My rabbit is not eating?

Question

My rabbit wont eat properly, we've tried changing his diet from regular rabbit food to just pellets (as reccommended by our vet), we've tried giving him apple, carrot, hay, freshly cut grass, cucumber, cabbage, dandilions, thistle, parsley, mint, oats, almost everything, and although he eats a little, its just enough to keep him alive. He's lost alot of weight, and he seems to have lost his apppitite for life aswell. He drinks plenty of water, we've been giving him vitimins in that, but he just sits in his cage doing nothing. He's getting weaker and falls over quite alot. We've brought him in the house and tried playing with him in case he was bored and he perks up a little then. He's always cold and so we give him a hot water bottle which he snuggles up to. His backside is filthy, we have to bathe him to clean him up.His teeth are fine. We've taken him to the vet who said that there is nothing obviously wrong with him. He's only a year old and has been like this now for about 2 months

Answer 1

go to a different vet and SOON like first thing tomorrow!!. If your rabbit is that bad i'm surprised at you for not doing this sooner.

Answer 2

GET A DIFFERENT VET!!!!

Like I've told a number of people. It's bad to feed vegetables to your rabbits, especially in large amounts!

Your rabbit has diarrhea. There are two things you need to do and fast! Your rabbit is pretty much almost dead if not already to the point of being dead.

You probably need to have your rabbit treated for coccidiosis. Rabbits tend to get coccidiosis in the summer time when it is hot. Coccidiosis will cause diarrhea. The best treatment for coccidiosis is liquid amprolium added to their drinking water. Don't use the powder form of amprolium because the particulates are too big to be absorbed by the rabbit's system. Your vet should have been able to check for that by taking a stool sample of the rabbit.

Secondly, you need to treat your rabbit for bacterial entertitis, otherwise known as the common form of diahrrea. That can be done medically by giving the rabbit neomycin in its drinking water. There are other methods to help in that regards also. First, quit feeding the vegetables. Second, although it may be too late to do it now is to pull your rabbit off of its feed for 24 hours then put it on timothy hay or straw or a half ration of feed the next day. This flushes the food out of the rabbit's digestive system and can help get the bacteria out of its system that could be causing the diarrhea. Or you can go to feeding nothing but timothy. Pull the veggies and pull the pellets and just give timothy hay. That will add roughage and fiber while at the same time it decreases the amount of energy in the rabbit's diet, helping to cure the diarrhea.

Get your rabbit to a competent vet. Have the vet do a stool sample. Have the vet check for coccidiosis and bacterial entertitis. And do it ASAP! Also, make sure your rabbit gets plenty of water. Might even hurt to give it something like pedialyte to help restore the water and electrolytes it is losing. When a rabbit gets diarrhea it gets dehydrated and loses electrolytes.

You are very close to losing your rabbit. Closer than you probably realize.

I'm normally very non-excited when I give advice. However I've been raising rabbits for a long time (25 years) and I know when a rabbit is seriously sick. I've studied a number of books on rabbit diseases and treatments.

Answer 3

In short: Your vet's an idiot. Find another.

Something's obviously wrong with an animal that's so lethargic. Most rabbits would go crazy over that food.

Unfortunately, it seems like you may have fed him something he shouldn't have had. From your list, you should NOT give him:
apples (diarrhea)
cut grass (only pulled. Cut ferments and is bad for him)
cabbage (give them gas that they cannot pass)

I wouldn't trust thistle but that's a guess.

I'm hoping you never fed him bread or let him eat paper. That will block him up.

A question: is he pooping? If not, he's blocked up.

You can IM me on Y!M for more questions. =>RedAugustSun

Oh, and the person below me is wrong about dandelions. They're actually good for rabbits and help with stomach aches. Mine eats one every time they appear in the yard (yellow dandelions. I don't trust white, puffy ones even though it's the same plant).

I think he's right about cucumbers though. Don't feed him white lettuce either, only the really dark, leafy green stuff.

Answer 4

I agree with other people, your vet is an idiot. Find a vet who specializes in exotics, and take your rabbit in. My guess is your rabbit is dying from something. They act this way when they're trying to die. If a vet is too expensive (and it'll be expensive), try to find a rabbit breeder in your area. They might be able to help you.

Also, you said you changed his diet from "regular rabbit food to just pellets." His diet should have been pellets all this time. Your rabbit needs more nutrition than just lettuce and veggies. I hope your rabbit wasn't slowly starving because you weren't feeding it properly. Find a breeder in your area, someone who is a professional rabbit raiser, and contact them for information.

Answer 5

Have you had the rabbit the whole time? Was the change sudden? Your bunny might be depressed and need a change of pace. Does it have a run to get out and exercise? They sell hutches with pens or you can even use toddler pens.

I give ours the general mix plus about 3 or 4 treats in the evening. In the morning she gets a piece of fruit and carrot. I've added a container of soil into her pen so she can dig, something she liked to do so much she was confined to the pen when outside.

You could also try getting your bunny a companion. Check with the vet and/or a shelter before you make that kind of change.

Good luck.

Answer 6

If he is a year old then keep feeding him timothy hay till he is 2 years old.and dont always change his diet or he wont get fimilar to the food.and ur vet is really stupid go get another one.and bathe him in luke warm never cold and never hot.let him jump around outside in the grass he will probably eat some of that.and if he still doesnt eat get a real vet.haha.hope he feels better.

Answer 7

oh my u never give a rabbit cabbage , that gives them gas and can make them very sick , u may be over feeding it too , dandelion is another thing u never give a rabbit , have u checked for earmites , no cucumbers , wow , just stick to the rabbit pellets and water for awhile see how that goes .he evidentally has some kind of reation to what ur are feeding him if u have to clean his back end hello ! good luck