rabbit acting different

Question
hi dana,

my rabbit is a 5 and a half month old netherland dwarf. i recently tried to change my rabbit's pellet type- but he did not like it and did not eat much of it (only ate 3-4 pellets), so i did not carry on with changing it. recently he has been having soft pellet looking poops here and there, and the amount of these kind of poops are gradually getting lesser. he also never finishes his pellets when i check up on him every morning- like he used to. when i refill his bowl, he eats like he's really hungry. he is also drinking lesser water than usual. is this a sign of anything? should i bring him to the vet? he's acting normal when i let him out for exercise though

Answer
Dear Desiree,

Unusual behavior and loss of appetite in a bunny is always a concern, and you're wise to want to check it out before anything becomes serious.  Please read:

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

and

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

Your bunny doesn't sound seriously ill yet, but it's possible he is having the beginnings of a problem that should be solved early with the help of a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Netherland Dwarf rabbits are notorious for dental problems, especially "invisible" ones such as molar spurs.  These cause enough pain/discomfort to discourage normal eating habits, and this can result in cecal dysbiosis:

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

the cause of the mushy poop you're seeing.

Your bunny is a bit young to develop molar spurs, but it's not impossible for this to happen if he has congenitally misaligned teeth.  So this is something to consider when you get him to the vet.

I hope this helps.

Dana