My Bunny Isnt Eating And She Hates To Be Left Alone.

Question
My 4-year-old bunny Muffin stopped eating yesterday. She won't eat her carrots, pellets or hay. She also hasn't pooped. She gets upset ( she runs around constatly ) when I put her back in her cage but when I let her out all she does is find a comfy spot on the floor and  sleeps or rests. Every now and then she'll move to another spot but that's it. She is also making these odd sounds with her mouth and she's opening it alot but her jaw isn't sensitive. She hasn't had much to drink but she will lick the cage or even the vacuum. What's wrong?

Answer
Dear Elizabeth,

When a bunny stops eating and/or pooping, it should be considered very serious.  Please read this *immediately*:

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

and find a rabbit-savvy vet to help you here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If you can't find a rabbit experienced vet, then you might want to print and bring this with you to whatever vet you can find:

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

but it's best to find a vet who is familiar with rabbit medicine.

From the description you give, the problem could be molar spurs, which can cause enough pain and discomfort to cause the bunny's intestines to shut down (ileus).  You can read more about this here:

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

but this is one reason you need a *rabbit* vet.  Dog and cat vets might be great with those species, but few know how to diagnose and file molar spurs, which may well be the source of your bunny's problem.

Dental disorders are not the only possible reason for ileus, and to find out how to know if your bunny is sick, please also see:

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

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana