After I moved my rabbit

[sniffablecow]

(Sorry if I am flooding the forums too much, but I really want to make sure I am giving her the best care.)

So after I moved her, she was really happy. She did some binkies and was running really fast across the room, but I have noticed some behavior change ever since I moved her.

For starters, she isn’t eating hay. It has been a day since I moved her and she was used the bathroom once but hasnt been eating hay since. I was about to change her litter box and noticed her poop pellets are smaller than usual, and I heard that this could mean GI stasis. 

She doesn’t even relax in the hide house I made her and keeps going behind our treadmill. There is this gap where she can kinda sit and be safe without anyone seeing her, but it kinda feels weird with her not even relaxing in the space that is her home when I am not there. 

I try baiting her into her xpen area with romaine lettuce and kale, but she will take individuals leaves and bring it back to behind the treadmill. 

Any tips on getting her to get used to her new home and eat hay again?

[sarahthegemini]

When was the last time she ate something significant? And the last time she pooped? How many hours are we talking here?

[sniffablecow]

I would say it has been about a day since she has eaten a significant amount of hay. I brought some pellets and veggies to wherever she was and she would consume it, but I thought that bringing hay to her with make her use the bathroom outside of her litter box. Last time she pooped was maybe 3 or 4 hours ago, and that was when I noticed the smaller poop pellets.

[sniffablecow]

Just as an update, my rabbit has been sleeping for quite a long time. It has almost 8 hours since noon and my rabbit hasn’t budged from her sleeping spot. She has been staying behind the treadmill all day and I am a little worried. She came out to get a banana treat, but went back.

[Wick & Fable]

It may just be coincidental that this happened after you move. She could be going through a bad digestive episode, causing lack of hay appetite, which will make digestive problems worst.

Her not relaxing is a classic sign of a rabbit in pain or in discomfort. It needs to be checked out.

Can you schedule a vet appt soon? You need her to eat hay and gain nutrients if she isn’t eating pellets or veggies. While it could be stress from a new environment, rabbit health can deteriorate quickly so best to get a clean bill of health at this stage of behavior rather than make her more cozy and seeing what happens.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Wick & Fable]

Until then, try what you can to stimulate hay appetite. put it in areas she’ll feel okay eating it. Constantly cycle through fresh hay, which she may find more enticing. Give her her favorite kind of hay. Put out hay, let her eat the bits she wants, then put that hay somewhere for later and put a new pile in front her. Rinse and repeat!

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[sniffablecow]

I have secured her into the xpen by placing water bottle packs around the doors. (she is very smart.) I did this so she wouldn’t keep going to the treadmill hide place and not consuming enough hay. I think she will consume more hay since she is going to have to be in the xpen area for a couple of days due to my vacation. Was this a good idea or will she feel too stressed out? I just don’t want her to 1. get into things without reliable supervision or 2. stay outside and either not consume enough hay or consume it but use the bathroom outside and make a mess for my parents to see. 

[Deleted User]

Just because you’re keeping her in an xpen doesn’t mean she’ll consume hay just because it’s in there with her. If she’s not eating hay and if her behavior has changed to a bit of lethargy, you really need to get her into a bun savvy vet. GI Stasis is deadly and can be fast moving. Any digestive issue for a rabbit can turn serious quick. You need to stay on guard and not assume the best just because you changed something.

[jerseygirl]

I think it was a good idea. Sometimes in new areas, they may get overwhelmed. It could be that she was initially excited to run around in there but then became aware of new sounds or smells?? Or there is a window where she caught sight of something going past outside?

Is the dog crate you moved in this room too, so she has that as her base and the x-pen? If so, I think that would be fine for her while you are away. It should keep her safe but still allow exercise. Even so, Id be sure to rabbit proof the room anyway as they can be sneaky and get out. You may have already experienced that. :p

I hope she has relaxed more now and is eating hay again. If she’s still hiding away, maybe try putting her crate (if that is in there too) in a similar position to where it was in the other room. You could drape a blanket over part of it also, to create a safe feeling.

I brought some pellets and veggies to wherever she was and she would consume it, but I thought that bringing hay to her with make her use the bathroom outside of her litter box.

That’s possible, she may have pooped outside of a box but it would have been temporary. When I’m on “poop-watch” I don’t care where they start to do it, as long as they do it! You could always bring the litterbox with hay over to where she was. Maybe, for some reason, she felt insecure moving away from that spot.
Now that she’s in the pen, is she moving around normally?

[sniffablecow]

Good news and bad news. 

I decided that whether she made a mess on the carpet was irrelevant and that her eating hay was way more important, and luckily my parents agreed. I put hay to where she was sitting and she started eating it. I constantly topped it off to make it more appealing and she was eating it. She did poop outside of her litter box when I did it, but who cares? I am just glad to see her eating again. 

Her poop pellets seem to be getting a little bigger so I hope this means she is getting back to her normal schedule. I am away from her right now, so I can only tell from pictures sent from my brother. 

Only thing is I heard pooping outside of the litterbox when they usually do can mean that they are sick. I am worried because I heard GI stasis can kill rabbits within couple of days. I didn’t know it was this serious until I was on the road. ls there a way to have someone come to our house to check the rabbit out? My brother is still there so he can open the door or call people. 

[Wick & Fable]

If she’s pooping and they’re getting bigger, that’s a good sign of improvement, but definitely stay on alert and keep doing everything you are. The dire red-flag is not eating or pooping for more than a couple hours, but since she seems to be pooping, that’s good.

A litterbox-adherent rabbit who begins going to the bathroom outside a litter box can be a sign of illness, as something is disrupting them for making their usual trip. I can confirm this, as Wick pees outside his litterbox very frequently when he’s in discomfort when ordinarily he never does.

Definitely continue what you’re doing with the cycling of hay/topping hay to make it more appealing. I’d ask your brother to do this while you’re gone so she keeps eating and getting those poops bigger.

If they regulate back to being frequent, large, and spherical after a couple hours, she’s definitely on the rise. Keep us updated!

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[sniffablecow]

I am so nervous right now since I am so far from the rabbit. I regret going to florida now and wish I just stayed home to make sure she was safe.

Does my rabbit being active or having fun mean she is not suffering form GI stasis? She isn’t in a hunched position. The three main things that made me wonder if she had GI stasis was that she was sleeping a lot and did not eat hay when we moved her up until the night before this one. I haven’t gotten a pic from my brother yet but am just trying to… idk. I was thinking maybe she wouldn’t have it if I picked out her normal behavior. She was still binkying the morning before she started sleeping all day. she is also eating everything but hay, including bananas (her favorite treat so far) and would even come from her treadmill to get some. Is this good? I can’t do anything directly to her atm, so I just want to relieve myself.

[sniffablecow]

I also wanted to note that my brother took a picture of the xpen and it looks pretty similar to what it looked like before. Not seeing the hay budge a lot scares me. I haven’t asked him if he refilled the hay yet though, but still.

[sniffablecow]

Good news, my brother had to refill her litter box with hay!

I think this means she is eating hay again!

[sarahthegemini]

Fingers crossed! I would advise your brother to – if possible – put smaller portions down and top up more frequently. That might make it easier to monitor how much she’s consuming

[sniffablecow]

Can I confirm my rabbit doesnt have gi stasis? It has been 3 days since I saw possible symptoms, but she is moving a lot now and my brother said she is still eating hay.

[sarahthegemini]

Stasis is when the gut stops or slows way down (which usually leads to stopping) If the gut stops, that would mean bunny doesn’t poop and may also not eat. If your rabbit is eating and pooping normally then no, it isn’t stasis.

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