Mr. Bun Bun's Change In Appetite.

[SablePoint]

For the past few days, my male 8 years old Holland Lop mix, M r. Bun Bun, has been eating alot less and ignores his treats now. I recently got him a new little friend, 8 week old Rocko, a m ale Dutch Rabbit! And M r. Bun Bun is very excited about him(I need to wait till Rocko gets larger cause Bun Bun keeps hum ping the poop guy)!

I will have to say Bun Bun sure ate alot when his buddy, Koga, a Minirex, pasted away in sept. 2009. So I'm confused weather I should com plain about the am m ount of his pellets he eats or not, just concerned, that's all.

There is M UCH less poop in is litter box. That concerns m e too. He's been going through this m ass shedding problem ever since Koga died. I can only guess that this is apart of his depression he got when Koga died.
Though I don't see any hair in his poop, I wonder if he's having an impact of hair in his digestive tract. Should I give him some pineapple juice?

But the thing that is really concerning m e is that he won't touch his treats. Not even his bunny salad( a dried salad m ixed with all types of yummy dried herbs and dried leaves I got from Rocko's breeder). He LOVED the bunny salad - now he just sits in it.:grumpy:

When I went to pick up Rocko from the breeder, I also made sure to pick up some of Bun Bun's most favorite hand crafted edible toys they make there.
Now he's not touching them anymore.

So far all he eats is dried fruit, smaller amounts of his pellets, and some nibbles of his hay.

I think that this problem may be caused of the new rabbit. Like behavior wise. Maybe he's so obsessed with him he won't eat. I dunno. I keep the rabbit cages away from each other now cause I want him to eat!

Other than the appetite issue, he acts fine. He's infact alot more livelier since I got him a new friend! Lots of buzzing and binkies.

Any answers for his eating problem would be deeply appreciated.

Regards,

SablePoint

 

[Tweetiepy]

Is it possible he's just stressed/preoccupied by his new friend? I'm going through the same thing but with the new unfixed bunny. I had the vet check it out and she said maybe he's a slow eater. His poops will be less if he eats less - is he still eating? Maybe he just has to re-adjust to his new friend.

 

[Maureen Las]

How is your bunny ?
is he eating and pooping normally.

Sounds like he was in a pre-stasis mode and would have benefited from simethicone for gas (1-2 ccs) , tummy rubs and then encouraging exercise to get things moving.

also would have helped to increase his fluids ..either add a little apple juice to his water bowl or actually given him some pedialyte per syringe.
several cc's of Pure fresh pineapple juice( not canned or frozen) several times per day also may help
A probiotic like benebac can also help the GI tract .

Serving wet fresh greens gives added fluids.

Refusng treats is often one of the first signs of stasis and a slowing down of the GI tract. I hope that he has improved since you first posted.

Let us know ....

 

[SablePoint]

He is eating alot better. He eats more pellets. I bought different treats this time - and of course he eats them. Those expensive yogurt drops, cause I can't find Loftys anywhere(those are his favorite). He still turns his nose up at the former treats. They're called "Parmesan Puffs." Well, at least Rocko eats them.
I just gave him some bunny salad and this time put it in his food bowel to keep it from being smashed. He nibbled on some.

He has become a real pain in the arse lately, being so obsessed with Rocko. He claws at the door of his cage, and chews at the wire. One time he was humping Rocko and as Rocko struggled to slip out of Bun Bun's grasp, he squealed. Untill Rocko is larger, the rabbits will only be able to see each other through the cage. Rocko's too small to be constantly humped by Bun Bun and I don't want him injured.

Sorry Mr. Bun Bun, you'll just have to wait. lol

Anyways, thanks for the replies guys! Yall have really help me out!

 

[Maureen Las]

If I were you I would gradually wean your bunny off treats like yogurt drops.


A rabbit most of all needs unlimited grass type hay (orchard grass, timothy , oat, brome etc) . Without the hay there is a greater chance that your rabbit will develop stasis and other GI issues.

A rabbit only needs a small amount of plain pellets (no nuts or seeds or colored chunks!) A rabbit about 5 lbs needs no more than 1/4 cup and maybe even less per day !

Rabbits need plenty of fresh water daily


A rabbit is just like a child. If a child is given candy and junk food they don't want to eat what is good for them. The cycle continues with the child refusing healthy foods and eating foods that have little nutrition.


When I stopped free feeding pellets to my adult rabbits they immediately began to eat a lot of hay; they view their daily pellet ration as a treat.

I also give a daily portion of greens to each rabbit; greens provide a lot of moisture, some fiber and most rabbits love them.

I hope that you can SLOWLY transistion your rabbit to a healthier diet..but you must do it slowly

 

[SablePoint]

Thank you. Regarding your previous with the simethicone, mI heard this on another site, I know nothing about it. How much does it cost? Can I find it in stores(like walmart)? What brand name is best?And I'm sorry if I sound stupid - but what does "cc" mean?

I don't have enough money for the Savvy, the exam is already over-priced($45!)and my parents are ones who will only take pets to a vet if they look like they're suffering. I don't want to wait that long! Even if he doesn't have GI, I still want to go with your advice just incase. The longer I wait, the more money we will have to chunk out.

I hope I'm not too late. He didn't eat his bunny salad last night. Just som e nibbles. My new baby rabbit eats m ore than Bun Bun.
I really did take a step in hot water when I got him a new friend - and I got burned. But I would feel really bad bringing Rocko to a shelter or back to the breeder. Those "suddenly" problems just suck soooo bad.

Any responses will be greatly appreciated!

Regards,

SablePoint

 

[Maureen Las]

Simethicone is the drug that is contained in many gas medications for people. It is very safe.

You want to get the liquid gas medication for infants
some common brands are liquid Gas X for Infants and Liquid Mylicon for Infants and generic brand are OK too

check the back of the box to make sure that simethicone is the only active ingredient.
You can buy this at walgreens and many other places .

A cc is the same as a ml

it is nothing more than the measure of the volume of the medication... how much you will give.

When you go to any pharmacy ask the pharmacist if you can buy a few 1 cc syringes to give medication to a pet. You can also get it from a vet
neither the gas med or the syringe cost very much at all.

" rabbit saavy" means that the the person who is seeing your rabbit has a lot of experience with rabbits and not just cats or dogs

it is good to have the gas medication around the house because rabbits can get gas in the middle of the night and you can give them the medication without going out.

It is very SMART to ask questions ; Intelligent people ask questions ...so keep on asking ; that is why we are here .


We really need some imore info on Mr Bun Bun soI will attach a link which will ask you to provide a lot more info on him; then we can help you more


http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=44529&forum_id=16

 

[SablePoint]

Thank you and I know what a rabbit saavy is I guess I spelled it wrong. lol My saavy is Dr. Richard Kitterman of Oxbridge Veterinary Clinic. He's really great, we've been seeing him for years.
Here's my fill out for Bun Bun's info:

___________________________________________________________
If you're posting about a sick bunny in the Infirmary, please provide the following:


IMMEDIATE INFORMATION: Possible Stasis


Location: Richmond, VA

Description (Breed, color, weight) Breed: Holland Lop mix. Color: Sable Point. Weight: 5 lbs.

Age: 8 years old.

Sex: Buck.

Concise Summary of the Rabbit's Condition:

Sudden lack of appetite towards treats and other snacks he liked. At the same time, also lost interest in toys.



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / CHECK LIST: (Please fill in relevant info).

Fecal and Urinary Output

- are the bunny's poops and pees normal? - Yes.
- when did they last use their litterbox? - Today.
- any unusual behavior? straining to pee? unusual litter habits? - No.
- what litter and/or bedding do you use? - Fresh Step Clay Cat Litter(non-clumping).

Medical History

- spayed/neutered? - No.
- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before? - Yes.
- is s/he on any medications? - No.

Diet

- what specifically does your bunny eat? - Pellets, Timothy Hay, occasion veggies, and treats(2 treats a day)

- when and what did s/he eat last? - Lettus(iceberg, but the dark leaves where it's not high in water content),

- any changes in the way s/he eats? (ie: not eating a particular food, odd chewing motions, etc) - Yes. Appetite towards types of treats and other snacks he usually likes has ended.


Other

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally? - Movement is fine.

- is the rabbit molting? - Yes(if you mean "molting" as in terms of shedding.).

- any weight loss? - No.

- any sign of drooling? wet face? - No.
- runny eyes?
- wet nose? coughing? sneezing? - Sometimes he has these tiny "tiff tiff" sneezies, but we think this is because of his mass shed.ding.

- is s/he breathing normally - Yes.





Additional

- any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach?
- has the rabbit been outdoors? - Yes, only to play.
- any other pets? if so, have they been ill? - Yes to both.

 

[Maureen Las]

Well he could have a few things going on .........
I am sure that he is affected by having a new bunny in the house. Having a very young bun with an eldrery bun sometimes but not always works as the energy levels may be different
As long as Mr Bun Bun doesn't seem to be his normal selfI would keep them in separate rooms unless you feel that your new little bun is helping Mr Bun Bun (it doesn't sound like it)
Mr. Bun Bun could be having a dental issue which would account for the stange mouth motions.; he also could have something stuck between his teeth which is bothering him.

he also could just be affected by the changes ( new bunny) making his digestive system senstive.

he really needs to be checked out by a vet; you can do all things that help when a bun is beginning stasis like fresh pineapple juice , simethicone, a probiotic, tummy rubs etc as that will not hurt him at all but if he has a dental issue it will not resolve on it's own.
it is next to impossible to examine the teeth yourself except to quickly take a look at the incisors and peg teeth to see if they are overgrown.

take particular note as to whether he is eating softer foods ( or foods that dissolve in the mouth like pellets) and not eating the foods that are more diffiuclt to chew.

( like hay)
he is an older guy and could also have something else going on

 

[SablePoint]

I wish I could afford the vet, but I can't. This issue was totally unexpected, Bun Bun has always been a physical strait rabbit, only been to the vet only a few times in his life.

I and my vet can not and will probably never be able to look inside his mouth - without help from others. My saavy tried to do that in an over-all exam last year and Bun Bun attacked and bit him. If you touch his mouth or chin, he becomes extremely aggressive and bites(ever since he was a baby, nothing new) His mouth movements are fine. I looked under his chin(no touching, I just laid on the ground and looked under his chin) to see any teeth over/under growth problems - luckly every thing looks fine. No teeth exposed.

Koga, a form er bunny I used to own, had a horrible under bite. He had to get his teeth trim med almost every month, some times twice a month.
We could tell when it's time to get his next tooth trim - cause he does this thing where he lifts his head way back and licks his lips constantly. He would often be on hind legs when doing this too. I haven't seen any of this behavior from Mr. Bun, and no drooling, so I'm hoping there are no teeth issues.

Bun Bun can eat pellets fine, but I'm going to change his diet a bit till he starts to act normal again.

The rabbits' cages are in different areas.

I got Mr. Bun Bun a mineral lick. I was hoping that m ight mhelp him with his issue. Is that ok?


I took his pellets away yesterday and gave him lots of hay and bunny salad. He's eating it. When I go grocery shopping on Friday or if m y m om has any free tim e, I will pick up the item s for him.