rabbit less interested in hay to not eating hay.

[BunnyHibi]

By the past week, I’ve went out my way to buy my mini-rex, Shadow, toys and new accessories for his cage – such as, new hay feeders, and a bowl. Ever since then, he appears to take less interest eating his hay. I’ve been providing him with pellets but not a lot ever since I got him a new bowl. Beforehand, he would devour his hay without stopping for awhile or do so overnight, now, he barely touches it unless I take his pellets away, I try to make him eat it, at the most he’ll take it, munch it in half and it’ll drop, he doesn’t spit it out or he’ll basically move his head down so I don’t have full access to his mouth. He’s drinking, so I’m not too scared he’s having stasis related problems. I’ve consulted vets online about the issue and they all summarize it to be plausible dental issues, taking that into mind, I try telling my mom who’s more experienced in cats and entitles me as the rabbit expert — but barely takes the accounted issue as serious as I’m insinuating.  Naturally, while I’m a verge of a panic attack, my parents neglect my rabbit’s health when it’s caught early. I don’t have a job, trying but no luck – life hating me – decides to strike and cause issues amongst my rabbits – nor any experience in driving accordingly so I can’t take him myself, otherwise I would without another word. My current and most used is Timothy Hay, he eats it without a problem until now. Not sure if he’s being picky ( he’s picky with a vast variety of things ), I’m giving him too much pellets, or truly he does have some sort of dental issue whereas I’ve did research on it and examined him lightly myself, no lumps, gums are pink and his front teeth appear fine. I’m lacking insight on his back teeth so I really can’t say. He only grinds his teeth from my knowledge is when I pet him, he’s always done that called purring, he’s grooming himself as always. He demands me to let him out as always, sometimes would chill in his cage even if the door’s open, drinking. He hasn’t really recoiled away from me indicting discomfort when I did check up on his chin and mouth, I’m studying to be apart of the animal doctor course myself.But I’m not taking my own theory into conclusion saying he’s fine. 

I really don’t know what could be wrong and I’m here wanting to cry, but I get snapped out on for worrying about him, I worry highly for my animals and I’m scared of losing another I’ve gotten so attached to. 

[Rain]

You are just like me. Exactly the amount of anxiety I face whenever my Rain gets an off day. Don’t cry though! It’s important to stay calm in a situation like this. My parents are like yours. They don’t believe that my bunny is in danger unless he’s literally lying on the floor having a seizure or something. Maybe not that bad, but definitely don’t understand how important taking a bunny to the vet is. If your mom doesn’t believe you after telling her everything, then either tell her or show her this: If you do not take immediate action whenever a bunny is not eating his hay, things get very very bad, and often lead to a fatal illness. Your bunny’s hay is the most important thing for it to eat. He cannot survive on pellets or it will make him fat. Sometimes rabbit get dental problems in which they can chew only certain things. He might be able to make the chewing motions for eating pellets, but can’t do it’s for hay. Chewing hay requires very specific motions that need the back molars to grind against each other. You cannot see them which is the worst part. So that is a high possibility of what could be wrong.
How are his poops? Are they normal sized and normal colored? Is he pooping the same amount?
He could be starting to have stasis. Often with stasis, they stop eating hay, then stop pellets and veggies, until they don’t really anything except treats. Or they don’t eat or drink at all.
Whatever it is, it seems you have to take him to the vet to solve it. Beg your mom. Make it your birthday or Christmas present if you have to. Tell her that not eating hay causes them to either get fat and die young because they only eat pellets, or their digestive system stops moving and doesn’t get any nutrients causing the bunny to become weak and under weight… and I think you know the ending of that too. I’m sorry if I’m causing you to become more panicked. As long as he is still active and happy as he is now, you still have time to help him.
Maybe he just doesn’t like this hay anymore or it’s to boring for him. You can try to go out and buy some oat hay to mix it in with his Timothy. Bunnies most of the time love oat hay.

[Wick & Fable]

When hay consumption goes down, theres some go to methods I have.

1) If I’m concerned about poops, I replace the hay very frequently. New hay at 9am, then put it in a box for later and replace it all with new hay at 10am, and so on. Once Wick is better, I’ll go to the box and use that hay. My goal is getting hay consumption higher, so the more presentations of “best” hay strands, the more consumption.

2) Hanging around hay. Wick will sit and eat in his litter box much longer if I’m sitting there next to him. I’ll just watch videos on my phone or pet him and help him find some seed tops to eat. Or I’ll just sleep on the floor, haha.

Wick is a high-maintenance dental issues rabbit, and the signs you mention are common, but not exclusive. Wick shows none of those symptoms, but his poop will typically become smaller, and his litter box adherence for peeing goes down as well. Additionally, he just becomes more snappy, like he has a shorter fuse.

Considering feeding schedule is important. As a rabbit stays with a caring owner longer, they learn better food security, so eating food immediately in large quantities is no longer seen as necessary, since it will always be there. It could be your rabbit has learned that non-hay items will always be there, so rather than eating hay (least preferred food), he waits it out for other food. Limiting to only an early morning AM and late PM non-hay food presentation may help.

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.

[BunnyHibi]

I’m kind of already; I’ve been zipping through individual social platforms and essentially everoyne’s ignoring me, making me feel that my affairs with my rabbit’s health isn’t noteworthy compared to everyone else, probably because they’re judging me for the lack of money I have on my person. She only seems to really care when rabbit of mine is on death’s doorstep, it isn’t the first he has refused eating to a small expanse, at the most he eats during the night, i let him out all morining and afternoon while I left to go work at a local shelter. not sure if he ate nor drank during that time period, he’s back in his cage for the night, gave him new clean pellets, tried again giving him fresh hay – now he’s ignoring his pellets. he has takne a small nip from his hay – he eats his hay occasionally as of late. normally he makes a mad dash for his pellets, gave him a carrot to assure whether or not he’s refusing absolutely everything. he has been going to the bathroom, from what I can tell analyzing his droppings, they look normal. Sadly as much to consider the liable facts, it isn’t helping allievate my anxiety as much as I hate to consider the likihood of him dying very young because no one wants to do anything to help him aside getting him neutered. I told her he’s been like this at least for several days, and all she can say “he’ll eat it when he wants to” which isn’t very reassuring, I even told her it’s essential for their diet; likewise when my last rabbit was having stool problems, she insisted giving her more hay, noting that wild rabbits don’t have pellets at their disposal, also knowing its not mainly in their diet 24/7. I’m somewhat not understanding how it becomes boring. Is the taste too bland to them??

[Paige]

Could you inform us of the rest of his diet including measurements as well? And his body weight would be nice too.

[BunnyHibi]

Naturally – I provide him plenty of hay, fully filled are his feeders. According to his bags ( or so I’m told by someone else normally the measurements are too much ) is to give him 1/4 a cup. Sometimes I give him that, preferably less. His new bowl is smaller than his old one, so it’s easier to tell how much I’m giving him in a single severing. He does occasionally eat apples but it’s been awhile since I’ve given him any, his preferred favorite in concerns of veggies is carrots. Tried introducing him to other fruits and veggies but he’s picky. His weight according to his recent and last visit to the vet for the proceedings of his neutering, he was around 4 lbs.

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By Wick on 1/06/2018 10:07 PM

When hay consumption goes down, theres some go to methods I have.

1) If I’m concerned about poops, I replace the hay very frequently. New hay at 9am, then put it in a box for later and replace it all with new hay at 10am, and so on. Once Wick is better, I’ll go to the box and use that hay. My goal is getting hay consumption higher, so the more presentations of “best” hay strands, the more consumption.

2) Hanging around hay. Wick will sit and eat in his litter box much longer if I’m sitting there next to him. I’ll just watch videos on my phone or pet him and help him find some seed tops to eat. Or I’ll just sleep on the floor, haha.

Wick is a high-maintenance dental issues rabbit, and the signs you mention are common, but not exclusive. Wick shows none of those symptoms, but his poop will typically become smaller, and his litter box adherence for peeing goes down as well. Additionally, he just becomes more snappy, like he has a shorter fuse.

Considering feeding schedule is important. As a rabbit stays with a caring owner longer, they learn better food security, so eating food immediately in large quantities is no longer seen as necessary, since it will always be there. It could be your rabbit has learned that non-hay items will always be there, so rather than eating hay (least preferred food), he waits it out for other food. Limiting to only an early morning AM and late PM non-hay food presentation may help.

Starting off from the last feasibility – by chance he’s favoring his pellets due to the hay always being there alongside him. Meaning he’s not too worried about scavenging for pieces left and right, during times which I clean his cage, he appears take a liking towards. His prior hay feeders would make a mess around the cage due to him pulling it along while he’s getting pieces out. Does it result me having to lessen his pellets or take them away momentarily until he goes back to his hay to assure he isn’t starving himself? I don’t have a litter box, yet a chewing box, but he doesn’t appear interested picking the hay out of there. I also sit with him while he’s out in his play area, yet when I take a fresh piece, a good one at that and wave it in his face, he’ll take it but munch it in half, thus dropping it or he’ll try to hide his face under blankets/make me pet him instead.

[DanaNM]

Is he eating veggies or pellets at all? Pooping ok???
You might try offering a pellet mash, as well as leafy herbs. Bunnies with teeth issues are often quite hungry but chewing is painful. If he is over fed pellets that can make bunnies want less hay, but this sounds like a sudden change, if I’m following correctly. And 1/4 cup of pellets per day isn’t too much.

Please ask you parents again if he can go to the vet. A rabbit not wanting to eat is often very serious.

. . . 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.  

[BunnyHibi]

Since pellets dissolve, less requiring the effort made in chewing compared to hay – doesn’t it apply to branches? Or parts of a chew toy, like let’s say leftover parts of a willow ball. Those don’t dissolve and I’m assuming it’s alike eating hay, the same goes with eating cardboard. Perhaps? If he’s absolutely fine eating those without portraying the same behavior he does when I hand him a piece of hay, because he can’t just swallow them whole, then I really can’t say teeth problems are to blame. Therefore making it more confusing as to why he suddenly lessen interest.

Then again, my parents surmise it to be a momentary problem unless he’s not responsive compared to how he usually responses to me, not eating AT ALL, nor drinking. At that point, he’ll die from stasis. He had given the impression once or twice, luckily he started eating again overnight. Like yesterday. He had’n’t eaten much throughout the day but has eaten during the night, eaten his pellets and drank, still remaining enemies with his hay. Unfortunately the same thing was to my last rabbit whom had mainly eye problems till she started having very concerning issues, spite how many times I was in tears explaining, they’d still make me feel guilty worrying about them. Considering his surgery was $300 for his neuter; how much would someone estimate precautionary measures in getting his teeth checked? Is it more or less compared to actual treatment?

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By DanaNM on 1/07/2018 1:02 AM

Is he eating veggies or pellets at all? Pooping ok???
You might try offering a pellet mash, as well as leafy herbs. Bunnies with teeth issues are often quite hungry but chewing is painful. If he is over fed pellets that can make bunnies want less hay, but this sounds like a sudden change, if I’m following correctly. And 1/4 cup of pellets per day isn’t too much.

Please ask you parents again if he can go to the vet. A rabbit not wanting to eat is often very serious.

The only veggies he’ll take his carrots – he’s always been a picky one. From what I can tell looking at his potty area, judging if he doesn’t mess it up by digging it everywhere else, they look fine as always. Some consists with hair but that’s already been discussed on another platform, saying it’s normal and good to see knowing it’s getting passed through his digestive system with the support of eating hay. I do brush him to help his shedding episodes. 

He doesn’t seem to be in pain when he’s chewing on cardboard or his chewing toys. The pellets are plain ones, those that he’ll accept because the vast variety of bag packages my parents sometimes get aren’t something for rabbit consumption. I’ll try but I’ll see what else could be the cause of the change, as stated, he’s not refusing it indefinitely, a little reluctant but he does eat it to his terms. Probably at the result there’s not a sufficient amount of pellets for him.

[DanaNM]

Chewing hay is different from other things as it requires side to side grinding with the molars, vs bites with the incisors. Chewing toys and cardboard can still happen even when bunnies are in stasis or experiencing dental issues.

See if you can offer him some fragrant herbs, like cilantro, parsley, or basil, or carrot tops. Dandelion greens are also very popular usually. Only offer a little bit at first and stick to introducing one new thing per week (once you find one he likes), because you don’t want to upset his tummy with lots of new foods. The carrot root should really only be a treat, but it’s good to know he will still eat his favorites!

If he’s still eating pellets normally that’s good, no need to try the mash. Pellets are usually easy to eat for dental buns as they don’t require much chewing, just one crunch.

. . . 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.  

[DanaNM]

It would also be worth showing this thread to your parents. Please let them know that problems like this are much easier (CHEAPER!) to treat if caught early.

It could be as simple as your bunny needing a molar trim…. the longer you wait the longer the risk of stasis, abscesses, possible tooth extractions…

He also could be flirting with stasis…. which needs to be treated ASAP. From the sound of his diet, it doesn’t seem like he got many or any leafy greens, which could be the root cause (and also an easy fix), but stasis often needs to be treated by the vet (motility medication, fluids, pain medication). So it may not be teeth at all….

In either case, keep him eating, push wet leafy greens, keep him moving, monitor poops closely (clean his box frequently). And please please do see a vet if he doesn’t improve soon…

. . . 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.  

[BunnyHibi]

My mom asked if he ate his hay today – not sure if she left to consult a vet or what. I cleaned his cage a few moments ago; she suggested I mainly feed him hay to encourage him eating some. As of now, which I did to see if any change, he’s sitting on one pile while ignoring his newly filled feeder. If no improvements, I hope we will resort to taking him to the vet, or I can ask if we can get some herbs for him/leafy greens. What do you suggest for a picky bun like him? What’s the most preferred for a rabbit? 

[Rain]

Hmm, it seems your mom might be leaning more towards going to the vet. Veggies that rabbits like most of the time are green leaf lettuce and romaine lettuce. That’s the healthiest.
I have a suggestion. Although this may sound a little cruel, let him get so hungry that he has no choice but to eat his hay. I’ve tried this many times and it always works. For a couple of hours, don’t feed him anything. Just leave water and hay out. And make him excercise! Like playing with him or making him run around or chase you. Being active will get him more hungry. If it doesn’t work, then I guess you have no voice but to feed him pellets or take him to a vet. It seems like he might be on the path to stasis. It usually starts with bunnies being picky or less active.

[BunnyHibi]

This was her suggestion as well. Leave out his pellets and he’d have no choice but to eat hay. I’m currently indecisive of committing to the resort for I do not wish to accidentally put him in stasis, even if he isn’t himself. Instead, I gave him a very small amount compared to his other helpings. If he still doesn’t, I’ll do so the next day. Chances are he’ll devour through them during dinner time or overnight and he might go for his hay since it’s not going to be there for him all night. Judging how quickly he goes through them. I concur on the exercise part! In fact, I just let him out both to have half-free roam of my room, allowed him out into the living room till he basically was giving me the message he’d rather be in my room. He’s active as always, quite happy in fact when I brought him into the other room, he was binkying and dashing through the room.

[Rain]

That’s really good! Binkies and energy are good signs that show he is not that far into whatever is wrong with him. But the thing is, sometimes even when bunnies SEEM a hundred percent okay with their energy, that doesn’t mean they are actually okay. Rabbits in the wild can’t afford to look sick to their enemies so they pretend everything is fine until they really can’t hold in the pain anymore. My little Rain sometimes acts happy and normal when he is ill. It’s not until I catch him hiding hunched up and grinding his teeth that i know he’s sick.
But from what you’re telling us it’s either the beginning of stasis, some type of tooth problem, or that your rabbit is really really picky. Maybe the batch of hay is not good? Did you check for extra dust or mold, or just stale yellow hay?
If I suspect my bunny is not eating his hay I check his poop. If you haven’t already, you could try this idea. Do you see little golden or green things in them? Those are particles of hay. That would indicate that he is in fact eating his hay or atleast some of it.

[Rain]

By the way, since I have had to resort to this many many times with my own parents, try really hard to put as much emotion in to what you are saying to get your parents to listen. Try explaining to them how much you love your baby and that whenever YOU were sick, your parents would take you to a doctor to get checked right? Tell them that this animal might be extremely ill and tell them how rabbits usually hide their illnesses as I said above. Use a lot of facts too about what happens when they don’t eat hay every day. It might work?

[DanaNM]

In terms of greens, cilantro is usually VERY popular with bunnies and is good for them (it’s what our vet offers first to bunnies that come out of surgery or that won’t eat), so I would try that first. Basil, fennel, and flat leaf parsley are also usually very popular.

I think limiting pellets could be OK, but please don’t take them away for too long… bunnies with too many pellets won’t eat their hay, it’s true, but since this was a sudden change it seems more likely to be a real problem (or a problem with the hay itself, as Rain suggested).

You can also try to make the hay more interesting, hand feed it, stuff it in toys, etc. Often bunnies are more inclined to eat hay that’s been handled recently.

. . . 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.  

[Muchelle]

My bun’s a very picky hay eater and I need to switch kinds often. I’d try to buy a different brand or add toppings (you can buy little packets of dried herbs to add to the hay to give it flavour) and see what happend. As Dana said, it can also help to make things more interesting by adding the hay to toys, like stuffing a toilet paper roll with a bunch of fresh hay and wiggle it in front of his nose

As a last resource, I got my bun pellets made only of 100% pressed hay and those keep his teeth in check when he decides he’s not having any hay. It’s not the best solution, but he’s a dental bun so we have to make do

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By DanaNM on 1/07/2018 8:07 PM

In terms of greens, cilantro is usually VERY popular with bunnies and is good for them (it’s what our vet offers first to bunnies that come out of surgery or that won’t eat), so I would try that first. Basil, fennel, and flat leaf parsley are also usually very popular.

I think limiting pellets could be OK, but please don’t take them away for too long… bunnies with too many pellets won’t eat their hay, it’s true, but since this was a sudden change it seems more likely to be a real problem (or a problem with the hay itself, as Rain suggested).

You can also try to make the hay more interesting, hand feed it, stuff it in toys, etc. Often bunnies are more inclined to eat hay that’s been handled recently.

I’m not intending to. As of right now, I gave him a very small portion compared to his regular helpings. I’m scared myself to attempt depriving him from his pellets. It might be hay, it might be a dental issue, it might generally he’s not hungry for hay/suddenly became picky. 

I have been attempting to hand feed it to him, he either turns his nose at it, takes it from me, munches it in a half and drops it as described in the brief summary. My mom recently, today, a few moments ago – announced she got basil. Took one and attempted to give to him; his behavior towards it is similar to how he’s currently reacting to me aiming to hand feed his hay. He does this with a variety of other things too; bananas, strawberries, raspberries, I think once was spinach? A small portion. Or some sort of lettuce he could have, basically most things that can be given to rabbits in consideration he isn’t keen on wanting to have. It was love at first sight disconcerting carrots.

[DanaNM]

Sometimes with new foods, bunnies will be skeptical at first and will only try a bite (this is an instinctive strategy that keeps wild bunnies safe from poisonous plants). I would keep trying fragrant herbs. Sometimes it helps to squeeze it gently or “slap” the herb against your wrist to release the yummy smell to entice the bun to take a bite. Herbs that smell quite strong to us can be very appealing to bunnies.

Biting hay in half and then dropping it is pretty typical of dental problems.

Have you tried the leafy green carrot tops? Some supermarkets will give them to you for free, as they will cut the tops off bunched carrots for customers when they buy them. My bunnies loooove them, and they are another go-to when bunnies are feeling well.

. . . 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.  

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By BunnyHibi on 1/07/2018 9:09 PM

Posted By DanaNM on 1/07/2018 8:07 PM

In terms of greens, cilantro is usually VERY popular with bunnies and is good for them (it’s what our vet offers first to bunnies that come out of surgery or that won’t eat), so I would try that first. Basil, fennel, and flat leaf parsley are also usually very popular.

I think limiting pellets could be OK, but please don’t take them away for too long… bunnies with too many pellets won’t eat their hay, it’s true, but since this was a sudden change it seems more likely to be a real problem (or a problem with the hay itself, as Rain suggested).

You can also try to make the hay more interesting, hand feed it, stuff it in toys, etc. Often bunnies are more inclined to eat hay that’s been handled recently.

I’m not intending to. As of right now, I gave him a very small portion compared to his regular helpings. I’m scared myself to attempt depriving him from his pellets. It might be hay, it might be a dental issue, it might generally he’s not hungry for hay/suddenly became picky. 

I have been attempting to hand feed it to him, he either turns his nose at it, takes it from me, munches it in a half and drops it as described in the brief summary. My mom recently, today, a few moments ago – announced she got basil. Took one and attempted to give to him; his behavior towards it is similar to how he’s currently reacting to me aiming to hand feed his hay. ( small update: he has taken a little nibble out of the basil, and he is slowly and occasionally eating his hay from time to time. ) He does this with a variety of other things too; bananas, strawberries, raspberries, I think once was spinach? A small portion. Or some sort of lettuce he could have, basically most things that can be given to rabbits in consideration he isn’t keen on wanting to have. It was love at first sight disconcerting carrots.

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By DanaNM on 1/07/2018 10:31 PM

Sometimes with new foods, bunnies will be skeptical at first and will only try a bite (this is an instinctive strategy that keeps wild bunnies safe from poisonous plants). I would keep trying fragrant herbs. Sometimes it helps to squeeze it gently or “slap” the herb against your wrist to release the yummy smell to entice the bun to take a bite. Herbs that smell quite strong to us can be very appealing to bunnies.

Biting hay in half and then dropping it is pretty typical of dental problems.

Have you tried the leafy green carrot tops? Some supermarkets will give them to you for free, as they will cut the tops off bunched carrots for customers when they buy them. My bunnies loooove them, and they are another go-to when bunnies are feeling well.

He’s both doing it to his hay and occasionally eating it. So I’m here baffled on what the problem is. It’s not exactly new either, it isn’t from a fresh bag, we had this for many one or two weeks now. The only new things would be his hay feeders and toys, which he doesn’t seem all that reluctant tossing his toys around. Can’t say he suddenly prefers a different kind of hay, dental issue, the purpose of preventing boredom and wearing down his teeth lost is value now that he has things to chew and play with. We just got him basil and he did take a little nibble out of it, can’t tell for certain whether he likes it or not. Nope. We only get baby carrots so we never got the full grown ones that have the tops. 

[BunnyHibi]

He ate some hay last night, so will he be okay if he does so only gradually? I’m assuring I’m keeping an eye on him to debate whether there’s further changes warranting a vet visit. We offered him basil and I think he ate it, he did take a small nibble out of it when I gave up trying to hand feed it to him and figured it’d be better if he interacted with it to his own accord. I can’t really tell, not sure if he did or he hid it somewhere in his cage. I can manage a sparse glimpse of his mouth fully when he’s yawning, but not enough to really tell. He’s still active as well, as per usual routine, binkying away when he knows he’s in trouble as usual, biting his cage telling me to let him out. He drank, he ate his pellets, he’s using the bathroom, I’ve examined his droppings and the vast majority of them look good. 

[DanaNM]

He probably ate the basil

I think the important thing to keep track of is whether his hay consumption is improving, staying stable, or is up and down. If he’s improving, then I would just keep monitoring and doing what you’ve been doing. If he’s stable, but very low hay consumption (bunnies should eat an amount of hay about equal to their body size each day, most of which is grazed on slowly throughout the day), then try offering some new hay varieties to see if that helps. If not, then a vet visit will at least rule out a medical problem. If he’s declining, or going up and down, then definitely get him to the vet.

Bunnies as a rule don’t “eat when they are hungry enough”. This works for dogs who are being picky eaters, but for bunnies that strategy can kill them. A healthy bunny is hungry all the time! A bunny that doesn’t want to eat is a sick bunny, and no amount of hunger will drive them to eat. Exceptions of course are those that fill up on unlimited pellets, but again, that doesn’t really sound like your situation.

Also, bunny molars are impossible to see without a special instrument at the vet (they have 24 molars in that tiny mouth!), so you wouldn’t be able to see any problems necessarily.

. . . 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.  

[Rain]

If he’s rejecting sugar treats like bits of fruit that could be a sign something is wrong. Rabbits usually go crazy over sugar. They LOVE it. It’s like us and candy. With both, when we are sick, we usually don’t like eating sweet things. We aren’t interested in eating anything when we’re sick really.
Is he being unusually obedient? Like he will let you do things to him that he usually dislikes? Losing mischief or acting really strange in those ways are also signs something is up.
It seems that maybe the hunger idea is working? Maybe it is making him eat his hay more?
DanaNM also mentioned that only vets can completely see a rabbits mouth and teeth. The specific molars that are required to chew and grind on hay are the ones in the back.
It seems that he is starting to eat more which is a good thing. Another good idea is to lock him in his cage and then stick hay through the bars to make him eat. That typically works with Rain when he has an off day. Maybe if you put it in his face enough times it will annoy him so much that he will eat it. Atleast I do it enough times to him to make it annoying. If a bunny has space to move away from you when you offer them hay it’s harder.
Do you have another batch of the same hay? Did you try it already? I remember that at first my brand of hay was very dusty and had short tiny stalks of hay and they were very dusty, but now the hay is long green stalks and more hay than dust. Maybe the opposite happened with yours? As in it went from good to bad?

[BunnyHibi]

He’s always rejected lots of fruit; and has been fine. He only accepts apples. He still accepts carrots as far as I’m aware and it also contains sugar. 

When he knows he’s in trouble, like stated in my last post; he binkies away, which he did when he was out. He’s normally & mainly disobedient with me when I tell him to stop chewing the carpet, my current long-going problem with him. He does listen to me when I tell him to get down from something ( ex: attempting to jump atop of his cage or look like he’s trying to jump atop of other things ) – that hasn’t changed. He was pretty eccentric when I was preparing to groom him. Sometimes he couldn’t care, other times he’s like “no, I want pets!!” but I do pet him while brushing him. 

I haven’t tried the hunger thing last night, too intimidated to, as Dana insinuated; it could kill him. But my mom insisted I should, so I hope nothing goes wrong with it, it’s progressing now. I tried telling her the issue might be dental and that it’s likely cheaper while caught early, again, she doesn’t come into full agreement in bringing him to a vet. Instead, see if he does eat any hay via giving him no choice but to eat it if not we’ll give him a fresh bag. I’m shaking right now hoping I don’t put him in GI stasis ( does it apply even if he’s still drinking water or not? ) or wake up to him dead otherwise I’m going to be very upset. 

[BunnyHibi]

Other than allowing him to run out of pellets on his own normally resorting to him turning to his hay or waiting out the night until I’m up to feed him, this is the first time I’ve physically took his pellets away from him. But it seems

to be working, he’s still indifferent in accepting pieces hand fed, but he did take one, dropped it and went back to it in means of eating. Still on foreign terms with his hay feeder, might move it again to another area. He is more than occasionally interested in his little pile of hay. He’s eaten several at this point. I gave him more basil to in aspiring him to grow used to it/seeing if he really likes it not, pretty much ignoring it. It’s also been suggested by my mom to try given him grass, reassuring no pesticide has been used on it on our yard specifically.

[BunnyHibi]

update 1: He’s still here, still drinking as always. Since he ate more hay last night, I rewarded him with pellets this morning. I’m going to try the grass tactic later on. Apparently it wasn’t basil and misheard my mom, it’s cilantro. I offered it to him two days straight under the assumption he ignored it until he ate it to his own accord, today when I offered him another, he gobbled it up! Slowly introducing him on my part was picking it into little pieces rather giving him the whole thing at first to see when he does eat it, see if he’s fine with it – and placing it around his hay or on his food bowl. I guess it’s starting to become a favorite herb?

[DanaNM]

Very glad to hear he’s eating more hay and eating cilantro.

I never met a bunny that didn’t love cilantro!

Fresh grass can also be great, just make sure it’s clean and only give a bit at first (just like any fresh foods) to make sure his tummy adjusts to it.

. . . 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.  

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By DanaNM on 1/09/2018 3:03 PM

Very glad to hear he’s eating more hay and eating cilantro.

I never met a bunny that didn’t love cilantro!

Fresh grass can also be great, just make sure it’s clean and only give a bit at first (just like any fresh foods) to make sure his tummy adjusts to it.

I’m just as surprised! He’s a picky one, so seeing him actually accept something else is very rewarding. 

Ahh, yes, I was assuring myself to do that whenever I go out to pick some. It’s rather cold and still some blankets of snow lingering, we live in the north, would a bunny still like it either way? 

[DanaNM]

Hmmm, I think as long as it’s green when you pick it they will like it… Some bunnies are picky about grass that has set seed though. Not sure if he would go for dried dead grass, and it prob wouldn’t have much nutrition left in it.

. . . 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.  

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By DanaNM on 1/09/2018 7:35 PM

Hmmm, I think as long as it’s green when you pick it they will like it… Some bunnies are picky about grass that has set seed though. Not sure if he would go for dried dead grass, and it prob wouldn’t have much nutrition left in it.

Hrm – I’ll see what green grass I can scavenge, if none, then I’ll wait. I think I have some sort of food schedule figured out? I’ll give him his pellets when he’s out of his cage, that way he’s not devouring them through and through, he’s either more interested running around, playing or generally chilling and not that too piqued when it comes to food unlike when he’s sitting in his cage. His herbs as an occasional snack to where I’ll tempt him to eat his hay with them if he again seems not too interested all the while he’ll mainly have hay throughout the night, renewing his need to eat hay more or more – or as the prior additional suggestions, keep him his cage until he’s more liable to eat his hay without problems. If that doesn’t work, we’ll see about getting him new hay. 

Overall my concerns on the medical likelihood isn’t wavering, still, I’ll keep my eye on him. His behavior today was quite normal too, chilling, played with him that resorted him madly binkying and darting his area, he ate pellets, ate some herbs, drinking all the same too.

[DanaNM]

That sounds like a good plan, I think having a schedule helps a lot. When bunnies know they aren’t getting any more pellets for a long time they will turn to their hay (if they are just being picky!)

You might have mentioned this earlier, but how old is he?

. . . 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.  

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By DanaNM on 1/09/2018 8:15 PM

That sounds like a good plan, I think having a schedule helps a lot. When bunnies know they aren’t getting any more pellets for a long time they will turn to their hay (if they are just being picky!)

You might have mentioned this earlier, but how old is he?

Ah, I see, I see. Here’s to hoping the schedule idea works out.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it in the conversation thus far, maybe my memory’s failing me but nevertheless; he’s 1 years old! I wasn’t given his precise birth year so I’m guessing, someone else surrendered him to me unable to mantifest time caring for him, saying they had him for 8 months. 

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By Rain on 1/07/2018 7:06 PM

By the way, since I have had to resort to this many many times with my own parents, try really hard to put as much emotion in to what you are saying to get your parents to listen. Try explaining to them how much you love your baby and that whenever YOU were sick, your parents would take you to a doctor to get checked right? Tell them that this animal might be extremely ill and tell them how rabbits usually hide their illnesses as I said above. Use a lot of facts too about what happens when they don’t eat hay every day. It might work?

Ah, I missed this response, so sorry its late getting back to one in particular – sadly, I’m nearly 20. So I don’t know if more responsibility i pushed onto my in caring for my own health; lately, my parents seem more inclined taking my siblings to a doctor. I haven’t had a check up in a few years/months in assuring my health is good, or vaccinations. In fact, I’m suffering from, what I’m under the assumption, is anxiety and major depression afflicted by the toxic behavior of my dad and generally crappy lifestyle. That hasn’t been supported even if I’m showing signs, I’m socially anxious too. I can literally be in tears/an impending panic attack hyperventilating explaining what could be wrong with my rabbits and nothing would be done about it until they’re spastic ( what happened to Midna ) and dying, the most I can do is blame myself, nearly feel like passing out due to irregular breathing, watch as it happens because I can’t do anything aside from committing to the decision of putting them down. You’d think the last breakdown I had with my bunnies would take it keen in mind I care deeply for them. It doesn’t matter the animal, any I get attached to, I lose it. I do believe I told them that when Midna was having issues the while they resorted “she looks fine to me.” So really, I’m believing my parents couldn’t give two flips how this physically and mentally affects me. 

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By Rain on 1/07/2018 6:38 PM

That’s really good! Binkies and energy are good signs that show he is not that far into whatever is wrong with him. But the thing is, sometimes even when bunnies SEEM a hundred percent okay with their energy, that doesn’t mean they are actually okay. Rabbits in the wild can’t afford to look sick to their enemies so they pretend everything is fine until they really can’t hold in the pain anymore. My little Rain sometimes acts happy and normal when he is ill. It’s not until I catch him hiding hunched up and grinding his teeth that i know he’s sick.
But from what you’re telling us it’s either the beginning of stasis, some type of tooth problem, or that your rabbit is really really picky. Maybe the batch of hay is not good? Did you check for extra dust or mold, or just stale yellow hay?
If I suspect my bunny is not eating his hay I check his poop. If you haven’t already, you could try this idea. Do you see little golden or green things in them? Those are particles of hay. That would indicate that he is in fact eating his hay or atleast some of it.

My mom would occasionally tell me when a rabbit is in pain, recoiling from touch/not approving to be touched ( scratch or attempting to bite at hand like they would do if annoyed ) – he’s still the same, he loves the attention. Grumpy/suddenly aggressive indicating they don’t want to be touched in fear you’ll make it worse – no such thing has occurred throughout his behavior. Very occasionally he is when he’s annoyed, other than that, he promotes being touched. A bun sitting in the corner of their cage and nothing is intriguing their interests ( that glossing over contents determining whether a rabbit has some level of being in discomfort ). Not for him, he does chill in corner due to the cage itself being rather mediumish small, so you can’t really fault him for that. I’m really wanting to give him a bigger one, he’s in between sitting in a corner or laying in the middle, outside, he does chill at the side of his pen, he doesn’t really try to hide away in the corners yet, tuckering himself out momentarily. In fact, today he’s quite hyper. Hunched up posture – I’m not sure if its more than occasional, frequently hunched saying they’re in pain – he does it sometimes, moreover sighted laying in a relaxed position or flopping. ( the like when he’s in his cage )

I’m cancelling out stasis; I’ve worked a food schedule for him, he does eat hay sometimes – as of now, either letting him do so overnight or by chance he’s ignoring it, could keep him in there until he does it. I gave him a little more to his pile and I can only assume he ate some. He’s eating his pellets fine, water fine, got him herbs and he devours them. So his digestive system is still okay. His poop still looks round; another way I can determine whether he’s eating hay is if I see some hints of hair too, suggesting he has been eating hay for it supports it getting passed, naturally, I’ve been brushing him to aspire less need to digest too much fur. But yes, I can see some coloring amongst his poo. Hmm – dust may be one. Like, house dust? Or little pieces of hay you’d find at the end of the bag? Hay dust? Since I handle the hay, I can’t say it’s stale. Stale means it feels like it’s stiff when you attempt to bend it yourself, no? He doesn’t have much trouble munching it in half. Normally it’s green or a tint of yellowish-green. If I can figure out how to make pictures show up, do you want me to show you?  

In terms of grinding his teeth he does it lightly, telling he’s content, especially when I’m petting him. I haven’t heard him doing it louder than he normally does. I’m in some agreement with the tooth problem, I’ve been checking up on him as I did beforehand as the summary suggests, looking out for hints of drooling, discharge(?) of the eyes or nose, rough grinding of the teeth, hunched posture, abnormal eating habits. Or generally reluctant to eat, I think was another. He only matches one supposed symptom. Might be the fault of being picky or accidentally allowing him unlimited pellets even if the amount is small. 

[Wick & Fable]

It’s great to be knowledgeable about common symptoms for rabbit disorders, especially since rabbits are “silent sufferers”; however, if your instinct tells you something is wrong, I think going to the vet, who has the proper tools and solutions to run more conclusive tests, is wise. Simply looking in the mouth with a long-nozzled otoscope will give a really good idea if dental is a problem. As mentioned earlier in this thread, it’s much cheaper to treat a problem early than wait for more severe side effects to appear.

By balancing 1) what a rabbit vet diagnosis with 2) your observations, you build an image and idea of what >your< specific rabbit looks and acts like when they are ill. For many rabbits, dental issues include a combination of the items you list, but for others, it could just be one.

An example is Wick, who needs dental grindings ever 5 weeks. His only symptom is peeing outside the litterbox, but only when he’s upset about something— so it’s a very conditional, specific symptom, that could also be written off as “he’s grumpy because we’re especially loud today”, but it’s something I’ve learned to recognize. He does not selectively eat, show signs of pain, have drool or eye discharge (tears), or grinds his teeth.

It’s good to begin considering what your rabbit’s typical signs are. Wick eats everything, regardless of whether he’s unhappy, feeling discomfort, sleepy, etc, so I know that’s never a symptom I should “wait for” before going to a vet.

I think you’re doing a good job in researching and being a reductionist for diagnosing and considering what your rabbit is thinking and feeling is a good trait for a rabbit owner, but know that at the end of the day, an experienced rabbit vet will typically give you the conclusion so you can easily so, “OK, my rabbit showed this side effect because of ____________”.

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.

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By Wick on 1/10/2018 4:40 PM

It’s great to be knowledgeable about common symptoms for rabbit disorders, especially since rabbits are “silent sufferers”; however, if your instinct tells you something is wrong, I think going to the vet, who has the proper tools and solutions to run more conclusive tests, is wise. Simply looking in the mouth with a long-nozzled otoscope will give a really good idea if dental is a problem. As mentioned earlier in this thread, it’s much cheaper to treat a problem early than wait for more severe side effects to appear.

By balancing 1) what a rabbit vet diagnosis with 2) your observations, you build an image and idea of what >your< specific rabbit looks and acts like when they are ill. For many rabbits, dental issues include a combination of the items you list, but for others, it could just be one.

An example is Wick, who needs dental grindings ever 5 weeks. His only symptom is peeing outside the litterbox, but only when he’s upset about something— so it’s a very conditional, specific symptom, that could also be written off as “he’s grumpy because we’re especially loud today”, but it’s something I’ve learned to recognize. He does not selectively eat, show signs of pain, have drool or eye discharge (tears), or grinds his teeth.

It’s good to begin considering what your rabbit’s typical signs are. Wick eats everything, regardless of whether he’s unhappy, feeling discomfort, sleepy, etc, so I know that’s never a symptom I should “wait for” before going to a vet.

I think you’re doing a good job in researching and being a reductionist for diagnosing and considering what your rabbit is thinking and feeling is a good trait for a rabbit owner, but know that at the end of the day, an experienced rabbit vet will typically give you the conclusion so you can easily so, “OK, my rabbit showed this side effect because of ____________”.

I’m in the midst of learning throughout my veterinary courses; the most they’re really addressed regarding rabbits is how vets restrain them/their anatomy I think ( or general mammal anatomy whereas it’s topically revolved the bigger animals such as cats & dogs; so that itself doesn’t help in the knowledge of rabbits immensely rather having to look up different sources congregating whether they all agree on a specific ailment or have various perception on it; like with people, you can have an visible symptom and can be linked to numerous others including that specific symptom(s) unless you’re more descriptive of what you’re experiencing ).

My desire to take him to a vet hasn’t faded, I really want to bring him in for a checkup to fully confirmed to alleviate my tension on his state. My only problem is that my parents won’t comply – “a people’s needs comes before animal’s” is something I really disagree with. I really wish I was good in education on other topics, driving, job experience and lucky to be applied when I show interest in a week max. Sadly, it’s the opposite. Otherwise I’d have no qualms getting him to a vet on my own, or having money and let them drop me off to a clinic. I can explain most problems with rabbits can worsen and lead to death and I’ll still be made feeling guilty for worrying about him due to “not having enough money to take him to the vet” or being under the assumption I don’t understand how much vet bills will cost. I literally told her a day or two it’s cheaper caught early, she didn’t seem to come into agreement of having him get precautionary checks, unfortunately to me, they’re not willing to concur the urgency of a rabbit’s health being amiss unless they’re literally spastic on the ground, dying. The most I can really do is attempt to keep bringing it as a topic, continue keeping my attention on him to assure nothing else is different about him and hope I can eventually get a breaking point of them bringing him to the vet.

[BunnyHibi]

update 2: it’s been awhile before I’ve admitted the issue however – nothing else is developing aside what I’ve recapitulated for the concerns of a medical problem. He’s favoring his cilantro ( the full plant; not little dry herbs sprinkled onto hay? I’m here to assume it requires the same eating motion as hay? ); we’ve newly introduced him to parsley, still deciding on whether he likes it. We also got Romaine lettuce, but I’m kinda iffy on wanting to give it to him due to the reporting of E. Coli. Would rabbits be at a higher risk even if their bacteria gut already consists of it? Or would it leave them unfazed but still should take precautions before handing it to him? The food schedule appears to be working, his activity is the same as always, still nothing indicating he’s ill. And he is eating his hay overnight, it would appear he somewhat prefers it in a pile? Otherwise he’ll interact with his feeder only to take it off where it’s hooked and throw it everywhere. Have to say whether he decided to have a picky episode or I was handling him small unlimited pellets; either way, I appreciate all with their insights & suggestions! Irregardless, I’m always keeping an eye on him.

[DanaNM]

I think it recommended to avoid commercially grown romaine (incl organic), until after the outbreak is over (you also wouldn’t want to risk handling it and contaminating your kitchen). But, if they are selling it in stores, maybe the outbreak is over??

Some bunnies do eat more when the hay is in a pile vs. a rack. I tend to provide a little pile + hay in a rack, because Bertha will eat some of the pile, then flatten the rest and pee on it, and I just can’t be giving her fresh hay three times per day. O_o

Long stems are similar to hay (the side to side chewing motion) but hay really is the most important for keeping the gut healthy and teeth in good shape, because it has the most fiber content.

My buns do tend to eat more hay overnight (they sleep a lot in the day).

That’s great you are working in more veggies. Sounds like he will start getting taste for them. I suggest consulting the list on this site of safe veggies and amounts, and then working up to at least 5 or 6 that you know he likes and agrees with him (and you can get readily). That way you can have a rotation of 3-4 you feed per day, and can give a good variety.

. . . 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.  

[BunnyHibi]

Posted By DanaNM on 1/12/2018 3:18 PM

I think it recommended to avoid commercially grown romaine (incl organic), until after the outbreak is over (you also wouldn’t want to risk handling it and contaminating your kitchen). But, if they are selling it in stores, maybe the outbreak is over??

Some bunnies do eat more when the hay is in a pile vs. a rack. I tend to provide a little pile + hay in a rack, because Bertha will eat some of the pile, then flatten the rest and pee on it, and I just can’t be giving her fresh hay three times per day. O_o

Long stems are similar to hay (the side to side chewing motion) but hay really is the most important for keeping the gut healthy and teeth in good shape, because it has the most fiber content.

My buns do tend to eat more hay overnight (they sleep a lot in the day).

That’s great you are working in more veggies. Sounds like he will start getting taste for them. I suggest consulting the list on this site of safe veggies and amounts, and then working up to at least 5 or 6 that you know he likes and agrees with him (and you can get readily). That way you can have a rotation of 3-4 you feed per day, and can give a good variety.

Well, as long as he’s eating hay in the while, I suppose that’s good? Rather than worrying me that he won’t touch it at all, so as long as it’s still apart of his diet, I can relax a little. I can’t say; I haven’t gone over the full news coverage, I’ve learned about it recently. They did say they requested a recall of the products, either it hasn’t been done here or it’s clear and safe as long as the usual procedures are used in order to prevent plausible health issues as per usual routine. 

Ahh, Shadow’s a bit of the mix, he’ll sleep/flop/lay on it, he’ll shove his bedding and hay, dig in it, making a disorder amid the clean bedding and the sparse other areas he poos in ( judging it’s only there because he likes to dig in his bathroom area, trying to think of getting him a litter tray but his cage may be too small for one ), whereas Shadow’s active all around? But he does appear to be less in activity around the afternoon due to being out as soon as I wake up ( in between 7-8-9 in the morning ) and back to being active around night. 

Alright: so one, he likes cilantro ( herb/plant ), parsley questionable. Carrots would be within the veggies, lettuce under progress, he likes apples – going for fruit.  I also joined a variety of other rabbit groups on other social platforms, so I do have on-hand knowledge of what rabbits can have either as treats or classified as healthy for them, but given in moderation in case their gut doesn’t really agree with it.

[DanaNM]

Other veggies which are always my bun’s favorites (they’ll eat them first out of their salads) are:

kale (!!! – they love it, but I don’t give too much due to oxalates and calcium content.. it can make some buns gassy)
beet tops
fennel (they love it, and can be found growing as a weed.)
dandelion
sow thistle (another weed that they absolutely love, even more than dandelion)
basil
thyme

Also spring mix is usually very popular, and is an easy way to feed a variety of greens. Some members have said their buns get sick of it, but mine only get it once in a while and they usually love it. I don’t buy it too often because I find it spoils quickly, but it works well in a pinch.

. . . 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.  

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