Bunny off his food this morning

[Katie94]

Hi,

I went to feed the bunnies this morning and noticed that Eden didn’t want his pellets but he did run to the front of the cage as normal. I have since tried offering some greens and grass but still no real interest other than sniffing it. I know he was last eating about midnight when I went to bed but not sure exactly when he stopped. When should I take him to the vet if things don’t improve? I’m also not comfortable to force feed or give anything without seeking vet advice first even if that means an emergency appointment over the weekend.

 

[Hermelin]

Observe how he acts for a few hours (1 to 3 hours) and if he still not eating take him to the vet. If it turns out he last ate sometime during night, he should soon start to act with troubles. So you can wait and observe if you don’t want to force feed anything. Sometimes massaging the stomach can help but should only been done if it’s not a lot of bloating. A heavy bloating it’s the vet that should handle.

How do the stomach feel, do it feel a bit like a ballon or swelled, he can have a bit of gas in the stomach. As long he haven’t been eating anything weird that cause blockage or have a heavy molting which also can cause blockage.

 

[Diane R]

As you don't know when he last ate and it could be almost 12 hours this is a serious emergency. Vet now. Make sure they do a blood glucose test for blockage, give fluids and painkiller and (if no blockage) gut stimulants. Also, insist on having painkiller and gut stimulants to give at home. Get them to check teeth (although as it will be an emergency vet I'm not confident they will know what bunny teeth should look like). Hope he feels better soon.

 

[Katie94]

Turns out it was gas again he had an episode of this before in March. It wasn’t obvious straight away as he looked normal apart from not eating his breakfast but shortly after I made the post he started doing the belly pressing and shifting uncomfortably. Started doing belly massage as that worked last time it took a couple of hours but by 3pm he was pretty much back to normal like nothing happened and eating all his food up. I don’t know if he’s just more prone to gas or has a more sensitive stomach than the other bunnies as we have 4 but the other 3 all have the same life style and diet and haven’t had this issue before. I might have to cut out all gassy veggies for him maybe just in case.

 

[Diane R]

Glad he's perked up! Maybe stick to herbs (small quantities).

 

[Hermelin]

Some bunnies are more prone to gas problems. One of my boys can easily get gas and I know the signs when it start to get worse. So cutting back on greens will help, I also know when he have eaten too much greens. I will just give a few drops of baby gas drops diluted in the water as a way to hinder before the gas would start. For me it happens always during summer time when my bunnies get to spend more time outdoors.

But it was good he became normal after having gas troubles

 

[Blue eyes]

I've had individual rabbits that would be more prone to gas too. I'd suggest keeping simethicone (baby gas drops) on hand. At the first sign (like what you described from this morning) offer the gas drops. They are harmless to rabbits but effective against gas.

The simethicone would be my go-to at the first signs with my rabbit that was prone. Usually one dose would be enough to get him feeling well again.

The dosage is 1-2cc per hour for 3 hours, then 1cc every 3-8 hours as needed.

 

[Katie94]

@Blue eyes Thank you that’s really helpful I’m going to purchase some gas drops now this has happened twice so I can be more prepared in case it happens again, the brand of gas drops we have here is called infacol.