Hello all, I am posting because I am still somewhat distraught over a problem we had with our 1 1/2 yr old female bun. Pep Pep is a 7lb lionhead mix, and has always been a happy, healthy, and hungry bunny. Yesterday, however, she gave us the scare of a lifetime! She ate her 1/8 cup of Timothy pellets for breakfast, as usual, but after a litter box cleaning and bonding session with our boy bun, would not eat her fresh greens, hay, any treats, and did not produce any poops. This is extremely abnormal for her (and I’m guessing, all buns), since she usually has a ravenous appetite. During the bonding and playtime, she was exuberant and acting completely normal. The bonding session didn’t create any signs of stress, whatsoever. In fact, we gave her a serving of leafy greens after, and she was so thrilled with them, she did her “dead bunny flop” about 6 times all around her pen. But, she didn’t eat the greens, only sniffed at them. I didn’t take that as anything, because she is known for letting her cold veggies become almost room temp before she eats them.
Later in the afternoon, she still hadn’t eaten her greens, and when I gave her a second pellet serving, she didn’t even come over to sniff. Usually she greets the sound of the bag with begging and hopping around in excitement. She stayed in the corner of her pen and refused to come over. I knew something was up, because this was so unlike her. I tried tempting her with fresh banana and an unsalted peanut (her favorites) but got no reaction.
Later in the evening, my boyfriend was petting her and noticed her rib age seemed very prominent. I felt her myself, and was both confused and shocked to feel her ribs protruding. Pep is a sturdy (not fat), muscular bun, and she always feels smooth and filled out. Although she hates being held, she allowed me to scoop her up and examine her. We listened to her tummy with a stethoscope, and heard some gurgling sounds that were similar to that of our boy bun (who was having no problems). I thought it might be gas, and gave her a tummy massage to try and get things moving. She acted as though moving was uncomfortable, and still refused all treats.
This is when I really started to get freaked out, and decided to make a pellet/water/banana mash to syringe feed her. She took about one full mL of the mixture, but was not pleased with us, and kept hiding in her litter box. Right as the 12 hr emergency mark rolled around, she miraculously livened up, and started munching on hay and a piece of broccoli, and drank some water. A little while after that, she finally made a couple of squishy cecal-like poos, followed by a normal pile of “coco puffs”. Her body no longer felt strange to the touch, and her behavior returned to normal. She also started munching pellets and rolled oats again, and this morning seems normal.
This was honestly the most frightening thing I have ever experienced; I know about GI stasis, and was afraid if I did not act quickly I would lose our bun. I mainly am posting, because I am not sure what caused or cured her problem. Our boy eats the exact same diet, gets the same level of activity, and has had no problems at all. Any info you experienced bunny moms/dads could offer would b greatly appreciated!