new bunny won’t eat

[skunklionshow]

We just got a new bunny 5 Mos old female. She is in a pen next to our current bunny. She was living with several females in an outdoor hutch. Her primary diet was hay & pellets. She’s pooped 4 poops since she’s been here (almost 24 hrs). I started force feeding her this evening. Anything else I can do to jump start her eating. I’m sure she’s scared & depressed but I can’t get her to eat anything. help!

[Eepster]

Are you offering the same brand of pellets and hay she had before? At a certain point after not eating starting again can be painful so she may need a GI stimulant and NSAID. Your vet can prescribe them so get seen ASAP.

[skunklionshow]

No it’s not the same pellet brand.  I use the high quality oxbow and she is used to feed store generic bunny pellets.  I got some poops this morning (in the litterbox), which is a good sign.  I will get her into the vet asap.  I don’t want her to die b/c it was too traumatic to come to a new home.  that would just suck!  She has been eating some carrots (I know it’s not good but I’m willing to give her whatever she wants to eat).  I’ve also been offering lettuce, cilantro, & parsley which she hasn’t touched.  She hasn’t had much exposure to bunny salads.

Thanks

[Megabunny]

I would say anything at this point is fine. I had a rabbit who hated salad. I got excited if he nibbled a carrot. Some breeders add dry oatmeal to food and rabbits love that. Bran cereal(that looks like shredded cardboard not flakes) or the shredded wheat biscuits without sugar are all good fiber

[Eepster]

Offer her what she got at the breeder, then very gradually add in the good pellets to switch her over. Sudden changes in diet will cause more problems than an extra week of cheap food.

[Megabunny]

I agree getting the old food is best. I always ask for some of whatever the animal is eating when I adopt something. On the other hand, if you cannot get this other food, or if she still needs a bit of encouragement, it would not hurt to give a small amount of something else. I’m not suggesting a bowl full. But a few pieces of something to get her eating again may be just the trick and all the foods I mentioned are meant as supplements if needed. Let us know how she’s doing. I can’t blame you for force feeding but that’s gotta be rough for both of you. Best of luck. Hope she’s getting the lay of the land and all this advice isn’t even needed.

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