Rabbit not drinking

[MrsFarley]

When I get a bunny that isn't drinking I add white corn syrup to the water. Add enough to make the water sweet. You need to get him drinking. As a rule if a rabbit isn't drinking then he isn't eating.

If he isn't eating try tempting him with rose leaves or carrot tops. At that point getting him to eat is more important that what he is eating. Once he starts eating put him back on his regular food.

Good luck with your little fellow. Please keep us posted on how he is doing.

I have given him rose leaves and he likes them. I guess I should start providing him with “outside greens” along with his food.?

 

[Stephine]

Go slow. I am very glad to hear he has been eating and drinking and perked up. If a bunny stops eating it is an emergency and you need to do whatever you can to entice it to eat. Fresh greens are great because they contain a lot of water. Herbs are good (parsley, cilantro, fennel camomile, etc... ) or dandelions from the garden... At that point almost any food is better than them not eating. Once the rabbit is feeling better and eating more readily, go back to normal feeding: unlimited clean hay, mainly, a very small ration of pellets only. If you decide you want to feed fresh greens from the garden you have to be consistent. Start with just a few pieces and slowly build up to a handful or so. From then on it is best to continue feeding the same amount, at the same time, every day. Bunnies have delicate digestive systems that are easily thrown off... Also make sure your rabbit gets plenty of exercise every day (traditional rabbit cages are way too small!), running, jumping, etc... to keep the gut functioning well.
A water dish, elevated so it’ll stay clean, is much better than those bottles - your bunny will drink much better from that.
Good Luck!

 

[promiseacres]

Some of our polish don't do well at all with the water bottles, we use them for our lops. So yes always make sure they are drinking. Also plenty of hay is good. We feed Platain and dandelions in season.

 

[MrsFarley]

Is he pooping? May be GI stasis....not a good thing.

Go slow. I am very glad to hear he has been eating and drinking and perked up. If a bunny stops eating it is an emergency and you need to do whatever you can to entice it to eat. Fresh greens are great because they contain a lot of water. Herbs are good (parsley, cilantro, fennel camomile, etc... ) or dandelions from the garden... At that point almost any food is better than them not eating. Once the rabbit is feeling better and eating more readily, go back to normal feeding: unlimited clean hay, mainly, a very small ration of pellets only. If you decide you want to feed fresh greens from the garden you have to be consistent. Start with just a few pieces and slowly build up to a handful or so. From then on it is best to continue feeding the same amount, at the same time, every day. Bunnies have delicate digestive systems that are easily thrown off... Also make sure your rabbit gets plenty of exercise every day (traditional rabbit cages are way too small!), running, jumping, etc... to keep the gut functioning well.
A water dish, elevated so it’ll stay clean, is much better than those bottles - your bunny will drink much better from that.
Good Luck!

well, today he is acting funny again. Not eating or drinking and staying in the litter box. His poop pellets are very small. I tried more rose leaves, asparagus, carrots and he won’t eat. So I’ve added water to pellets and I’m using the syringe. How much and how often should I do this?

 

[Stephine]

The critical care website says 100 ml of mixed product per day for a 2kg rabbit. Feed every 3-4 hrs, if possible (I would feed once in the middle of the night).
You have to play it by ear a bit. See how much he’ll take - syringe feeding is not forcing it down his throat, you are just squirting food in the side of his mouth...
Branch out, if you can in the treat department and see if you can find something else he will eat. Dandelions are a favorite, parsley, chamomile, fennel tops, salad greens... leave the greens wet when you offer them, that way you can get more water into him.
I hope this helps!
Once he’s better feeding minimal pellets (like a tablespoon per day) and mostly hay with some fresh greens as you can manage will be much better for his health, along with LOTS of space to run and jump... A typical rabbit cage is completely inappropriate for keeping a rabbit. It is interesting that most people nowadays know how much space a chicken should have to stay healthy and happy, but the poor rabbits have not had the same lobbying...
Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
(Btw. Stasis can happen on its own or be a result of some other issue. Check the teeth for certain, but some problems may be hidden. I nursed my bunny through 3-4 bouts of stasis over about 4 months and when I finally couldn’t help her anymore it turned out she had a huge tumor in her chest. I felt comforted that I had gone out of my way to find her very favorite types of greens and hay for the last weeks of her life. - So, don’t beat yourself up if this doesn’t work - there could be underlying issues...)

 

[imtc]

My lip eared bunny is not drinking. I noticed about about a week ago that his fur felt coarse. Then he seemed to be sleeping more and lethargic. Today he hasn’t eaten or drank any water. I’ve even put carrots and lettuce in his cage.

Check that his water bottle is not blocked. That has happened to me before where the ball in the nozzle was stuck.

 

[imtc]

well, today he is acting funny again. Not eating or drinking and staying in the litter box. His poop pellets are very small. I tried more rose leaves, asparagus, carrots and he won’t eat. So I’ve added water to pellets and I’m using the syringe. How much and how often should I do this?

Also....might want to give him something for hair balls....he could have a blockage. I know you can buy hair all remedy for cats in the grocery store or look up some natural options you’d have at home (like olive oil or coconut oil)

 

[GypsyG]

Also....might want to give him something for hair balls....he could have a blockage. I know you can buy hair all remedy for cats in the grocery store or look up some natural options you’d have at home (like olive oil or coconut oil)

I am pretty sure that I read somewhere that coconut oil is not safe for rabbits. I am not sure about olive oil, and I definitely would not give a rabbit hairball medication that is formulated for a cat. Sunflower oil is safe. Worst case scenario and you can't get sunflower oil, I would say corn oil would be the next safest bet.

 

[Stephine]

Nope, the hairball thing is not what happens in rabbits. Treat for stasis as recommended above.
If you can, get some “Critical Care” to syringe feed, The apple flavored one tasts good to bunnies and he might eat it willingly.
Please keep us updated!

 

[Bunnylady]

The term "wool block" is often thrown around, though long haired breeds are not the only ones that get hairballs (the fancy term is trichobezoars). The classic symptoms of wool block are a rabbit that gradually eats less and less, and gets thinner and thinner. Papaya and pineapple contain enzymes that are thought to help break up the hairballs, but the real key is preventing their formation in the first place with grooming and a high-fiber diet.

These days, it seems that all the old knowledge is getting challenged, and there seems to be some debate about whether wool block by itself is a 'thing,' or whether it is secondary to a primary problem like GI stasis. Personally, I believe that it is - I'm remembering a Jersey Wooly buck from about 30 years ago that occasionally went off his feed when molting. This particular rabbit loved bananas, and a few doses of meat tenderizer in mashed banana typically got him eating again. Now, meat tenderizer doesn't contain just papaya enzyme, it also has a lot of salt, and that would inspire him to drink more water, and some would probably argue that it was the increased fluid intake rather than the enzyme that helped him. WHATEVER.I'm less concerned about why it worked, I just know that for him, it did. Lots of people feed papaya and/or pineapple, especially in dried form, to try to prevent wool block, and as long as they don't feed enough to create problems due to the sugar content, it seems to help.

The most common cause of stasis is bad genetics, but there are folks who will argue about that one, too.

Good luck!