Sick or just being weird?

[Adalii]

I've got a lovely bunny named Preston, and he is a holland lop x netherland dwarf mix.

I have had zero problems, and with him being my first bunny I am slightly concerned about him. He is about seven months old now, and he is not neutered yet.

Yesterday I noticed he hadn't come out of his hut when I fed him, as I feed him pellets and hay right away, he usually comes and sits by his food bowl in anticipation. After I fed him he continued to sleep away in his hut, but when I took him out to run and play he was acting normally, binkying and zooming around like he usually does.

So today, I noticed he did not eat very much at all, but he did eat a little bit of hay. He again, didn't come out to greet me in the morning, and he has barely touched his food today. He is still acting normal, so I am not sure if I should worry about it yet.

The most he has eaten today is a large handful of alfalfa hay(I've been trying to transition him slowly to timothy) which I am happy about.

Any advice is appreciated!

And the little prince himself

 

[JBun]

I have a few questions.

Have you noticed if he is still pooping, and what does his poop look like? Is it mushy at all, or smaller than usual?

How much of his pellets and hay do you feed him each day? Does he eat his hay well? Does he get any veggies or treats? Have you noticed any difficulty chewing or dropping food out of his mouth, or selectively eating certain foods when he isn't usually picky, or ingesting any non food items like cardboard, carpet, etc? Have you noticed anything else going on with him, or any other changes? Is he still eating at all? Any signs of discomfort or pain like tooth grinding, sitting hunched up for long periods, frequently changing positions, excessive grooming, eye squinting, or is his behavior completely normal besides not eating much? Any drooling? Could he be filling up on alfalfa hay?

 

[Rainbow_Foxes]

My guess would be hair in his gut and stomach. With hairballs in rabbits, it's best to assume hairballs and treat right away then wait it out. They have a 'pocket' in their guts that create cecal poops and if hair gets clogged in there, it can block the intestines and nearly impossible to clear the pouch, leading to death.
Simple cooking oil, just a small amount mixes with his pellets, can help move anything in the way.
You can also give him fresh grasses to get him eating again and keep things moving. Any safe grasses and weeds that he is interested in will help.

 

[Adalii]

His poop is normal, and I think he went twice today.(but don't quote me on that)

I feed him 2/3 cup pellets a day. 1/3 in the morning and 1/3 at night.
He always has hay, and I give him large handfuls a day(mostly because he isn't a hay lover)
He does get two banana round slices and cabbage(both organic), however I am hoping to add more to his diet soon. I have been taking it slow due to his age(7 months)
He has no difficulty chewing and he hasn't dropped anything from his mouth.

He usually gives priority to his pellets when he eats, and he will eat all of his pellets within an hour or two before starting on the hay. He usually won't eat all of the hay I give him.
He also never gets into things he shouldn't. Granted he DOES have a paper box in his cage, but he has yet to try to eat it, he just enjoys chewing on the edge and throwing it.

He has been acting completely fine, yesterday he was his happy little self, and I'm not sure if I am paranoid but after running around my room for half an hour or so he decided to take a nap under my bed. He has done this before though.

No signs of discomfort or anything like that, he is acting like his normal little self. Also no drooling.

I doubt it, as he rarely gets much alfalfa. I only gave him more today because I wanted him to eat some sort of hay. He usually gets 5% alfalfa 95% timothy hay.

Thank you ^^

 

[Adalii]

I gave him a small amount of canola oil in his pellets, so if there is a problem hopefully this is it!

 

[JBun]

I would suggest doing a thorough clean so that you can see exactly what he is pooping and how much. It's possible he is developing GI stasis, and that is why he isn't eating very much. Usually you can see evidence of this from their poop decreasing in size and quantity. Sometimes a particular veggie(especially cruciferous ones) can cause gas and an upset stomach, but a lot of times it is caused by too many sugars and carbs in the rabbits diet. I have to disagree with giving oil, as my experience with adding things with oils into my rabbits diet, has only increased the gut slowdown. The best thing to help a digestive slowdown and potential GI stasis, is ensuring good hydration and increasing your rabbits fiber consumption. It would be best to stop the cabbage and banana for now, as the cabbage could possible be causing gas upset, or the sugars in the banana could be contributing to slowing the digestion. Also cutting out pellets for a couple of days might be a good idea, then when he is feeling better, slowly reintroduce them. The grains and sugars in pellets also contribute to a slowdown, and cutting the pellets helps increase gut motility and help get things moving again, which can help a blockage from occurring. Then you want to feed unlimited grass(timothy) hay if he will eat it. You can feed some alfalfa, but the fiber in grass hay will be much better, but you want to keep an eye on him to make sure he is eating it. A rabbit not eating anything, isn't good. Then if your rabbit drinks from a bottle, offer a water dish as well. Rabbits usually drink better from a dish. Keep a close eye on the amount of water and hay consumption, and the quality and amount of poop.

One thing to keep in mind if he still won't eat, but is still acting like his normal self, is possible dental issues. Rabbits with dental problems, will often stop eating, or stop eating certain foods because it hurts to chew, but will still act like their normal selves. So if your rabbit still won't eat foods he normally would and is still acting normal, then I would suggest taking him to a good rabbit vet and getting his molars examined for sharp points and any sign of infection. Also if your rabbit isn't eating hardly anything, and especially if his pooping stops and his behavior changes where he is showing signs of pain, you want to get him into the vet right away, as he will need medication, plus will probably need to be syringe fed.

It's very likely your rabbit doesn't normally eat very much hay because he is getting too many pellets. Being a Holland, I'm guessing he is around 4 lbs, and for a rabbit that size, a half cup of pellets is really the max he should be getting, unless he has trouble keeping weight on. I have a 5 lb Holland that only gets 1/4 cup, but she does keep weight on really well. I would suggest reducing pellet amounts in the future, to at least a half cup and see if the helps with hay consumption. Ideally he should be eating a pile of hay the size of his body, each day, especially if he is now experiencing stasis problems, it will help prevent future issues with it.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html
http://rabbit.org/sluggish-motility-in-the-gastrointestinal-tract-2/
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html