Mini-rex quit eating

[boxermom]

We are VERY NEW to rabbits. My DD has 2 5mo old mini rex rabbits. We have had them since the middle of Sept. The buck has stopped eating. DD gives 1/2 c pellets once a day and she has not given any food for several days. We had a food change when we got him and he ate just fine. Yesterday, we switched back to the food he was eating at his last home. DD gave him just a little oatmeal to entice him. What do we do now? He's drinking and using his litter box, although not as much as he was. He's bright eyed and his coat looks good. What else should we be watching for?

 

[IcarusSomnio]

Are they getting any hay? Hay (roughage) is very important to the digestive system and health of the teeth. I'd also be careful with switching feeds so quickly-that can cause digestive upset.

He could just be not hungry and simply just not want any. I have a Dutch doe who will at times, simply not eat her pellets. She'll go two, three days and just not want her pellets. Bright, happy, drinking, normal poop, just won't touch them. Then all of a sudden, poof! There gone! She's just about due to kindle and I keep her dish pretty much full at the moment (normally I wouldn't, but I like to ensure that both mother and kit are getting what they need).

 

[boxermom]

Yes, he has plenty of hay. The radicle switch to different pellets was when we first got him. He ate fine then. now, switching back is gradual only because he isn't eating.

 

[The Lisser]

Has he been shedding? Has his poop been oddly shaped or can you see hair in it? Rabbits can develop hair balls in their digestive system as they groom themselves - however unlike cats, they cannot throw up the hairballs. This is often the cause of rabbits going off food. You could try to gently palpate his abdomen to feel for a hard lump. If he starts acting lethargic and stops drinking water, you may need to take him to the vet. In the past I had a rabbit get a hair blockage in his digestive tract. The vet told me to give him pure pineapple juice by mouth twice a day for a week with a syringe (no needle of course) and then once a day for a week. It was 6cc dose for a 8 lb rabbit. A mini rabbit would of course need less. The acid in the pineapple juice is very effective in breaking down the hair and helping it to pass. I used canned pineapple juice.

Good luck and I hope he gets better soon. Some other treats we give the rabbits at work (I work at a science center) to help with providing roughage besides good quality fresh hay is the green husks from fresh corn, and stems from fresh broccoli. Not too much at once, of course, you don't want him to get bloated.

Also do you give him a chew stick? Have you looked at his teeth/mouth?

 

[The Lisser]

One other thought - could he have eaten something inedible? Our rabbits will chew/eat the weirdest things if they get a chance - foam insulation, electrical cords, etc - we have to constantly watch and remove these sorts of things when the rabbits have exercise time.

 

[Akane]

Mini rex are known to be rather picky about pellets. All of mine will inhale their hay and only finish their pellets if they run out of hay. My champagne d'argent are the opposite and inhale pellets then eat hay if they run out. If he has a good grass hay available all the time that he's eating plenty of I wouldn't worry too much and I wouldn't keep switching his pellet brand around. It's far healthier to eat lots of hay and a little pellets than the reverse. If they are getting any fresh foods or treats they'll also get a lot of the vitamins/minerals missing from hay in that form. I give mine peppermint and flaxseed horse treats. They are manna pro brand. I avoid any treats that have too much sugar or corn very high in the ingredients and look for wheat or oats instead. The flaxseed cookies have a little sugar but really balance out the sunflower seeds I mix in with their pellets. http://www.mannapro.com/products/equine/healthy-snax/ . I also have some of these http://www.statelinetack.com/item/manna-pro-bite-size-nuggets-1lb/SLT209125/ which have a longer ingredients list with vitamins and minerals added. They get a single treat of either kind once every day or 2 and then 1/3-1/2 cup of pellets with sunflowers mixed 3-4 scoops of pellets to 1 scoop of sunflower seeds. They also get a small piece of fruit/vegetable or a small handful of grass, mint, or other forage. We haven't had rabbits a long time but so far this is working well and no one is gaining too much weight or losing any and they all molted when I got them to grow back really nice coats.

 

[boxermom]

Thanks for all your comments and ideas. DD gave him a a little piece of banana last night. He really enjoyed that. Today, all the pellets are gone. Guess we'll just watch him. Thanks again.