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Pipp

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I have arescue bun, here-- a year old neutered male -- who is quite the pig when it comes to his food. He honks and grunts and generally gets frantic and inhales his pellets and veggies. He's constantly eating hay. I was fixing up his pellet mix (they gets three different brands) and just to keep him happy while he was waiting, he got a three inch piece of celery with all or most of the strings taken off. (Pipp got anotherother inchfrom the same piece).Before that he had been munching on some hay.

Five minutes later I came in with the pellets, and he was cowering behind the door -- totally out of character. He kept shakinghis head, a sharp back and forth shake, not scanning or anything weird. His ears looked fine.

He had no interest in the pellets (worrisome) and when I got him his favourite, a piece of pear, wouldn't even sniff it (frightening). He took off under the bed. I saw himstretch out on his stomach, and get up again, and he shook his head a few more times. I retrieved him and put him in his cage with the top on it (he's normally free run, but uses the cage bottom for food and litter). He did the bunny loaf thing, sat there dead still,glassy-eyed, and seemingly cold.

I was looking for a vet -- this of course being5:30 PM on a Saturday, which has ALWAYS been the time for my bunnies to get sick -- thinking it was going to have to be the emergency clinicwhich isvery reluctant to see rabbits. The rescue place he came from recommended waiting until their own vet was around the next morning, so I figured I'dwatchhim for a bit before making the decision.

He stayed like that for a couple of hours, then I went to check on him, he had jumped out the top of his cage -- and the piece of pear was gone.:) Within a few minutes, he was munching on his pellets. Within an hour, he was back to being the same old little piggie I know and love.

All I can think of is that he got something stuck in his system somewhere -- a piece of hay or something?Can't imagine the celery doing that. Or it could be something totally unrelated to food, I don't know.

Anybody have this experience before?


SAS

 
Sounds scary! I've never had that happen. I'm wondering if he got a celery string caught in his throat as that's happened to me before. Sorry I can't help more than that.
 
Maybe a piece of celery didn't go down right ...or got caught in his teeth:?.

~Jim
 
I have to say that I have had this happen. About 18 months ago Perry kept flopping, wouldn't eat, and seemed like he just couldn't get comfortable. He kept getting up, moving somewhere else, flopping or laying at full stretch, and kept repeating it. Like you, I was pretty frantic, rang the vet and took him there within 2hours. By the time we got there, he was fine :?. The vet gave him a thorough check over and couldn't find anything wrong. As soon as we got home, he was eating fine and running around.

Since then, this has happened 5 or 6 times. It usually lasts an hour or two, then he's back to normal. I haven't been back to the vet about this (although he has been at other times for vaccinations etc, and always checks out fine). I now try to gently rub his tummy, or just try and keep him calm and quiet when it happens.

Strangely, Pernod has been like this maybe once or twice (not at the same time) then she recovers as well. The vet is as bemused as we are,so if anyone can give any insight, it would be welcome :)

Jan
 
I was thinking gas/bloating too - but not quite sure why he would shake his head...
I would steer clear of the celery, as I thought it was on the HRS 'don't feed' list, but I may be wrong.
It may have gotten stuck in his throat.
Hope he stays OK from now on!
 
So far, no repeat attacks, luckily (thanks for asking Bunnydude).

Sfritzp, I think celery (which isn't the most nutritious veggie,anyway) is recommended if you remove the strings,which I did,but maybe not well enough?He hadeaten celery before and didn't have a reaction. I think if I give it to him again, I'll make sure its slicedup into little pieces.

SAS

(Pipp doesn't like him much and declines to participate in this thread)

sfritzp wrote:
I would steer clear of the celery, as I thought it was on the HRS 'don't feed' list, but I may be wrong.
It may have gotten stuck in his throat.
 

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