rabbit is off normal feeding routine

Question
Hi Dana,

My 5 year old dwarf holland lop decided about 2 weeks ago that he wasn't going to eat any more Timothy Hay or pellets, or even the bits of mini shredded wheat squares that I would give as a treat. He never has been very interested in fruits or veggies in the past but now that is all he will eat...celery, carrots, apple, banana, clover sprouts, other greens. I try not to give him to much so that he doesn't get mushy poop. I'm concerned though that he is not eating enough roughage to keep his gut healthy. He's drinkng, but not as much as before the "change"  in eating habits. I took him to the vet and they were not much help. She said to give him pineapple juice and if there was a constipation problem that would probablyl help. Well, he absolutely hated pineapple juice or bits so I got nowhere with that. One rabbit savvy (or so she seems) gal at the pet food store said that sometimes rabbits will go through a phase of unusual behavior such as the about face on eating habits...have you ever heard of this? He has dropped in weight a little, which actually is probably okay because he was a little chubby. He gets a couple of hours play time out of his cage in the morning, and when I come home late after work I let him out until I go to bed. What is your opinion on all of this?  

Answer
Dear Karen,

First step is to find a different vet!  That pineapple juice myth is so old it's growing whiskers out its ears.  :(  If your bunny is not producing normal amounts of poops, the problem is not "constipation," and it cannot be solved with pineapple juice, papaya pills or any other remedy like that.  The problem is his intestinal *motility*--and although it sounds counterintuitive, his gut is moving too slowly.

If his poop output actually stops, please read this immediately:

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

and print this for your vet:

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

It's actually good that your bunny is eating plenty of wet greens. Those will not make his poop runny.  It's a cryptic health problem that will do that.  Again, the vegetables causing diarrhea thing in rabbits is a myth!  You can read more about the *real* causes of mushy poop in rabbits here:

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

Rabbits don't go through "phases" for no reason.  And if your bunny is a 5 year old dwarf, the most likely reason for his change in eating habits is molar spurs.  For proper treatment of these painful things, you must find a rabbit-savvy vet, and you can use the list linked here to do so:

www.rabbit.org/vets

You also can read more about dental problems in rabbits here:

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

Molar problems (especially in short-faced rabbits such as dwarves and lops) are *very* common, but rarely diagnosed if the vet is not familiar with rabbit medicine and unique needs of rabbits.

I hope this helps get you started on the road to his recovery, but please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana