New rabbit eating only tiny amounts of hay.

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katiemarangi

katiemarangi

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I'm still very new to rabbit husbandry, so maybe I'm just missing something here. I've had my 2 does since October and they do wonderfully. I just received 2 dwarf hotot bucks last Wednesday. One is doing wonderfully, eating up a storm. The other has only been eating the tiniest amount of hay and water since I received him. His poop is very small and he barely poops. I've examined his whole body and can find nothing wrong and I've tried feeding at different times with different amounts, etc. They're on the same pellets the original breeder was using as well. It's been very rainy and cold here lately but I don't know if that would have any impact? He was used to breed by the breeder the day I got him. He's really not showing any signs of illness that I can tell despite just only eating the bare minimum. I'm afraid he's not going to make it long term unless he can get himself together. He actively moves around and will chew on wood and take the small amount of hay so I don't think it's stasis? I did give him some gas drops a few days ago and nothing changed.

Thank you for any advice ;_;
 
Maybe he doesn't like that type of hay?

I had a rabbit who wasn't interested in hay barely at all, but he had no problem pooping
 
You are right to be concerned. A new rabbit who won't eat is a serious concern.

Do you feel anything when you palpate his belly? Any hard spots? Does he feel bloated?

For rabbits to eat well they need to drink well. Have you tried offering a fruit tea (doesn't need to be sweetened, but if you want a tiny bit of honey won't go amiss), gatorade, or water with pineapple juice?

will he eat anything other than the hay?

Have you considered giving him a wee bit of oatmeal?
 
katiemarangi said:
I'm still very new to rabbit husbandry, so maybe I'm just missing something here. I've had my 2 does since October and they do wonderfully. I just received 2 dwarf hotot bucks last Wednesday. One is doing wonderfully, eating up a storm. The other has only been eating the tiniest amount of hay and water since I received him. His poop is very small and he barely poops. I've examined his whole body and can find nothing wrong and I've tried feeding at different times with different amounts, etc. They're on the same pellets the original breeder was using as well. It's been very rainy and cold here lately but I don't know if that would have any impact? He was used to breed by the breeder the day I got him. He's really not showing any signs of illness that I can tell despite just only eating the bare minimum. I'm afraid he's not going to make it long term unless he can get himself together. He actively moves around and will chew on wood and take the small amount of hay so I don't think it's stasis? I did give him some gas drops a few days ago and nothing changed.

Thank you for any advice ;_;
Click to expand...
What are gas drops?
 
Small poops is usually a sign of A blockage.

Definitely give diluted pineapple juice, if it's a blockage that will help to loosen it. With angoras, I swear by it - always keep some in the house. Salt licks can help too.

Feel the muscles along his spine, if they're thinner than the other bunny's, he needs protein and fat immediately. Best things to feed him, if you don't have access to veterinary critical care mix: oats and black oil sunflower seeds. fresh pineapple is good too, stay away from canned and don't feed the peel though.
Whole oats are better than oatmeal because the husks provide fiber, but he's more likely to eat oatmeal.
If he stops eating but still drinks, give him oat milk

Is he eating his cecotropes?
 
Robochelle said:
Small poops is usually a sign of A blockage.

Definitely give diluted pineapple juice, if it's a blockage that will help to loosen it. With angoras, I swear by it - always keep some in the house. Salt licks can help too.

Feel the muscles along his spine, if they're thinner than the other bunny's, he needs protein and fat immediately. Best things to feed him, if you don't have access to veterinary critical care mix: oats and black oil sunflower seeds. fresh pineapple is good too, stay away from canned and don't feed the peel though.
Whole oats are better than oatmeal because the husks provide fiber, but he's more likely to eat oatmeal.
If he stops eating but still drinks, give him oat milk

Is he eating his cecotropes?
Click to expand...

Thank you. I've given him some and everything you listed except for oat milk.
 
Thanks everybody for the advice. He's doing quite a bit better but not 100% yet. Acts like a fully healthy rabbit except for the poop and diet issue. I have him on a little exercise program and he poops a lot more when he's doing that. He was pretty expensive and since I don't think the problem could be anything other than a blockage, I did use him to breed and he performed valiantly, haha.
 
Good to hear that he is improving.

Knowing that he stresses easily (from the move) I would mildly stress any of his offspring and monitor them. Don't keep any that exhibit any stress behaviours.
 

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