Lethargic and not eating as much

[Shubox]

I know in general this problem is because of tooth spurs and statis, but I wanted to get more info.

My rabbit Holiday is a 9 month old unspayed female. She started to mark recently and pick fights with her brother (he's neutered). On the same day she started acting up she also started eating less. She'd leave her pellets and veggies to explore the room instead. She was still pooping and acting lively so I just figured she was just more focused on securing her territory. She still eats hay, but not as much, and her poops were normal, but she wasnt making as many. I had a check up with a vet to prep her for her spay soon and he said as far as he could tell she seemed healthy and didn't have tooth spurs, though he couldnt get a great look because she was wiggling. I decide to think nothing of her food issues, but I get home today and there were two or three "double poops" were in her cage along with some hairy ones, and she seems more lethargic


Is this common for unaltered rabbits that complete puberty? Does she just have hair in her system? Is it unsafe to get her spayed in two days? I fed her some veg and extra green hay and I'm now waiting to see what her poops are like.

 

[JBun]

It sounds more like she is experiencing digestive upset, possibly due to the motility being slowed down due to ingested fur and not enough fiber pushing it through. Or if you have recently introduced any new foods, that could also be contributing to stomach upset. Not feeling well can also cause unusual changes of behavior, so that might be an explanation for the grumpiness with her brother, or it could be hormones, or a combo of both.

If she is still eating enough, I would concentrate on feeding hay(refresh throughout the day) and non starch veggies(preferably sticking with ones she's used to), and reduce or barely feed pellets. Pellets have carbs in them, which slows the digestive tract, so you want lots of fiber and moisture which the hay and veggies would provide. Doing this though, it's important to keep a close eye on hay and veggie consumption, to make sure enough is being eaten.

If she isn't eating at all or very much now, you may need to get her to the vet tonight or at least by morning. Rabbits shouldn't go more than 12-24 hours without eating/eating enough, or if bloated or having true diarrhea(not just mushy cecals) that's an emergency and you need to get to the vet immediately. When I have a rabbit that stops eating and it's not yet an emergency situation(not yet been 12 hours, no bloat, no diarrhea), I will usually try some baby gas drops first to see if that helps, though it will only help if the lack of appetite is in part being caused by gas pain(dosage info in link).
https://rabbit.org/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer-2/

I would reschedule the spay. You don't want her going into surgery already having problems with her digestion slowed down, as post surgery it can sometimes be a challenge to get them eating and their digestion moving again.

ETA: There's no way she's pregnant is there? She was kept separate from her brother at least 6 weeks post neuter, and/or it's been more than 35 days since his neuter?

 

[JBun]

These are two good articles that help explain a rabbits digestive function and common problems that can occur, like slowed motility due to too much ingested fur and not enough indigestible fiber(from coarse hay) to move it through.
https://rabbit.org/sluggish-motility-in-the-gastrointestinal-tract-2/
https://rabbit.org/disorders-of-the-cecum/

 

[Shubox]

It sounds more like she is experiencing digestive upset, possibly due to the motility being slowed down due to ingested fur and not enough fiber pushing it through. Or if you have recently introduced any new foods, that could also be contributing to stomach upset. Not feeling well can also cause unusual changes of behavior, so that might be an explanation for the grumpiness with her brother, or it could be hormones, or a combo of both.

If she is still eating enough, I would concentrate on feeding hay(refresh throughout the day) and non starch veggies(preferably sticking with ones she's used to), and reduce or barely feed pellets. Pellets have carbs in them, which slows the digestive tract, so you want lots of fiber and moisture which the hay and veggies would provide. Doing this though, it's important to keep a close eye on hay and veggie consumption, to make sure enough is being eaten.

If she isn't eating at all or very much now, you may need to get her to the vet tonight or at least by morning. Rabbits shouldn't go more than 12-24 hours without eating/eating enough, or if bloated or having true diarrhea(not just mushy cecals) that's an emergency and you need to get to the vet immediately. When I have a rabbit that stops eating and it's not yet an emergency situation(not yet been 12 hours, no bloat, no diarrhea), I will usually try some baby gas drops first to see if that helps, though it will only help if the lack of appetite is in part being caused by gas pain(dosage info in link).
https://rabbit.org/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer-2/

I would reschedule the spay. You don't want her going into surgery already having problems with her digestion slowed down, as post surgery it can sometimes be a challenge to get them eating and their digestion moving again.

ETA: There's no way she's pregnant is there? She was kept separate from her brother at least 6 weeks post neuter, and/or it's been more than 35 days since his neuter?

Thanks for all the info! I had no idea rabbits could take gas drops for babies. She's perked up a bit since I posted and she's been running and binkying, so she seems fine for now. I also ran by the store to get some better quality hay so hopefully she eats more tonight. I'm hoping the odd eating habits are just because of hormones. I'll ask my vet what he thinks about putting off her surgery