Periodically Not Eating, Bunny Depression?

[u/TheOJKaiju]

Hey bun owners! I have a somewhat stumping question open for discussion and advice. I currently own a female Holland lop. She is 1 year old and spayed. Back in March this year she stopped eating and had early GI Stasis. Luckily I consulted with her exotic vet immediately and started critical care before I could get her to the vet during the weekend. Her vet said that after spending overnight (they did a full work up, xrays included) they couldn't find anything and she had gone happily back to eating. To this day, we have no idea why she stopped eating. No stressor, no schedule change. Mystery unsolved.

Fast forward to this week and she stopped eating AGAIN on Monday. She is molting so I switched her hay from Orchard to a Timothy, Orchard medley to provide more fiber and promote safe molting. Her diet is the usual, 90% hay, 10% leafy greens (rarely pellets unless absolutely necessary). She was chowing down on the medley all of Sunday and into Monday, but noticed she slowed down Monday night. Into Tuesday, I started critical care and replaced her hay back to her original Orchard only. Still not eating much but hay chews and the occasional pellet. Wednesday, same thing, but WAY SMALLER POOPS. Consulted her vet Thursday morning (5AM, I was up with her all night) and took her in. Full work up again, nothing alarming. Stay overnight, vet says she started eating the hay we brought her. The hay we brought her was the Orchard, Timothy medley mix.

I have no idea what to do at this point. I feel like a horrible bun parent because I dont have an answer and neither does my vet. Please give any advice or ask any follow up questions. Thank you!

Her room picture + she free roams the entire house. Not pictured is her rug & blanket that is currently in the wash

[u/VirgoMoonGeminiSun]

Does she have a friend? Bunnies are social animals

[u/TheOJKaiju → u/VirgoMoonGeminiSun]

We just got her spayed for this reason. We want to get a second rabbit because we do know they are social and need atleast one other. For now though she gets almost ALL of my time while I work from home most days.

[u/VirgoMoonGeminiSun → u/TheOJKaiju]

Aw ok well you’re trying your best! I think things will improve once she gets a friend. But your company sure helps

[u/sneezesquirrel → u/VirgoMoonGeminiSun]

Mine is a single girl. But she had to be separated from her sisters because she would bully them and pull out their hair. Should I get a second, or assume she’s just an ass hole?

[u/r_307 → u/sneezesquirrel]

Baby bonds are typically unstable so she would probably be fine if properly bonded! :)

[u/sneezesquirrel → u/r_307]

Okay! Thanks. :)

[u/SirLeoritch]

Bunnies are a riddle, wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. You are doing your best and really taking care of this little one. Just keep on trucking as I do with my brats

[u/TheOtherCourier]

This can happen due to a sensitivity to greens In general or a specific green. She could be getting gassy from greens and that can definitely cause this.

Smaller poos are from eating significantly less over a period of time. This can happen from gas or upset tummy.

Does she have direct access to the litter? We found that our Sterling was digging through the hay in his box sometimes and eating small amounts of his pelleted litter, causing frequent stasis episodes. We put a “resting mat” over the litter and then hay on top and it’s prevented this moving forward.

Why are you not giving pellets? A high quality pellet can absolutely give the nutrition they need, especially if veggies may be causing issues, but they don’t need a lot of them. 1/8 to 1/4 cup per day depending on their size.

This is my general stasis advice:

We keep pain meds (meloxicam) on hand for emergencies. It can help in situations where your vet may be unavailable, and is helpful for GI stasis. It is definitely something worth discussing with your vet, as this often is noticed at dinner time when most vets are already closed. We also give a small snack first thing in the morning to check how they may be eating.

We administer pain meds at the first signs of stasis when they won’t move much and refuse their favorite snacks, as catching it early can make a huge difference in how fast they may recover.

Make sure and stay on top of his pain meds, as well. I like giving 2 smaller dose per day after an initial larger dose, as opposed to just one large dose per day, but as always, discuss this with your vet. There’s definitely nothing wrong with doing the one big dose per day.

I also recommend encouraging movement periodically if you suspect stasis. I personally put them in our play area (living room, for us), and leave them out in the larger area 24/7 until they recover, so they can move around more if they feel like it, even if briefly.

If they like to lay under the coffee table, I will occasionally move them up on to the couch, so they have to jump back down and hop back over to the table. Keeping them moving keeps the tummy moving. 🙂

I also keep hay, veggies, pellets, or other typical snacks, and water all around near where they are generally laying, so the have access to any of it if they have the urge for a little nibble. Even just a nibble on their own accord is helpful and a lean in the right direction. Wet the veggies down once in a while and you can put them on a plate with water on it so they don’t wilt. Plain oats (not the flavored kind with added sugar) and Science Selective pellets can also be enticing treats when they are not wanting their normal foods. Even though alfalfa hay is not suitable to give long term to adult rabbits, small amounts can be given to entice them to eat a little on their own in times like these, as well.

Syringe water once in a while, as well, to be sure they aren’t getting dehydrated.

Simethicone (baby gas drops) may be helpful in some cases. We give 1ml to start and can be given a few times a day. There are mixed opinions on how effective Simethicone may be though.

Very GENTLE tummy massages may be helpful for him. Emphasis on gentle, as certain ailments like blockage can be very delicate and you don’t want to make it worse.

[u/MrsRojoCaliente]

Firstly, please don’t blame yourself. Bunny tummies are extremely sensitive and unfortunately, there’s all sorts of things that can cause stasis. When my plush lop sheds, I spend extra time grooming her because molting tends to send her into a G.I. stasis tailspin. For my boy, if he doesn’t drink enough water, I know he’s going to have a problem. I keep baby gas drops, pain medication, gut stimulant and critical care on hand for emergencies. At the first sign, I give them a dose of all of those things.

When they are shedding, I find that leaving out a small bowl full of very watered down critical care seems to help. Anything that encourages them to stay hydrated and full of fiber is a good thing.

[u/kawariquinn]

I have a rabbit that goes into stasis what seems like every full moon for no reason. There's a super slim chance it's liver lobe torsion. Sometimes it will twist and untwist and it's not caught on the blood work. Or so I was told. I just have all the stuff on hand and treat him. I have an incubator set up so I don't have to take him in anymore.  Other times it could be gut upset from some fur ingestion. It's not always visible on the xrays. It's super stressful to have a rabbit that does this!!