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Advice please - won't eat pellets, otherwise fine

sierra*323

Mama Doe
Hello,

For the past few nights Tango has refused his pellets. I have plenty of experience of stasis (unfortunately) and I don't think this is it - he is bright, active, happily eats grass/hay/greens and is passing feaces. He had a dental a few weeks ago so there should be no issues there.

I would have assumed there must be something wrong with the pellets but my other pair are scoffing them as greedily as usual! Tango's partner Finx is rushing out to eat them, having her share and then leaving the rest once she realises she has no competition.

Any ideas?

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I would get his teeth checked out again. My dental bunnies stop eating hard (Burgess type) pellets first. The softer ones (Supreme Science Selective) get picked out in preference. A few weeks is long enough for spurs to regrow and start causing issues - maybe pain on eating or sharp bits cutting into soft tissue. If it is dental, maybe monitor for a while. If he is maintaining his weight, eating hay / grass and poo is normal, it may not need immediate attention - your vet would be able to advise on what to do.

It may equally be something totally unrelated. Maybe monitor for a few days and get him checked out next week if there is no improvement, or sooner if things deteriorate?
 
Hello,

For the past few nights Tango has refused his pellets. I have plenty of experience of stasis (unfortunately) and I don't think this is it - he is bright, active, happily eats grass/hay/greens and is passing feaces. He had a dental a few weeks ago so there should be no issues there.

I would have assumed there must be something wrong with the pellets but my other pair are scoffing them as greedily as usual! Tango's partner Finx is rushing out to eat them, having her share and then leaving the rest once she realises she has no competition.

Any ideas?

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Sorry to hear about Tango. They do worry us!

It does usually indicate something going on - can you try other dried food, or another bag of pellets? maybe something has just put him off those ones in particular. He could've got a 'bad un' in there maybe?

If his teeth were an issue I would expect him to still be eating his dried food - it's a crunching up and down movement for the teeth which is easier with dental issues than a side to side grind of hay or grass ...
 
Tango had parsley, kale and hay for breakfast but wouldn't touch pellets. I offered him some hay experts treat things and he ate one but didn't want a second.

I've booked a vet appointment for this evening just in case there's some deeper reason 😟
Feeling worried!

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Thanks! Here he is eating a dandelion earlier this week 😊
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Tango had parsley, kale and hay for breakfast but wouldn't touch pellets. I offered him some hay experts treat things and he ate one but didn't want a second.

I've booked a vet appointment for this evening just in case there's some deeper reason 😟
Feeling worried!

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Vibes for Tango. I hope you get to the reason behind this :)
 
Thanks. Maybe 3 weeks? Definitely not a month. He has had 3 in total, about 4 months apart.

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That's interesting, do we know why that is?
Will make sure they're checked, will be there soon.

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That's interesting, do we know why that is?
Will make sure they're checked, will be there soon.

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My theory is that it hurts more to crunch down on hard pellets than to chew hay/soft food.

Also, have a feel along his mandible for any lumps and bumps. Pain from elongated tooth roots and/or dental abscesses can make a Rabbit go off pellets x
 
That's interesting, do we know why that is?
Will make sure they're checked, will be there soon.

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Pain in rabbits will stop them from eating full stop. But you say he's fine apart from not eating pellets?
Sounds mysterious as eating pellets is usually the easiest thing for a rabbit - that and soft food etc
 
He always starts eating hay and greens before pellets when recovering from any aneasthetic etc. He's just doing it backwards, which is odd.
Been to the vets, there were no obvious issues. His teeth aren't sharp, his tummy isn't doughy, nothing out of the ordinary. He's had metacam just in case and emeprid for gut stimulation, and I have some for the next few days if needed. Just need to monitor him and hope it does the trick ☹

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He always starts eating hay and greens before pellets when recovering from any aneasthetic etc. He's just doing it backwards, which is odd.
Been to the vets, there were no obvious issues. His teeth aren't sharp, his tummy isn't doughy, nothing out of the ordinary. He's had metacam just in case and emeprid for gut stimulation, and I have some for the next few days if needed. Just need to monitor him and hope it does the trick ☹

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Hope he's right as rain, and stops worrying you too much very soon :D
 
An update - Tango is still not interested in pellets but is squabbling over handfuls of grass with his partner and scoffed some herby forage hay and dried blackcurrant leaves for dinner last night.
He is pooing smaller and darker than usual but not misshapen or tiny.
I have metacam and emeprid left but he is fighting them - usually the point at which he's bright enough to fight meds is when I know I'm safe to start phasing them out.
I'm just waiting and monitoring, really not sure what else to do!

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An update - Tango is still not interested in pellets but is squabbling over handfuls of grass with his partner and scoffed some herby forage hay and dried blackcurrant leaves for dinner last night.
He is pooing smaller and darker than usual but not misshapen or tiny.
I have metacam and emeprid left but he is fighting them - usually the point at which he's bright enough to fight meds is when I know I'm safe to start phasing them out.
I'm just waiting and monitoring, really not sure what else to do!

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Exactly what I would do :D

It sounds like he's doing well. Grass makes smaller and darker poos anyway than hay. That's OK. You're keeping an eye and that's the main thing.

Good luck for today xx
 
An update - Tango is still not interested in pellets but is squabbling over handfuls of grass with his partner and scoffed some herby forage hay and dried blackcurrant leaves for dinner last night.
He is pooing smaller and darker than usual but not misshapen or tiny.
I have metacam and emeprid left but he is fighting them - usually the point at which he's bright enough to fight meds is when I know I'm safe to start phasing them out.
I'm just waiting and monitoring, really not sure what else to do!

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If your Vets are open this morning I'd give them a call to update them and ask their advice as to ongoing medication. Eating grass can make poo darker, but it should not make the poo smaller/less in quantity. So you are wise to keep a close eye on 'output'. It's a BH weekend, so calling your Vet this morning might mean avoiding the cost of an OOH Consultation.

I hope that Tango will return to his normal eating soon xx
 
Vet advised to persevere with the meds and monitoring, give him a little time given that he's still eating and passing something but call them if he stops doing either or if I'm worried about anything else.

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