rabbit chewed and possibly ate plastic

Question
Hello, our 8 month old rabbit pulled the top of a timothy hay plastic bag into his cage and chewed it- a ton of it- and possibly ate some or even alot of the bag.It has been a few hours and he has since then eaten alot of timothy hay and some spinach. How long will it take for the plastic to pass and when will he be past the danger of a blockage? What symptoms would he have for a blockage? Thank you for your help! Angela

Answer
Dear Angela,

The only thing to do now is wait and see.  If there's a blockage, you will know it without a doubt:  the bunny's abdomen will bloat and become hard, and it would be an extreme, life-threatening emergency.

The good news is:  this is not very likely.  When a bratty bunny does something to shorten the lifespan of his caregiver, he generally chews the plastic into very small bits before swallowing it.  I've not known a rabbit to try and swallow a large piece of plastic without macerating the heck out of it, and that can be the saving grace!

It's also good that he ate a lot of hay and greens (spinach isn't recommended, as it's very high in oxalates that can put a strain on his kidneys in the long term) to push things through.

If you do see any sign that worries you (hunching in pain, loud tooth-grinding signifying pain, inappetence), he should get to a rabbit-experienced vet for treatment:

www.rabbit.org/vets

But I'm betting that this, too, shall pass.

Hope this helps!

Dana