Shedding and Lethargy

Question
When I came home from work today, my three old male lop didn't come to greet me when I fed him.  He was huddled to the side of his cage, just staring.  He was fine yesterday and ate all his food from yesterday, which consisted of dandelions, a carrot and a quarter of an apple, along with his pellets.  I took him out to play in the grass, and he just sat there, not interested in anything and won't touch his dinner.  The only thing that is different is that he is shedding handfuls of fur.  It was not overly hot today, low 70's.  Do rabbits feel sick when they shed?

Answer
If they blow a huge molt they can become overly stressed.  The problem here seems to be that he is in pain.  By withdrawing and not greeting you as usual and is hunching in a corner indicates pain.  He really needs to be examined by a veterinarian right away.  Rabbits who go off of feed for more than 24 hours are in serious trouble.  The digestive system is so sensitive and he will need to have an Xray to confirm if he has a true blockage or if his GI system is just shutting down.

If you do not already have a vet you can check out this link:

http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

Here are some articles about GI stasis and gut motility problems:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-7/gi.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

I am sorry your bunny is ill.  I do hope that you can find a veterinarian right away.

Sincerely,

Pam