Eating everything BUT food

[Lbolar]

My bunny won't eat anything. He is just over 1 year old, and is literally eating everything but food. He is chewing on carpet, furniture, and anything else except his hay, pellets or veggies. He is also not drinking water. He is running around and not showing signs of discomfort but I can plainly see that he is NOT eating/drinking. The only thing I can get him to eat is banana. I know that a lot of banana is not good for them. Can I do more damage if I keep feeding that to him-as much as he'll eat? I'm also administering Herbavore Critical Care through a syringe, but he's very resistant to that and it's quite a traumatic ordeal for him each time.

Does this sound like classic signs of a tooth problem??

 

[chrisl1976]

how long has this been going on? I know occasionally our buns will not eat their dry food for a day or so....might just be sick of it...who knows. They always end up eating it again in a day or so.

You might start trying vegtables. I know my buns favorite is most definately romaine Lettuce and they eat that pretty much no matter what.

 

[naturestee]

I think you need to get him to a vet.It could be a tooth problem, although I've also heard that rabbits with stomach/intestinal pains will chew wierd things.

Until you can get him in, make sure you're also syringing fluids into him. That can help a lot sometimes. Also, does his belly feel tight, like it might be full of gas? Simethicone(baby gas meds) can do wonders for gassy buns.

 

[Lbolar]

This has been going on for about 4 days. But again, I'm making sure he's getting something through the Herbavore Critical Care. I give him that through a syringe and also water. He just will not eat on his own...

I'm going to call the vet today.

I also just felt his tummy to see if it felt like gas, but it's pretty soft.

It's just so odd because he is still so energetic and acting happy. He is not showing any signs of anxiety or pain.

 

[naturestee]

Four days? That's pretty bad. Is he pooping at all?

He may be acting healthy aside from eating, but rabbits are masters at disguising pain. After all, predators always single out the ill and injured prey.

I hope you can get him in soon!

 

[Lbolar]

The only vet in our area that even sees rabbits is booked solid until Saturday!

She said to just keep up with the Critical Care and the water through as yringe until then. What do think about the banana thing? If that's all he will eat can I give that to him in unlimited portions or could that do more harm if his system is not used to so much sugary fruit?

*Thanks so much for your help by the way

 

[naturestee]

She won't see an emergency case? Did you explain how long this has been going on? Most vets schedule a little extra time in their day to deal with cases like this. If you only talked to the receptionist, try talking to the vet. Sometimes the receptionists don't know much about rabbits and how to prioritize them.

If all he eats is banana, the extra sugars could increase bad bacterial growth in the intestines. No need to give him more problems,so keep the amount of banana small.

Have you tried making a mush of his regular pellets? Many rabbits prefer that to Critical Care because the taste is more familiar. That's what I do. And then you can put in some extra flavors that you know he likes- a tiny bit of banana, al ittle canned pumpkin, or some very finely shredded fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, or mint.

Nutrical would be a good idea too, especially if you're going to do the pellet mush. Or you can put a little on his paw so he has to lick it off. It's supposed to be banana flavored.It has B vitamins to stimulate the appetite and some extra calories to keep him going.

 

[m.e.]

Any news? ray:

 

[Lbolar]

If anyone comes back to this post string, thank you so much all of you for your great advice. Ralph is eating again and completely healthy!! Thank you thank you thank you!

 

[naturestee]

Thanks for the update! I'm glad he's okay.

 

[HoneyPot]

naturestee wrote:

I've also heard that rabbits with stomach/intestinal pains will chew wierd things.

It's wierd that you said this naturestee... when Misty was not feeling well recently (gassy and not eating), I noticed that she starting eating her litter (Carefresh) like it was Sunday dinner, and I could not for the life of me figure out why the heck all of a sudden she was chowing down on the litter when she had never done that before...

This might explain that... hmm. Interesting....

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Nadia