Possible Stasis?

[Bella Von Hoppenheimer]

I was gone for a couple days and made sure to leave the bunnies plenty of water and hay, but when I got back, Bella wouldn't eat her favorite treats. I've offered her banana and blueberries, but she won't touch them. Bella hops around if I bother her a bit, but then she hunkers or lays down in a weird posture. She'll nibble on the best part of a piece of hay if I offer it to her, but never eats the whole thing. Could this be stasis or bloat or something? About 2 years ago when I first got these bunnies, they both got bloat at the same time and had to go to an emergency vet. The vet said it was probably caused by stress of a new environment and new food, but that doesn't apply here.

 

[JBun]

The stress caused by any changes, including a rabbits usual caretaker being gone, can be enough for a rabbit to stop eating and thus develop GI stasis. If it's been more than 12-24 hours since your rabbit last ate a sufficient amount of food, or if your rabbit is showing signs of true bloat or deteriorating condition, it's time to get bun seen by a knowledgeable rabbit vet immediately.

If I have a rabbit that's stopped eating and I suspect it's due to minor digestive upset, if there are no signs of actual bloat(immediate emergency situation) or severe deterioration, I'll usually try 3 doses of baby gas drops(info in link below) an hour apart. If by the third dose, my rabbit isn't getting beck to eating and acting more normally, it's time to get to the vet. I'll also try my rabbits usual leafy greens, as those are often the first thing they'll start wanting to eat again (make sure greens aren't old or have black spots from spoiling).

https://rabbit.org/2013/02/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Veterinary_emergencies
https://rabbit.org/veterinarians/

 

[Bella Von Hoppenheimer]

Okay thanks! I had forgotten about the baby gas drops, but I have some that I might try later. I just gave her a massage and force-fed some critical care and now she's munching on some lettuce. I'll wait and watch now to make sure she starts eating hay.

 

[Bella Von Hoppenheimer]

Woohoo she's eating hay and seems to be back to normal! I'm still going to keep an eye on her to make sure she drinks water and poops, but hopefully this was just a little upset and she'll be fine. She doesn't usually get stressed or stop eating if I'm away for a while, but maybe it was a combo of that and something else like gas or a hairball.