my bunny is getting very skinny and wont eat very often.

Question
For the last couple of weeks I have noticed that my bunny hasn't been eating very often or as much. She's almost a year old now and is housed with another female bunny the same age and she is fine. My bunny will eat a couple bites of their pellets when I first put it in there but then she goes and sits in a corner and doesn't eat after that. I can now feel the bumps on her spine. She hasn't been eating hay either but she does drink water. What do you think could be the problem?

Answer
Dear Stephanie,

Your bunny obviously has a health problem, and she needs to be seen by an experienced rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If she wants to eat, but is unable, she may have serious dental problems that are causing pain or even mechanical obstruction that just make it too painful for her to eat.  Please see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

and get her to a good vet for a dental (and overall) wellness check as soon as you can.  Time is of the essence if she's so skinny you can feel her spine.

She may also be dehydrated, and in need of other supportive care, including emergency feeding.  Read about this here:

http://www.rabbit.org/care/recipes.html

and get started on feeding her by hand now, to get her strength and spirit back up.


Hope this helps.

Dana