# Rabbit wont eat



## cazarty

My house rabbit became unwell on Tuesday, she wouldnt touch her hay or food, we took her to the vets where she stayed until yesterday, the vets have been given her meds and have syringed feed her, i have her home now btu she still wont touch any food and i cant syringe feed her as she is too strong, all she keeps doing is trying to eat the walls in our flat and the carpets so i have kept her locked in her room. She also had passed and food until she came home and she has done a few poo's now. Im a bit upset that the vets did not do any blood tests or scans on her belly. Im going to see how she is today and if no better will take her to another vets. Has anyone else had any experiances like this? Any help or advise on how to get her to feed is greatly appreciated, please help.


----------



## cazarty

Well i have been sitting with her and massaged her belly for a while and she has now eaten some pellets and a bit of parsley and greens. This is really good news as i have not seen her touch anything, i am going to keep popping in every half hour and do the same thing.


----------



## Benson67

Sorry to hear your bun has been unwell. Sounds like you're doing all the right things for her. Keep encouraging her to eat and drink, keep an eye on the litter tray to make sure she's going to toilet. It's vital that she gets enough fluids, as if she gets dehydrated food in her stomach can impact and she will feel hungry again and eat more, which can cause a blockage. Infacol can help with a gassy tummy and seems to help relieve stomach troubles. Definitly keep her off the carpets, that may have been the cause of her problems.


----------



## swinnk8

If you are having problems syringe feeding her,and she still won't drink, try sitting her on a towel and wrap it around her firmly so she cannot kick out. You must keep up the fluids.
A good remedy for blocked tummys is pineapple juice. The enzymes it break down the blockage and get the tummy working again. 
Other than a generally blocked tummy, If when she goes to the toilet the is clear jelly in the poos it could be mucoid enteritis so keep an eye out for that in her bedding.
Mucoid enteritis is quite common in rabbits and if not treated will kill her. 
Also donot confine her to her cage on any account. She needs to be exercised so that the gut will start working, and also so she does not get depressed


----------



## cazarty

Thanks for your reply, Sammy has ben doing great this last week, she is back to eating her pellets and hey and also eating her veg and little bits of parsley, i have been giving her tummy massages which i think helped and also a carrot juice which goes in with her water. She looks like she lost a little bit of weight over her illness but i dont think it will be long until she is back to her normal weight. She is very happy and runs around the flat, she has never been in a hutch and has her own bedroom, she also has a little hide away house in her room. I did keep her locked in her room for a few days as she kept trying to eat the carpet and the walls but i have let her out over the weekend while keeping an eye on her and she has been fine.

Just so happy she is back to her happy self again.


----------



## swinnk8

That is great news. Make sure she doesn't eat the wallpaper as the paste can be very poisonous to rabbits. You can use a pet spray called bitter apple which has a nasty taste and deters animals from chewing.
Alterinitively, get a childs water pistol and squirt her everytime she does it. It will not stress her, and is beter than shouting at her and giving her the attention she craves when being bad.
Make sure the pellets you give her at the moment,are the same brand,but are higher in calories just to get her weight back up. It is better that than overfeeding and upsetting her tummy again.


----------



## cazarty

ha i really like that udea of the water pistol, i may just try that one out. I will do what you say about the pellets, i didnt want to give her too much food incase it put her off, just been giving her, her normal amount of pellets in the morning and same in the evening along with little veg and lots of hay.

Just attached a couple of pics of my lovely girl x


----------



## cazarty

Here she is


----------



## swinnk8

That is one gorgeous rabbit. looks very similar to my newzealand white that passed away recently due to teeth problems.
I had to use the water pistol technique with Tilly my Continental Giant (his Partner) when she started digging for attention, and to be chased. She was going thorugh her teenage stage and was very naughty. It worked after a while because she wasn't getting the attention she was craving.
Ive attached my bunny pics for you to have a look at.©KayGardner2008.All rights reserved. I have more pics on my website
TILLYS BURROWS |


----------



## KrisNic

I just came online to see if i could find any information as to why my rabbit wouldnt eat and it just so happens I found this and decided to join....I came hoem from work to take Banny(my bunny) out of his cage...and noticed none o his food was gone....normally he eats it in a blink of an eye...and all night he was laying in one spot..eventually I got him to walk around a bit and took him outside in the snow...cuz he usually loves it but tonight this wasnt so....I really want to take him to a vet...bc I am scared something will happen ...he chews on the walls n vinyl capret all the time...so maybe something is happening there.... Its 1:12 am and I dont even feel like sleeping I am so concerned....and I have to leave for work @ 7:30...I will have to call a vet on my break and see about after work hopefully... Im glad I found this forum tho.....my bf is asleep and I really needed to vent...


----------



## swinnk8

He looks very dull eyed. Get him to the vet immediately!!!!!(when the vet is available in the morning)
something may happen to him at home if you do not and you will regret not trying to help him.
Rabbits systems can shut down if they are not eating within 24 hours and the longer you leave it the more you are putting his life at risk.
Do not take him out in the snow. If he is ill you will make the matter worse as he will catch cold.
As i have said before. Wallpaper paste is poisonus to rabbits, and carpets are no go either to the rabbits system. They cannot diget either and it can be fatal
Make sure he is warm and hand feed water if needs be to keep his fluids up.
If you have a blender, blend some carrot up onto a pulp and syringe that into him.
Is he bloated around his tummy, if so concentrated pineapple juice will break down any blockage as there are enzymes in it.
Good luck with the vets.


----------

