Newly Adopted Bunny Seems to be a picky eater

[MeraksSweetAsh]

Hello, I adopted a new bunny, Dandi, several days ago. I've had an existing bunny, Splotch, for about a year whom I've never had any problems eating or introducing new veggies. The bonding process is going well, but my only concern is that Dandi barely eats anything we give her. She appears to nibble moderate amounts of hay throughout the day, but otherwise eats only a mouthful or two of pellets and veggies (less than a teaspoon of each if I have to guess). We have tried multiple veggies. She poops about 1/3 the amount as Splotch, and they are both roughly 5 lbs, Dandi might be a bit smaller. She otherwise appears not to have any obvious problems, as she is not lethargic or appear to be in pain or indicate any other unusual behavior. She still hops and jumps about. Although less and smaller size than Splotch she does produce poo balls and pees.
I have a vet appoint in three days, but in the meanwhile I am worried she isn't eating enough. Her temperament is shy and cautious and I am unsure if her not eating is because she is in a new home or if she's picky and we haven't found her favorite food, or if she is sick. Has anyone else had a picky bunny that didn't like pellets or veggies?

 

[BlazeBunnies]

whenever this happens i use critical care until i can get to the vets. it is form oxbow... it replaces food and water but you need to force feed it through a syringe. hope everything goes well please update us once you get back from the vet or if anything happens

 

[MiniLopMad]

Critical Care works, as MC mentioned I had a rabbit who would eat everything but her hay and to get her to eat it, the vet suggested spraying the hay with a little water and then sprinkling on critical care. It really helped me and I slowly took away the critical care and now my bun is fine.

That's really all the advice I can give, hope I helped

 

[MeraksSweetAsh]

Thx for the advice, I will pick some up. Do you think the bonding process can affect appetite?

 

[stevesmum]

I think any stressors can affect appetite, such as bonding but more importantly the fact that she is in a new home and adjusting. Hopefully she is getting lots of quiet calm time so she can learn to trust her new environment. It will take time

 

[ladysown]

don't be force feeding her anything at this point.

She's eating, though not as much as your other rabbit.

She's quieter and more shy and she's in new digs.
She's EATING.

Some quiet shy buns if they move to a new place up and die (for no apparent reason it seems).

So the fact that she's eating shows she's ahead of the game and that's a good thing.

A trick you might want to try (which works when I bring in shy rabbits) is to make their area more cave like.. put a towel over the cage so she can't really see you or give her lots of hiding areas so she can adjust more easily to the sights and sounds without having to feel like prey.

 

[JBun]

If bonding is causing her to stress, I would hold off on it for now. The fact that she is a new rabbit, she may be feeling nervous being in a new home and may need some time to just settle in before bonding is attempted. As long as she is eating enough that she will be ok and her poop isn't too small, then I would just leave her be and let her settle in. Once she is feeling more secure, her appetite will likely improve.

Also if she has a water bottle to drink from, check to make sure it has good water flow, and maybe offer a water dish. Lack of water will affect how much a rabbit will eat.

I agree with ladysown, that providing a hiding box will probably help as well. Also a quiet environment may be needed too.

Might not be a bad idea to just peek at her front teeth to make sure they aren't overgrown and causing the eating issues. At the vet appt. make sure her back molars are also checked.

 

[majorv]

I agree with ladysown and jbun. Slow down on the bonding and let her get used to her new environment. She is at least eating and if you try to force feed you'll just stress her out more.

 

[Chester1_andblueberry]

Hold off the bonding process and let her adjust then let her get used to you and spend time with her then try bonding her

 

[MeraksSweetAsh]

Thx for all the replies and advice. She has gotten a lot better and her poop normal sized and amounts.
I ended up not having to force feed her. She started eating on her own. What it seemed she needed was Splotch in the pen with her! I think she is most comfortable when Splotch is around. Before, they had separate pens set up next to each other, and the food was on the shared sides of the pens. That's when she wouldn't eat.
The bonding sessions were going well and in consideration of how comfortable she was with him and anxious she seemed without him, we tried feeding them together in the same pen and BAM! she joined right in with Splotch, ate all her lettuce and a good share of pellets out of the same bowl as him. We still have a vet exam in a couple of days but right now I feel so much better that she's eating.

 

[MeraksSweetAsh]

Here's a pic of them together View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1436645928.692988.jpg

 

[BlazeBunnies]

They are adorable look good together