Could he be home sick or heart broken? (RIP)

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Stone_family3

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, Ohio, USA
I have taken in an elderly neighbor's Lop eared rabbit. He is about 6 years old and was over weight when I got him. The neighbor went into a nursing home and his care giver asked if I could take the rabbit.

I put him on a normal pellet with occasional fresh produce treats. I did have to cage him (he had free roam of a 500+ sq ft house).

I've had him for about two weeks and he was never really active, but now he doesn't want to move and has stopped eating.
 
is he getting hay? hay is really important for their digestive systems.

if he's not eating, he's got GI stasis which could be caused by any number of things... a blockage, a hairball, gas, etc.

he's probably going to need a vet trip... how long has it been since he ate?

between now and the vet trip, the important things to do are to make him comfortable and to get some food in him. also, is he drinking water still?

metacam if you have it (pain killer from vets)/baby aspirin if you don't will help with any pain he's experiencing.
dosing info: http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Analgesics/safe_analgesics.htm

for feeding him, you'll need a syringe...
I'm guessing you don't have any critical care food (also comes from the vet), but you can make your own pellet slurry. mix pellets with some water (or pedialyte)... if you have a mortar and pestle, you can grind them up a bit first to make it easier to mix later. microwave for a couple minutes and then let sit for 5-10 mins so the pellets can "fluff". mix well, adding more water if needed to get it to a pudding-like consistency, then syringe feed. you may need to cut the tip off the syringe and use a pen or something to widen the opening a little if the pellet slurry is a little chunky.

you can also try feeding canned pumpkin (plain, not the pie filling kind) or watering it down a little and syringing it, or syringing fruit or squash flavored baby food. either of these could also be mixed in with the pellet slurry to make it tastier.

(if he's not drinking much and/or if you're giving a fair amount of pellet slurry, you'll want to syringe some water as well. I *highly* recommend wrapping him in a towel for this because it gets messy.)

when syringe-feeding, you want to aim for the gap between the front and back teeth and always squirt the food/liquid in *sideways* - never straight back, as you don't want him to accidentally inhale some.

great video on syringe feeding: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iGZVYVm5Bg[/ame]

another thing you can try is simethicone (over the counter infant gas drops) - 1-2cc per hour for 3 hours, then 1cc every 3-8h as needed. depending on the cause of the stasis, the simethicone may or may not help, but it's incredibly safe for bunnies so at the very least, it won't hurt.
 
Been about 12 ish hours, he does have hay and plenty of fresh grass and dandelions to nibble on as his leisure.

I'll try some canned pumpkin, he is still drinking water.

He was used to being free roam and sleeping with his previous owner, he was always with him which is why I was wondering if maybe he was depressed.
 
it's possible he's depressed... regardless of the cause, though, not eating for 12+ hours is considered a medical emergency with rabbits as their "grazer" nature means their digestive systems need to be constantly going.

is he still getting out for 4-5h a day even if he's not free roam? also, are you able to let him out for a bit now and maybe encourage him to hop around a bit even though he probably doesn't feel like it? movement/exercise can help with gut motility.

out of curiosity, how big is his cage and what sort of toys does he have?

also, is he neutered and if so, is getting him a spayed female companion something you'd be willing to consider? most bunnies are happier if kept in pairs, especially if he's no longer super-bonded to a human like he used to be. many shelters allow "bunny dating" and can help you pick a good friend to match him with. (I'm not saying he can't be happy as a solo bunny if you're not comfortable with the idea of getting another one, just that it often helps if that's an idea you'd be open to)
 
Yes he still has the opportunity to get out and roam about for the day light hours, the cage is a rather large one 4'x3'

He's not fixed, but I've been looking for a companion for him with no luck :(

I'll try making a slurry and getting him to eat. Thanks so much. I hope it is not too late
 
well, it definitely depends on the underlying cause, but if you can get him eating a bit and get him to a vet in the morning, he's got a good chance of making it through.

unfortunately, he'd have to be fixed to have a companion, as hormones can cause vicious fighting :(

here's a really good article on toys - perhaps some new ones would pique his interest a bit: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/toys.html

a lot of stuff is quite inexpensive... cardboard boxes and concrete forms from a hardware store (ie tunnels) are great to play in. hard plastic baby toys are good - keys to toss, links hung in his cage to swing around. you can find good stuff at dollar stores sometimes - plastic slinkies, whiffle balls, cat balls, untreated wicker baskets, etc.

a stuffed animal to snuggle with if he's not interested in chewing on it could be good as well.

my bunnies' favorites:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sportpet-Cat-Cat-Play-Cube-1-ct/10532707 (cubes that you can connect together, they're about $4 each)
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4199423
http://www.petco.com/product/6558/Petco-Ferret-Fun-Ball-And-Wagon-Wheel.aspx?CoreCat=MM_Ferret_Toys (they like the wagon wheel one)
http://www.petco.com/product/116627/WARE-Fun-Tunnel-for-Small-Animals.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch
http://www.petco.com/product/118000/Petco-Blue-And-White-Crinkle-Tunnel-for-Cats.aspx (they love the way it crinkles and it's 2' longer than the ones at walmart)
homemade cardboard box mazes
nala also likes plastic spooons if I sit there and hand one to her and then fetch it after she tosses it
 
Thanks everyone the neighbor said he was an elderly rabbit so that could have also been a factor.
 

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