of high fibre low nutrient food -course grass, weeds, leaves, plant roots etc

Jack's-Jane said:

Broccoli and cauliflower are often the cause of 'gassy tummies' in Rabbits. It can be a cumulative effect, so the problem comes on after the Rabbit has eaten either over the preceding few days. That's why I only feed my Rabbits fresh herbs now. Also, if you use the bagged kale it is often pre-washed in a chlorinated water. This can cause GI upsets in some Rabbits.

If we think about it in the wild a Rabbit would not eat the more succulent parts of veg, they'd grab what they can from the scraggly tops of carrots and the dry shrivelled outside leaves of brassicas etc. Where-as we tend to feed our Pet Rabbits the parts of the veg humans eat. IME it can just be too much for some Rabbits to process, their GI tract is designed to take in a constant supply of high fibre low nutrient food -course grass, weeds, leaves, plant roots etc

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Oh no it's bagged kale…I really wasn't aware it tends to be washed in chlorinated water Because he doesn't get many pellets I wanted to make sure he would be getting all the nutrients he needed in a more natural way…i.e. through herbs and veg…but maybe i'm not doing it right?! What other herbs could I feed him to replace some of the veg?

ImoT said:

Oh no it's bagged kale…I really wasn't aware it tends to be washed in chlorinated water Because he doesn't get many pellets I wanted to make sure he would be getting all the nutrients he needed in a more natural way…i.e. through herbs and veg…but maybe i'm not doing it right?! What other herbs could I feed him to replace some of the veg?

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You dont necessarily have to cut out any veg completely, just to not feed it daily and only feed a small portion. Herbs that are OK to feed to Rabbits include:
Coriander (seems to be a big favourite)
Basil
Flat leaf parsley
Mint
Dill
Oregano
Rosemary

Then there is edible wild plants and herbs eg:

Clover
Plantain
Coltsfoot
Dandelion
Rose petals
Lavender
Bramble leaves (Blackberry/Raspberry etc)

Also, leaves and twigs from apple/pear trees.

Twigs (parsnipbun on here) has written a very informative book about Foraging for Rabbits

http://shop.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/product/foraging-for-rabbits-by-twigs-way/

Hi ImoT :wave: Glad Winston has perked up

Hay Experts and Galens Garden both do a good selection of edible plants if you'd want to try some for Winston. I always buy from there as I'm not confident enough yet to go foraging myself

Jack's-Jane said:

You dont necessarily have to cut out any veg completely, just to not feed it daily and only feed a small portion. Herbs that are OK to feed to Rabbits include:
Coriander (seems to be a big favourite)
Basil
Flat leaf parsley
Mint
Dill
Oregano
Rosemary

Then there is edible wild plants and herbs eg:

Clover
Plantain
Coltsfoot
Dandelion
Rose petals
Lavender
Bramble leaves (Blackberry/Raspberry etc)

Also, leaves and twigs from apple/pear trees.

Twigs (parsnipbun on here) has written a very informative book about Foraging for Rabbits

http://shop.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/product/foraging-for-rabbits-by-twigs-way/

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Scrappy's Little Helper said:

Hi ImoT :wave: Glad Winston has perked up

Hay Experts and Galens Garden both do a good selection of edible plants if you'd want to try some for Winston. I always buy from there as I'm not confident enough yet to go foraging myself

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Thank you. I shall get a Rosemary plant and oregano plant to add to my collection when I got food shopping! We are also planning on getting a lavender plant for the garden so I will introduce him to that once we get it!

I don't really feel confident enough to go out foraging myself. I do have lots of dried forage from the hay experts and rosewood ranges, so I may up the amount of those and decrease the amount of veg. We do have an apple tree in the garden but have only just planted it so I'll have to wait a while before I can give him sticks from that!