Anorexic Rabbit

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claraD

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Hey, im new to the forum😊. I have an adorable, black, 2 year old Havana rabbit, her name is Cinder. Recently she hasn't been eating as much as usual. She gets as much hay as she wants and 1/3 cup of pellets, each day. With, of course, water, which is always available. She barely eats anything and only eats when no one is around. I think it may be stress but I don't k ow for sure. Any ideas on how to help her gain weight and to eat better. Or what's causing it?
 
How does her poop look? How long has she been eating less? Ours have gone 1-2 days eating less than usual but then go back to normal eating. It hasn't caused problems yet. If it's been more than that you should probably get a vet to look at her.

When ours are under some stress (like traveling) we will add a little plain rolled oats to their pellets.
 
It's been a little over a week but she does eat more when it's quite and no one's home yet she's still so skinny it worries me. I don't have a vet in my location that takes rabbits
 
Her poop is smaller than usual and she hasn't been pooping as much but it's mot mishaped
 
I would stop the pellets and give lots of hay (different kinds, like second crop, timothy...) and wet leafy greens until the poop gets back to normal. If you don't give her greens at all, don't stop giving pellets entirely but give a lot less of them (and you should begin to introduce vegetables when she gets better). Her guts are slow, she needs fibers and hydratation to make them move. If it doesn't get better after a few days, I would take her to the vet - she'll probably need a gut stimulant like Reglan / Emeprid to help them and it will be a good occasion to make sure there isn't an underlaying condition causing the anorexia. The risk if she eats less and less is GI stasis and the guts stopping completely. At this point, you'll have a real problem. Keep an eye on your rabbit and empty the litterbox often to be able to watch her poop : if the poop gets really tiny, or worse stops, or that your rabbit stops eating staying hunched (sitting in a 'hen' position), you'll need to get her to a vet immediately. Stasis is treatable, but only if you react very quickly. As a side note, you should think about spaying your bunny. You were asked if she was spayed because a lot of issues are caused by hormones - phantom pregnancies, pyometras, mastitis and ovarian / uterine cancer which can appear very early on and are a 80% risk at around 5 years. I hope she'll be back to normal quickly!
 
You are going to need to find a vet that is experienced with rabbits. Her reduced appetite may have to do with dental issues such as molar spurs causing mouth ulceration when she chews, making it so she is reluctant to eat very much. If so, then the teeth need to be filed or burred down by a vet or your rabbits condition will continue to deteriorate. Teeth are the likely culprit when a rabbit will still eat a little bit but not very well, though it's possible this is being caused by some other health condition. But to continue to not eat well for this amount of time usually means it's not a simple upset stomach and that it's usually something more serious that requires vet intervention.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/D_problems1.htm
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/AcquiredMolarAbnRabbits.htm

http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

In the meantime, some rabbits with dental problems will be more inclined to eat soft foods. You can try moistening her pellets in warm water to make them into a mush, and see if she will eat that better. Or you can buy a rabbit recovery mix called Oxbow Critical Care(I would suggest the apple/banana flavor) to make into a mush for her to eat, either on her own or you may need to start syringe feeding her several times a day so she doesn't continue to worsen. It's very important that she gets enough nutrition each day, even if she has to be syringe fed by you, or this reduced appetite could start to affect her liver if it hasn't already, and she could get very sick.
 
Ok thank u so much, I'll try to find a vet by my location.
 
m sorry to inform u all that cinder didn't make it and died last night, I believe it was because of a heart issue as that's what my vet told me when i called him this morning. Thank u for all your help though and I wish the best of luck and love to u and all your furry babies♥️
 

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