I have a rabbit that is not eating hardly any food, hay, or drinking water. She looks overweight i know shes a little old 3.5-4 yrs old. She has been bred all her life except summer months. She has a verry mellow temperment almost sleepy allthe time. But if i try to pet hershe still hops around the cage to get away from me she has always done this. And 3-4 yrs is all i should expect from a rabbit thats been used so much right? I think she is old but i dont want to stew meat a good rabbit if im mistaken aboutthe old age. Thanks in advance <br /><br /> -- Tue Dec 02, 2014 1:03 pm -- <br /><br /> Even though she doesnt eat hardly she still looks overweight
is my rabbit old or sick?
- Thread starter B. Bunny
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Rabbits can live 10 years. I don't think breeding for a couple years would have much impact on lifespan if they never had any complications. Even with a heavy breeding schedule I culled a healthy doe at 5 years old and sold a 6 year old buck to start someone else's rabbitry.
Have you been weighing the rabbit? It can be hard to judge the true amount of fat since they store much of it around the internal organs. Is she pooping normal round poo of the usual size?
Have you been weighing the rabbit? It can be hard to judge the true amount of fat since they store much of it around the internal organs. Is she pooping normal round poo of the usual size?
She is likely sick as 3 or 4 is not old for a rabbit, even one bred frequently as the statistic that production rabbits only live to 3 is from the breeder culling them for reduced productivity (ie harder to get pregnant, litters of less than 8 and/or reduced milk production) and not from natural causes.
If she looks fat due to a bloated belly but you can feel rib, back or hip bones then she likely has coccidia.
If she looks fat due to a bloated belly but you can feel rib, back or hip bones then she likely has coccidia.
I also guess illness instead of age, but...don't feel bad if you decide to make stew, all the same. She might not be quite as good of a producer as a younger animal.
How long have you had her?
I don't feel I explained myself well in my previous comment. If she isn't eating enough, she may be going into GI stasis. You can tell this by checking her poops. If they are getting smaller, she's in danger. If they have stopped altogether, she may be near death.
If she's near death, I'd think that eating her now would be more efficient than finding her already passed away, and not getting a meal. Going through intense supportive care might not be the best use of your time for a doe who isn't likely to be as productive down the line.
But...There would also be a benefit to attempting to nurse her back to health. The experience could come in handy later.
I don't feel I explained myself well in my previous comment. If she isn't eating enough, she may be going into GI stasis. You can tell this by checking her poops. If they are getting smaller, she's in danger. If they have stopped altogether, she may be near death.
If she's near death, I'd think that eating her now would be more efficient than finding her already passed away, and not getting a meal. Going through intense supportive care might not be the best use of your time for a doe who isn't likely to be as productive down the line.
But...There would also be a benefit to attempting to nurse her back to health. The experience could come in handy later.
i will check the feces when i get home but ive been debating stewing her anyways i know somethings up and your right should to get the most out of it and considering im having breeding issues with my healthy ones maybe i should cut my losses and benefit while i can. but i will get back with you later <br /><br /> -- Thu Dec 04, 2014 6:26 pm -- <br /><br /> Well just for closure i stewed that rabbit. i checked the feces and some were as small as BB's. she didnt eat anything from the day before and still lethargic. When i dressed her out i noticed white spots on the liver and the intestinal track was absolutely full. I am now in the process of disinfecting everything. I believe i caught it early so hopefully she wasnt in pain for too long. please correct me if its not okay to still eat the meat (I threw out the liver). thanks guysZass":2c24eo7i said:
Yup, coccidia
of what? :shrug: ?!?!?
If you think you caught it early then the meat should be fine if well cooked.
In severe cases the liver is so damaged that the tissues are full of poisons that the liver hasn't be detoxifying for several months and THAT would not be edible but it is quite obvious as the meat has a light yellow tinge from jaundice and there is a lot of water retention that practically drips out of the muscles
MamaSheepdog
Well-known member
Dood":34paeoku said:In severe cases the liver is so damaged that the tissues are full of poisons that the liver hasn't be detoxifying for several months and THAT would not be edible but it is quite obvious as the meat has a light yellow tinge from jaundice and there is a lot of water retention that practically drips out of the muscles
EWWWW!!!
Really???
Blech.
Sounds like she didn't have much of a chance. Her meat should be fine. Just inspect it closely and cook it well.
I've seen pics of the intestinal variant of cocci. It looks really unpleasant. I know how hard it can be. I had to euthanize my own favorite doe not too long ago, to protect the rest of the herd.
For her sake, I'm glad you chose to cull.
I've seen pics of the intestinal variant of cocci. It looks really unpleasant. I know how hard it can be. I had to euthanize my own favorite doe not too long ago, to protect the rest of the herd.
For her sake, I'm glad you chose to cull.
