Is my rabbit sulking or unwell?

[BridgetandAlfie]

My rabbit Bridget has been acting strange all day. When I got up at 7am she didn't run over to get her breakfast as soon as she saw me like she usually does. Instead I had to go and find her and eventually found her right in the far corner of the balcony, an area that she doesn't usually spend time in. I called to come for breakfast, but she just ignored me and looked like she was sulking. I them noticed wet patches on the tiles around her, and when I looked at the litter tray I realised her back paws were drenched in pee. I had run out of kitty litter the previous day so decided to line their litter tray with kitchen paper until my shopping was delivered the following day. I've done this once before with no problem.i" however this time it had only been there for around 12 hours and was already saturated, hence the soggy paws. I thought this was the reason for her bad mood so I picked her up and gently washed the paws with a damp cloth then gently rubbed them dry. It's now 6pm, so 11 hours later and she is still in the corner sulking. Her paws are dry and there's no smell of urine, so now I'm worried she's actually sick because she won't touch her food, even carrots and kale which are her favourite foods ever. Is this normal or should I be seriously concerned? I've been at work all day so can't be sure if she's eaten or been to the bathroom since I've been out. This is what she's been like all day: View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1433757011.444613.jpg

 

[JBun]

Yes you need to be concerned. A rabbit that won't eat for even a few hours, usually means there is something wrong with them. Lethargy and sitting hunched up in a corner and not wanting to move, is also a sign of a sick rabbit. It's considered an emergency when they have gone more than 12 hours without food. If your rabbit isn't back to normal and eating, I would get her to a rabbit vet immediately. She may have an intestinal obstruction or possibly a urinary problem. She will need pain medication in the least, and other appropriate meds for whatever is wrong with her.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

As a side note. You mentioned using kitty litter for her. In case you are using clumping type cat litter, just wanted to let you know that it is dangerous to use with rabbits and can lead to intestinal obstructions occurring.

 

[BridgetandAlfie]

Thanks, we went to the vet around 7pm and were given some food to syringe feed her with, she was also given pain relief and a hydration injection. As it was out of hours it wasn't a rabbit specialist vet so her knowledge wasn't great regarding rabbits. It's now 6am and she appears to be eating small amounts of hay, but there are zero poops in the litter tray. I use the paper kind not clumping. Going to take her back to the vets this afternoon to see the rabbit vet.

 

[PhoenixTheMiniLop]

Good luck I hope she is ok! Let us know how she goes after seeing the rabbit-savvy vet

 

[BridgetandAlfie]

We called the vet first thing this morning and they advised us to come in asap so we made an appointment for 8am. The vet was a rabbit specialist and said that she wasn't too concerned with the condition of Bridget, her gut sounds a little slow and she seems a little dehydrated. She said it would be best to keep her at the vets all day so they could monitor her and administer critical care and fluids to try and get her back on track. It's now 2:30pm and the vet just called to say that she's doing well and can go home this afternoon. She's still not eating very much independently but the vet thinks she might be being moody after being prodded poked and manhandled much over the last 2 days. She even nipped the vet which she never does, so I think the feistiness is a positive sign! Can't wait to pick her up, I'll be heading straight to the vets after work.

 

[JBun]

So glad to hear she's feeling a little bit better. Feistiness is definitely a good sign in a rabbit that's been sick.