Help! My Rabbit Won't Eat!

You just noticed that your rabbit did not eat his pellets from the last feeding and he surely doesn't seem interested in the fresh pellets you just put in his feed bowl.  Perhaps you've noticed he is just not eating his usual amount.

This is oftentimes the first indication of an impending illness or health problem.  Your first goal should be to get him eating again - then you can figure out what is causing his loss of appetite.

If your rabbit is simply not eating and doesn't yet have any other apparent symptoms, you can read on for treatment.  If your rabbit has other symptoms, visit here.

Probiotics and Passively Encourage Eating & Drinking

Probiotic Gel.  The first thing I do is give the rabbit a good dose of a probiotic gel.  I've used Benepac and Probios, available from any farm store.  If they don't have tubes for small animals, you can buy the larger tube designed for horses.  Check the sell-by date on the tube to make sure you are getting a fresh product.  I've read that the probiotics in these gels are not the same organisms normally abundant in the rabbit's intestinal tract, but nonetheless, they seem to work and certainly will not hurt.  Put the dispenser tip in the side of his mouth and give him a good dose-using the horse tube, I'll give one or two revolutions of the 'dosage collar'.  This is usually an easy product to get into your rabbit but if he fights too much, you can smear the product on his front paws and he will usually lick it off. Give your rabbit probiotics 2 or 3 times throughout that first day.

Hay.  Give your rabbit some hay - any kind will do when you are trying to get him to eat.  If he'll eat alfalfa, give him some!  Don't skimp on the hay - and replenish with fresh hay a few times a day.

Water.  Your rabbit's water must be plentiful, fresh and sparkling clean.  Watch his water intake carefully - if he stops drinking for more than a day, you may have to carefully force feed fluids or have your vet give him sub-q fluids, which is the safest alternative. 

Other Temptations.  You may want to offer a small amount (pinch) of rolled oats, a thin banana slice (up to 1/2") or a sprig of fresh parsley.  It is encouraging if he eats almost anything - but limit high-carb or sugary foods which can throw his already-sick gut into distress even more.

Common Causes

Here is a list of common reasons rabbits stop or decrease their feed intake - this is from a herd prospective.  If only one rabbit within your herd has symptoms, use the first column.  If you notice the symptoms in several rabbits at the same time, use the second column.  If you only own a single rabbit, use the info from both columns.

If Several Rabbits In The Herd Are Not Eating

If you are unfortunate enough to have this happen, you'll have to move quickly - try to determine what is causing the problem and in the meantime, start treatment of your rabbits.  Until you know the specific cause, you can treat each individually with probiotics and hay, or you can purchase a commercial electrolyte product to put in the rabbits' water supply-but monitor to make sure they are drinking it.

Oftentimes, when several rabbits are affected, there is either a feed issue, or an outbreak of disease.  Try an unopened, new bag of feed - if you suspect feed is the cause, save the bag of old feed for possible testing.  I'll have an article about micotoxins and testing soon. 

If a disease outbreak, soon you will be blessed with additional symptoms to help you figure your diagnosis and treatment.  Visit here for a chart of more common gastro-intestinal rabbit illnesses and symptoms.

What Next?

It is usually safe to keep treating with probiotics for a few days as long as your rabbit is not getting worse.  If your rabbit doesn't begin eating within that first day, usually other symptoms will soon develop which may point to more of a specific problem. 

Fluid intake is critical to your rabbit's health and recovery. If your rabbit is not drinking water and a day or so has elapsed - you might want to have your vet give your rabbit some fluids. 

If and when you notice more symptoms, visit our page on Gastro-intestinal symptoms for some of the more common digestive issues.   When in doubt, or if your rabbit gets worse, always consult your vet!

If your rabbit starts eating again and doesn't develop other symptoms - just monitor carefully for a few weeks to make sure he don't slip backwards. 

You should try to determine what caused the problem in the first place so you can avoid a repeat.