No Hay All Weekend

[BunjaminML]

I have been a bunny owner (to Little Bunji!) for all of 2 months so I am still trying to learn the ropes. 

We had been feeding Bunji a bag of hay blend bought from our rescue for the last two months. We noticed he was mainly feeding on one of the types of hay in the blend (timothy, I thought) so when it came time to buy a new bag, we bought a strictly timothy hay bag. The new bag was opened on Friday, and Bunji spent much of his hay-eating time sniffing around for dregs of the old hay (this was before I realized you had to wean them into new food! Lesson #1 learned!). Saturday, and he still wasn’t eating the new hay. By Sunday, I was getting concerned about his lack of hay eating. I still had some bits of hay left over from the previous bag and when I poured those in his bin, he went crazy! I learned on Sunday that the old bag was actually made up completely of oat, wheat, and barley–so this little baby had never tried timothy at all! I ran out on Monday morning to buy a bag of the original type of hay, and he looked happier about it. Through this whole ordeal, we’ve been feeding him his usual amount of pellets and vegetables.

ANYWAY! So, he still doesn’t seem to be eating hay as much has he usually does and has been kind of standoffish. While he normally would body slam us in mornings when we brought out his pellets, this time he ran under the couch and we had to coaxed him out by shaking the bag. His poop looks alright for the most part but there are some smaller bits in there. 

I am concerned his lack of hay eating over the weekend may have done some serious damage to his digestive system. I was afraid he might be bloated, but he has always been a bit plump so I could be wrong. He was active Monday night but sluggish Tuesday morning. Could this be a serious illness or am I just being paranoid? Our vet appointment is Thursday morning and I’d like your more expert opinions on how worried I should be before then. 

Thanks a bunch, all!

[jerseygirl]

Mmm, I guess his behaviour could be to do with a bit of a gut slow down. With the new bag of hay, his tum should be getting back to normal if that is the case. It wouldn’t have caused permanent damage, if that’s what you are concerned about.

Could there have been anything else that coincided with the hay issue though? Like he got a fright overnight for some reason?

Is he favouring the same hay in the oat/wheat/barley mix? If you can identify the specific hay he likes out of the 3 and buy a little more of just that, it could get him eating more.
Also, get creative with offering hay in different ways for now to encourage him eating more. Tying bundles on side of cage or pen, hiding it in tunnels etc. Along with easy access hay he normally has.

Is he drinking normally? If he has a sipper bottle, is it functioning properly?

My rabbits can be funny about hay. It’s both annoying and amusing at the same time! I buy small hay bales. Sometimes with a new bale, they will sniff around and snub it at first. Even though it is the EXACT same type of hay, from the SAME place. Even the SAME season hay from SAME farm. After a while they take to eating it like normal. What I often do now is mix a little of the last bale with the new and give that to them for a few days prior to going onto the new hay only. It seems to help.

I am concerned his lack of hay eating over the weekend may have done some serious damage to his digestive system. I was afraid he might be bloated, but he has always been a bit plump so I could be wrong. He was active Monday night but sluggish Tuesday morning. Could this be a serious illness or am I just being paranoid? Our vet appointment is Thursday morning and I’d like your more expert opinions on how worried I should be before then.

While he didn’t show normal enthusiasm for his food, he is eating right?  I don’t think you are being paranoid at all. It is good to notice subtle changes in our rabbits, as often that is the only clue we get. I think if you are seeing he is still eating normal amounts, even if a bit slower about it, it would be okay to wait until Thursday for his check up.

I see sometimes with my rabbits days where they don’t go for food like normal but within hours they are back to eating and having me feel more relaxed… These are some patterns I’ve learned with individual rabbits over time. But it still sends me into a tailspin each time their appetite seems off. 

Trust your instincts with Bunji as you know him best. By the way, I love the name! 

Sending some good health vibes out for {{{Bunji-Bun}}}

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