Should I be worried?

[Butterbun]

HI bunny people,

I have had my bunny Butter for 2 years, and he has been very healthy with regular check ups at the vet. Over the thanksgiving weekend, I took Butter on a roadtrip with us (5 hour drive) to visit my parents. I have done this before, so I expected him to be a bit stressed out from the trip, but usually having the opportunity to run around in my parents’ huge backyard gets him feeling much better.

This time around, he stayed extremely stressed out the entire time, and didn’t eat much. Since we got home, his eating habbits and mood have drastically changed. Again, I expected this to happen, but not for 4 days.

I normal feed him cilantro and parseley twice a day, a bit of carrots once a day, unlimited hay of course, and 1/4 cup of pellets before bed.

Since the trip, he wont touch the cilantro or parseley. he will barely nibble at the carrots, and maybe eat them later after I am gone. He practically runs away from the pellets. This behavior is very unusual because he usually runs enthusiastically to all of his meals and gobbles them down within seconds. He has also been finding and eating a lot of cardboard and paper (i have since removed the sources, but normally this isn’t a problem).

I know you will say TAKE HIM TO THE VET IMMEDIATELY but here’s the thing:

-He will still eat hay. not as much as before, but he definately is still eating it throuout the day.

-He will excitedly eat snacks such as oats, banannas, and crackers that he still tries to steal from us if he hears us crunching on them.

-He is still drinking some water, and he will also drink the pedialyte that i started giving him yesterday just in case.

I wouldn’t say that he’s been lethargic, because he will still run excitedly in anticipation of a tasty (unhealthy) treat. But he seems distrustful of us, not too interested in us, and he often runs and hides under the bed for a while when I offer him his normal food.

I am mainly worried because he is not pooing very much. still some, though.  I felt his tummy and it feels normal, not hard or bloated.

I am really hesitant to take him to the vet because I am sure that his last car trip was just too traumatic for him, and another one might just set him over the edge. Just the sound of his carrier door clinking makes him run and hide and start breathing really fast. I feel like if I put him in that thing again so soon, he will never trust me again.

 

Any advice would be appreciated. Again, he has been acting like this for 4 days!

 

 

 

 

[Deleted User]

His poops must improve soon or he will need the vet. It may just be the stress from travel, but watch his poops closely.

[LoveChaCha]

Yikes.. if he isn’t pooing much, it could be dangerous

[LoveChaCha]

Yikes.. if he isn’t pooing much, it could be dangerous

[jerseygirl]

Are his poops getting smaller?

Pedialyte’s good so keep that up. As is his moving around and hay eating. He might have a full feeling in his stomach perhaps? Will he tolerate a tummy massage?

Could you book a tentative appt before the weekend?  If he doesn’t come good you may have to move quick so an appt with his regular vet is better than an emergency one.

[Butterbun]

thank you for the responses…
shortly after i posted, he jumped on the couch to dig the throw blanket and nip my back (normal behavior). Then he ran into his room to eat a few pellets and leave a pile of normal looking poops! I think he’s getting better. I will still be monitoring closely

[jerseygirl]

 Bunnies!   

Well it’s good to hear he’s becoming himself.

[RabbitPam]

Sounds like he’s better. Keep an eye on the poos because those will tell you if he’s continuing to have his gut process normally. Give him more hay and go easy on any treats to get him back on routine. Hopefully he will do the big mountain of poos that indicate all is well.

[Butterbun]

yes he’s doing much better! I did lay off the treats because I think he was getting spoiled. Thank you all again

[Author]

Messages