Depressed bunny?

[Nicole17]

My bunny Coco has suddenly become very depressed over these past few days. Before she’d just sit in her hiding space and not come out from under it for hours, now she’s barely moving around, seems very weak, eyes are almost closed- but there seems to be nothing medically out of the ordinary with her. She doesn’t want to socialise much and isn’t responding to petting. She isn’t eating much or drinking much unless I prompt her to take a few sips. I’m getting very worried now, does anybody have any idea what’s going on and what I can do to make it better?
Could it be the change in seasons affecting her mood? Or something worse?

 

[Maki_p29]

My bunny Coco has suddenly become very depressed over these past few days. Before she’d just sit in her hiding space and not come out from under it for hours, now she’s barely moving around, seems very weak, eyes are almost closed- but there seems to be nothing medically out of the ordinary with her. She doesn’t want to socialise much and isn’t responding to petting. She isn’t eating much or drinking much unless I prompt her to take a few sips. I’m getting very worried now, does anybody have any idea what’s going on and what I can do to make it better?
Could it be the change in seasons affecting her mood? Or something worse?

A bunny not eating, drinking and wanting to hide/ not their usual self is an emergency! please take them to a Vet experienced with rabbits if you don’t have one already. Your bunny sounds very lethargic and that’s also not a good sign either. Please take your bunny in to get checked out. I hope they feel better and you find out what is going on!

 

[Preitler]

I don't think she is depressed, more likely she is in pain. Whatever causes it, not eating and drinking properly can make it worse, that can spiral out of hand pretty fast. When one of my rabbits acts like this I'm off to the vet asap.
Meanwhile I give them stuff like apple tree leaves, or rose leaves, narrowleaf plantain and make them move a little. If they don't, I try if they accept a gentle tummy massage
Some Simethicone, just in case it's too much gas, doesn't hurt either.

 

[rachel l]

please please please get her to a vet asap!

 

[Flakes]

If your rabbit is an indoor rabbit and doesn’t get a lot of sunlight try giving her some pellets that have vitamin D in them. The only way humans (and I suspect rabbits) get vitamin D is from sunlight and from dairy foods. And low vitamin D levels cause depression.

 

[Flakes]

Though it sounds like the other folks are recommending the vet, which is sound advice.

 

[Imbrium]

What you describe is GI stasis, which is a symptom of something else (pretty much always involving pain).

Not eating, drinking and/or pooping for 8-12 hours is a medical emergency for rabbits and requires an *immediate* vet trip. Severely reduced appetite puts them on the verge of stasis and combined with lethargy also demands a vet trip.

If you tell a truly rabbit savvy vet clinic that your rabbit isn't eating, they *will* fit you in that day or refer you to an emergency vet. In other words, don't call and ask for an appointment - call and tell them you have an emergency and need to bring your rabbit in immediately.

Best of luck to you and Coco... I hope she feels better very soon!

By the way, expect the vet to give you pain medicine like metacam and something for gut motility like metoclopramide... And at this point, the vet will probably decide your rabbit should have Sub-Q fluids. You will also need to syringe feed your rabbit. You can get a feeding syringe in the pharmacy section of any store. Some vets (and some pet stores or feed stores) sell critical care... Though it's usually very expensive at a vet compared to what I pay off Amazon. If you can't find or can't afford it, you can put regular pellets in a bowl with water and microwave them just long enough to boil the water. They'll fluff up a lot. Add water as needed to get the right consistency (I usually add ice cubes, simply because it cools the pellet slurry to the right temperature faster).

 

[Nicole17]

Thank you for your replies, Coco passed away this morning. I just found the body and am heartbroken. Thank you for your concerns.

 

[A & B]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Know you did everything you could.

 

[Nicole17]

Thank you for your kind words. I’m having trouble dealing with grief, but I’ll get there in the end.

 

[Maki_p29]

So sorry for your loss . My bunny Hawkeye sends her condolences too!

 

[Duckfarmer1]

What you describe is GI stasis, which is a symptom of something else (pretty much always involving pain).

Not eating, drinking and/or pooping for 8-12 hours is a medical emergency for rabbits and requires an *immediate* vet trip. Severely reduced appetite puts them on the verge of stasis and combined with lethargy also demands a vet trip.

If you tell a truly rabbit savvy vet clinic that your rabbit isn't eating, they *will* fit you in that day or refer you to an emergency vet. In other words, don't call and ask for an appointment - call and tell them you have an emergency and need to bring your rabbit in immediately.

Best of luck to you and Coco... I hope she feels better very soon!

By the way, expect the vet to give you pain medicine like metacam and something for gut motility like metoclopramide... And at this point, the vet will probably decide your rabbit should have Sub-Q fluids. You will also need to syringe feed your rabbit. You can get a feeding syringe in the pharmacy section of any store. Some vets (and some pet stores or feed stores) sell critical care... Though it's usually very expensive at a vet compared to what I pay off Amazon. If you can't find or can't afford it, you can put regular pellets in a bowl with water and microwave them just long enough to boil the water. They'll fluff up a lot. Add water as needed to get the right consistency (I usually add ice cubes, simply because it cools the pellet slurry to the right temperature faster).

Absolutely wonderful video...I was going to say the same thing.. I don’t want to scare you..but you need to get on this...get her Simethicone right away..also..they stop eating Because they think they have a hair ball..get her malt flavored cat hair ball remover.....wet kale...wet dark green veggies to get liquids in her..get her moving..she needs to be active to get her bowels going....does she have gel..like poop...watch for that...

 

[Maki_p29]

Great advice! But her bunny has already passed away .

 

[Imbrium]

I'm so sorry to hear that . I've lost bunnies to GI stasis before as well... it hurts so much to lose them so suddenly. My deepest condolences for your loss... binky free, sweet bun!