Got back from trip and rabbit's weird — really worried

[ams1786]

I just got back from traveling for nearly a week. Live with parents so there was no change in care/location/diet when I was away. When I got back bun was really aloof with me. I found her flopped in one of her favorite spots and went to pet her and I noticed she appeared extremely thin. She's usually a bit chubby, but her waist was very defined, almost as if it was constricted or the muscles were contracted, which I've never seen before and freaked me out. I offered her some food, and she would take it, and then ran away from me to another favorite spot to flop. When I went there to pet her, again noticing how thin she appeared, she ran into her castle (where she knows no one can reach her) and is now camped out there. Every time I try to pet her she pulls away. I offered her some of her favorite food and she won't touch it, which is HIGHLY unusual. I am now very worried about both her appearance and behavior. I checked with parent and she was totally fine today, and was seen eating/drinking about two hours ago. Does anyone have any guidance? I've dealt with stasis before but in that case she was bloated and gurgly and it was very clearly stasis. Right now she looks so thin I'm not sure what to think. Her behavior is also very concerning as, while during stasis she is still herself just in pain, right now it's like she doesn't even recognize me. I know this sounds crazy, but is it possible she's just being super mad at me for leaving? In the past when she's mad she won't take a treat from my hand and I have to leave it on the floor and walk away, but never like this. Other things I've thought of are that it's hot — AC is on but she always gets weird in heat regardless, it's as if she can feel it in the air even inside — but she looks so thin. I've tried Googling and nothing showed up — would appreciate any input, esp re: suddenly emaciated waist.

 

[JBun]

The important thing is to verify she is eating, drinking, and pooping. If she won't take food from you, see if she will take it from whoever was feeding her while you were gone, maybe offer her favorite treat. Rabbits can sometimes get upset at us for leaving them or can even start to forget us and may react negatively when we return. If she is eating, next check water. If she drinks from a bottle they can sometimes malfunction so try offering her a dish of water instead. A rabbit that can't get enough water also won't eat very well. Next check her most recent poop and see if there is anything abnormal about it or if it is smaller than usual(which would be an indicator of decreased food consumption), or if she hasn't pooped at all recently.

If you can verify she is eating, drinking, and pooping, next you need to check that she has been eating her usual amounts, including hay amounts, while you've been gone. If she hasn't, that can explain the weight loss. Rabbits can get stressed when their usual caretaker is away and this can affect their eating, even to the point of making them very sick. Or it could be there is an underlying health problem causing the weight loss.

If your bun isn't eating normal amounts and doesn't pick up eating normally or has stopped eating, the weight loss can't be explained by not eating as well with you gone or the weight loss seems severe, then I would want her seen by a good rabbit vet right away. If you have any concerns about her not doing well, have her seen by a vet right away.

 

[Akzholedent]

Besides the weight concern, she's probably just ticked that you left her for a week. After I returned from vacation, Pippi was so mad, she bit a chunk out of my finger.

 

[bee96x]

My bunny is doing literally the same thing under the same circumstance (I came back off holiday a few days ago) I noticed he lost a bit of weight when I came back, but today I've noticed he's become really thin. He is still eating, drinking and pooping as normal, but like yours he is also just sat in the corner looking really sad! How is yours doing? Any changes?

 

[Aki]

The bunny not wanting you to come near her sounds pretty normal to me, I wouldn't hound her, leave the food on the floor or wherever she is used to eating and keep an eye on her.
Losing weight is a completely different can of worms. Also, your parents said she was fine but are you sure you can trust their judgement? My parents like my rabbits and cared for them when I was away when I was still living with them but they didn't know them like I did and didn't know much about rabbits - I wouldn't have taken their word on the rabbit's well-being.
Do you know your rabbit's usual weight? If you do, you have to weight your rabbit to check that she really has lost weight and how much (just weight her carrying her in your arms or in a pet carrier before weighting yourself without the rabbit or the empty carrier). Leave different foods around and watch her to check if she's eating. Like other people said, also clean the litterbox to check if she is pooping and if the poops look normal (round, full of hay, hydrated).
Loosing weight is a pretty alarming sign in a rabbit and it could hint at all kinds of problems. If she isn't eating / pooping normally, or that she really has lost a significant amount of weight, I would go to the vet for a check up.

 

[ams1786]

Thanks all. She still wouldn't eat last night but I offered her the TINIEST piece of her favorite human food (corn chips — of course she never ever is given these but she usually tries her best to steal them and I was desperate to make sure she was eating) and she reluctantly accepted, so I felt comfortable turning in. This morning I found her eating hay and drinking, and some of her pellets were gone. Now she seems almost back to normal appetite-wise, though it's just a little bit decreased, and has even let me pet her a bit. It's possible she just had a few hours of stomach upset last night, but maybe she really just was throwing a fit? She's still a bit off/low energy, but she's shedding and it's hot out which both make her grumpy. I will be keeping a very close eye on her, and spending time with her. She also seems slender but not as skinny as last night — maybe she doesn't get as many (bunny-safe, healthy, non-corn chip) snacks when I'm not here? Thank you all for the help, in any case.

 

[Akzholedent]

Grains are absolutely terrible for rabbits. They can't digest them.

Since she's eating and such, I figure she was just being sassy because you left her with other people. Obviously, you pay more attention to her than your parents do, so she was probably just trying to get bunny revenge.