Suddenly becoming a fussy eater

Hi all,

In October last year (4 and a bit months ago) we adopted a rabbit of approx 8 months old after someone found he didn’t get on with the other rabbits they had. He lives on his own in a small room inside our house and we let him out to run around the living room for a couple of hours each day.

When he was ready to go away after his run around we would then give him some pellets from Pets at Home as well as top up hay and water. When we would wake up in the morning and check up on him I would always find all the pellets gone and a dent made into the bundle of hay that was put out the night before.

Earlier this week I noticed that he had barely eaten any pellets however eaten the same amount of hay as normal. I didn’t top up the pellets that night but did do the hay and water, and the next morning the pellets still hasn’t been noticeably touched. Thinking they had gone stale I threw them away, and topped up his bowl with a fresh lot of the same pellets. Again, the next day he had not touched them.

Getting a bit worried now, I tried giving him some tips off carrots and some cut up celery and I found he would take them out of my hand like he always used to. I then bought a completely different food thinking maybe he has gone off pellets. This is described as a “museli fibre mix” which has dried carrots, split peas, and some pellets. He will eat the coloured items and just ignores the pellets.

Can anyone recommend what to do? There’s an independent pet shop nearby that will just sell the coloured stuff like split peas and dried carrots, but I’m not sure if this will give the nutrients he needs. Hopefully someone can advise.

Someone much more knowledgeable will be along shortly, but buns must eat and poo to keep their tummies working. As long as he is eating and pooing I would not unduly worry. If he stops eating (or pooing) it's time for a trip to your nearest rabbit savvy vet.
The muesli mix is no longer recommended, you should stick to the pellets. He doesn't NEED a huge amount of these, I think the recommended is an eggcup a day. My buns are a tadge overweight, so they have a couple of pellets each a day
If you are not sure where your nearest rabbit savvy vet is pop a post up with the title " Rabbit Savvy Vet near (insert your town or county)

Richard
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Is he still eating the same volume of hay? I would recommend having a rabbit savvy vet check his teeth. As Motty said, muesli feed is not recommended. It might be worth trying him on some different pellets, as he may have gone off the pets at home ones. I used to use excel pellets but now feed my rabbits fibafirst sticks, hay and forage. It is better for them to eat lots of hay, and just an egg cup full of pellets daily.

Any change in habits should start to ring alarm bells - so well spotted.

Firstly, I would keep an eye on his poo output - is it the same size, shape and colour as normal? The quantity? Is he drinking the same amount as usual?
Any change in output would indicate a significant change in eating pattern. Weight loss is another indicator (weigh weekly to check). Sometimes refusing just pellets is a sign that the teeth need looking at by a vet. Some pellets are very hard and any problems in the mouth will make it painful to eat them. Will he eat the pellets if they are softened with water?

Muesli mix is not recommended - rabbits may selectively feed and not get a balanced diet from it, as you have found. Supreme Science Selective pellets are not as hard as the Pets at Home ones, so it may be worth trying a small pack of that. Pellets should only form a small part of the diet - so having no pellets at all shouldn't be an issue for a young, healthy rabbit - it is the sudden change that needs investigating. If his poo decreases in size / quantity or is no longer round, he needs an urgent trip to the vet as the guts are affected and it could lead to stasis, which requires quite a lot of hands-on treatment and top up feeding.

Thanks for the replies folks.

Will try and leave him back on the pellets (it’s a relief to hear that as he isn’t even a quarter of the way through his bag!) Only tried museli because he just totally stopped eating.

Still seems to be eating hay and drinking water.

I got him on his back yesterday as I noticed the poo, which whilst still coming out doesn’t seem as frequent as before. There was a bit stuck on his fur underneath so I’m taking him to the vet urgently. I did clean it off with wet kitchen roll and as soon as I’d finished drying it he ran off for some food, but still isn’t eating as much as before.

def sounds like a teeth issue sending good vibes for your bun xx

Hi all

Thanks for all the messages. Just thought I’d drop by and give an update. As soon as he stopped eating his food he started again; I just woke up on Monday morning and the food bowl was empty and he’s back to eating the original nuggets we bought him.

Decided to not go into the vet as everything seems back to normal and he’s been hopping and flipping himself sideways around the living room!

Thank you for the update, you must have been very relieved to see him back to normal

Richard

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This is the very best outcome