Dwarf rabbit my Daughters

Question
QUESTION: I noticed he wasn't eating and when I took him out of the cage he had tremors but he is eating some lettuce and carrot right now but I'm worried its my daughters rabbit his nose isn't running and neither is his nose and his eyes are clear just checked him and he is eating up the lettuce and carrot but he is usually full of energy and enjoys running around what do you think ??

ANSWER: Hi Dan,

I get very concerned anytime a rabbit isn't eating.  Rabbits are prey animals and they can hide pain, injury or illness for quite some time until things are pretty bad.  Not eating is usually a "marker" that something is wrong.  Could you give me a detailed run down of what you are feeding him....brand names, amounts, frequency, etc.  To give a brief overview of a healthy adult rabbit's diet...primarily grass hay.  Pellets, greens, veggies and fruits should be limited.  Treats are generally a no-no.  And some additional information on the tremors would be helpful.  Something that appears to be a tremor can be caused by a number of things.  But when I hear a tremor type condition with inappetence...that gets me concerned.  Also, is he urinating and pooping normally.  A rabbit's poop is a prime indicator of how things are going internally.  Any additional details about anything he is doing out of character....maybe stumbling, eyes darting back and forth, warmer or cooler to the touch (especially the ears, breathing....anything out of the norm.  I would be very careful with the carrots...they contain far too much sugar to be a large part of the diet.  Until we can find out what is going on.....I would suggest a bunny basic diet of unlimited grass hay, limited pellets and free choice water.

Randy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Randy He seems to be a little better I feed him Kaytee Supreme fortified Daily blend and I have his little bowl in the cage and I keep it filled when it gets down, now my son said that he was with out water for a day? Could he be dehydrated? I have him drinking and the lettuce I gave him was a small amount as was the carrot very little piece but I thought it would be good for him to get something with water in it into him. I keep fresh water in his water bottle. The tremors are when he is starting to drink or eat his ears and head shake like nerves or your hand shaking after working out real hard.As far as his temp he feels cool to the touch I have a frozen water bottle in his cage to keep him cool which he likes to lay by but his ears feel cool, his eyes are clear and opened,I just put alfalfa in his cage its the stuff I feed the horses. His poop is not hard little balls like it usually is its sort a elongated and beady looking and soft? I very rarely give him anything but the rabbit food and when I do it will be a small piece of carrot or Iceberg lettuce if you need more info let me know what it is and I will get it for you rabbits I don't know that much about as far as having them for a pet he has been fine and loves to play which we try to let him out to run around the house and play keep away with us, he likes to lead my daughter around the place and only lets her get him when he wants to go back in to drink or eat, she is 13 and has taken good care of him and he loves cuddling with her he will snuggle into her when he wants to just kick back after playing I sure do thank you for your insight on this I haven't Phoned her about him yet waiting to see how he is going to do Thank You Again

Answer
Hi Dan,

Your rabbit is about to go into stasis.  Since you are a horse person..stasis is to a rabbit like colic is to a horse.  Clinically, a horse and a rabbit are treated almost identically.  A day without water will cause dehyration and stasis.  Stasis can escalate into a conditon called ileus and that is life threatening.  He needs a lot of water.  He needs lots of hay.  Hay serves the same purpose in a rabbit as it does with a horse....the high fiber keeps things moving thru the gut and it keeps the teeth worn down.  He needs unlimited amounts of hay at all times.  Any hay that is safe for a horse is safe for a rabbit.  Do not ever give him iceburg lettuce.  Carrots should be a very rare treat.  If you have some fresh romaine lettuce, parsley, dandelion greens or something along that line, that can help with hydration....but only a small amount.  I can't stess hydration enough.  The tremors can be due to hypoglycemia or possibly toxins that build in the gut during a stasis event (I think the horse term is founder).  Same thing.  Keep him drinking water and eating hay....and keep a close monitor on the poops.  If they stop...things are going to go downhill fast.  Stay on top of it.

Randy