Rabbits shouldn’t go long without eating food. After all, those little fluffy and cuddly creatures are binge eaters. They’ll eat hays and herbs constantly as long as they’re awake.
But like many pet owners, the question must’ve arisen in your mind lately— how long can your rabbit go without eating anything?
Mostly, bunnies can abstain from food for a maximum of three to four days depending on their age, size, and breed. Besides, wild and domestic rabbits may be able to go without food for varying lengths of time.
If you want to know more on this issue, read on as we’ve shared in this article the reasons your rabbit may be refusing food and what you can do under such circumstances.
How Long Can a Rabbit Survive Without Eating Food?
Imagine you’ve gone for a business tour or a camping trip outside the city, leaving your favorite bunny at home without a guarantee to be back home in time.
As a result, the food it was supposed to eat in your absence will be running out soon. The very question that should strike your mind is— how long can my rabbit survive with less to no food at all?
It’s important because many pet owners lose their adorable bunnies due to not taking this issue seriously.
There’s no guaranteed number of days for which a particular rabbit can survive without eating food. However, based on estimates, at best, they can survive for four days while wild ones could go as long as five days.
Even so, you mustn’t let your rabbit go empty stomach for more than a few hours. Rabbits are natural grazers. That means they chew and munch on all day long unless they’re asleep or ill.
Make sure your coney is eating hay, green vegetables and herbs, fruits, and lots of fresh water.
Since rabbits eat mostly low-protein, low-mineral, and low-fat foods, they must thrive in eating all those fresh chewable foods to ensure a constant supply of nutrition in their bodies.
How Long Should You Wait Before Making Your Bunny Eat Again?
As said earlier, rabbits typically can go up to four days without filling their tummies. But the question is – when does it become a serious problem that requires addressing?
Well, we should give you a heads-up that rabbits might die within twelve hours of not eating due to a severe condition called GI stasis (gastrointestinal stasis).
GI stasis is an internal digestive condition where the rabbit’s intestinal functions shut down for a while unless emergency treatment is administered.
Hence, your alarm should go off about feeding your furry friend well before twelve hours have passed since it’s stopped eating. But if all your tactics and efforts fail to feed it anyway, call a vet immediately to save your bunny.
7 Reasons Why Your Rabbit Has Stopped Eating
It’s important to learn about the possible reasons behind your rabbit suddenly turning away from food. Otherwise, you’ll be in no position to take the necessary measures to reverse the condition.
1. Stomach Ache
Stomach aches in rabbits can take place for various reasons. If your bunny has overeaten something unhealthy like potato, popcorn, corn seeds, etc., its intestines might not be acting well.
Due to not being able to release its bowels in a timely manner, its stomach will begin to hurt. And that may result in your bunny not eating.
2. Tumors
If rabbits develop internal tumors, like ovarian cysts or tumors, the pain inside and the malfunctioning of the internal system can lead to a loss of appetite in rabbits. This is a symptom that won’t show externally, so you may need to observe other signs and take your pet for regular check-ups to figure it out.
3. Food Poisoning
Food poisoning can happen in rabbits since they don’t vomit, making any unintentional toxicity inside their body result in disastrous consequences. Rabbits may ingest poisonous foods like potato leaves, onions, garlic, etc., which often may go unnoticed.
Hence, rabbits will experience food poisoning and this might end up in loss of appetite.
4. Dental Problem
If your rabbit is having dental health issues like overgrown molars, improper tooth wear, etc., it can interrupt its process of chewing and swallowing.
Besides, the sharp spike of overgrown molars or incisors can accidentally cut the rabbit’s tongue or gum while chewing food, making its food consumption difficult.
5. Infections
You wouldn’t notice if your rabbit is suffering from any infectious diseases. Rabbits can often fall victim to viral infections and neurological infections.
If that’s the case, it’s natural that your little bunny will endure the pain silently while refusing anything to eat.
6. Parasites
Intestinal parasites, protozoan parasites, tapeworms, etc., can lead rabbits to deadly diseases. The more your bunny suffers, the less it will be interested in foods, no matter how delicious they are.
7. Stress
Rabbits are very sensitive about their environment. Your bunny may not be comfortable in your house among other pets. It may not be happy about its pesky hutch and bed or perhaps it’s having difficulty sleeping because you’ve kept it outside at night.
In such cases, losing appetite for food might show up as one of the various stress indicators.
It’s natural that you won’t be able to figure out exactly what’s bothering your bunny. That’s why it’s necessary to call a vet immediately if your rabbit has been showing no sign of eating its regular meals at the usual times.
Is Your Bunny Suffering from GI Stasis?
If your bunny is suffering from GI stasis (gastrointestinal stasis), which you may not necessarily be able to figure out through external signs, it’s in a critical condition. It will require proper treatment at the earliest, or else, it might even lose its life.
Your rabbit may develop GI stasis if it doesn’t consume food for a fairly long period of time. A rabbit’s metabolism is fast which is why they can eat all day long.
But upon refraining from eating, the intestinal tract contraction rate in the rabbit decreases, eventually slowing down the food movement process. What happens afterward is the rabbit doesn’t feel the need for food anymore; hence, abstaining from food for hours.
Below, we’ll share how GI stasis commonly develops in bunnies along with its symptoms:
Development of GI Stasis
If your rabbit starves itself for nearly twelve hours or more, its digestive function starts slowing down. As a result, dehydration may take place in its system, making the food and bowel movements harder and harder.
Moreover, the pH level in the rabbit will be compromised while creating space for bacterial buildup and gas.
This condition in your coney will put it through a series of painful and lethargic chapters, decreasing its eagerness to eat or drink anything. Thus, it will lose weight, and the health condition will worsen even more.
Remember, due to the very sensitive intestinal function in rabbits, GI or gut stasis may develop within a short span of time; specifically, within ten to twelve hours.
Symptoms of GI Stasis
Let’s get to know some of the symptoms of GI stasis in rabbits. Although rabbits don’t generally demonstrate signs of suffering from pain, there are a few small signs you may notice in them such as,
- Your bunny will keep grinding its teeth out of pain in its stomach;
- It may sometimes hunch its back to deal with its stomach ache;
- The rabbit will stop playing or darting around;
- It might release loose stool or sometimes no stools at all;
- It will surely lose weight due to not eating;
- The rabbit won’t drink water as much as it used to;
These signs and symptoms are enough for you to identify the GI stasis condition in your bunny. If these signs persist, call a vet immediately for a proper check-up and treatment.
Things You Must Do to Control the Situation
It’s necessary to know how to handle your rabbit while it’s not eating for a long time.
And when there’s a chance of gut stasis, coming up with proper steps can save your bunny.
While taking it to the vet is important, let’s take a look at some home remedies, so you can do the right thing in such a critical health condition for your rabbit:
Home Remedies
- Get It Going: Since your rabbit has become lethargic due to gut stasis or stomach ache, make it move. But don’t pressurize it. Help it take little steps first, then try to encourage it to play with toys.
- Keep It Comfortable: Keep your rabbit’s living space clean, warm, and comfortable. A nice environment will help your bunny stay put in its critical state.
- Rub Its Tummy: You can occasionally massage its tummy to ease its constipation or smoothen its bowel movement.
- Help It Eat and Drink: It’s good to help your rabbit eat watery veggies and herbs in small amounts, so they help in its digestion and bowel movement. Besides, try making it drink some water with a 1ml syringe, so its body doesn’t get dehydrated.
- Infant Drops: You can try feeding the rabbit some gas relief drops with a 1ml syringe. Then your bunny may be relieved of the bloating and gas problem.
Remember, these remedies are workable as long as the situation has not gotten out of hand such as when your rabbit is still showing some signs of eating or drinking, or it’s moving a little bit on its own in response to your efforts.
However, you mustn’t wait too long before calling a vet, or else, your bunny may develop gut stasis, which may deteriorate its health and even lead to its untimely demise.
When to Seek Veterinary Treatment?
If your pet isn’t responding to your constant effort to make it eat and drink, it’s the right time to go for veterinary treatment. Failures in your effort may indicate a more severe problem in your bunny, which only a professional vet can diagnose and treat.
Don’t waste time waiting for your bunny to recover from its bad state on its own. You never know whether it’s been going through an infection, tumor, or parasite.
So, an urgent check-up by an expert vet is crucial to determine the actual problem in your rabbit.
Thus, try for an hour or two to make your rabbit eat. If things don’t look promising, call a vet immediately. Don’t wait for the day to pass by.
Summing Up…
Remember, a rabbit’s stomach is highly sensitive and it only relies on fresh hay, vegetables, and fruits to ensure a constant nutrition supply in its body. Also, freshwater keeps the body hydrated while keeping its bowel moving.
While they can theoretically survive several days without food, abstinence from food for even a couple of hours can prove to be a big concern for your rabbit’s health. So, make sure your bunny is eating regularly and remains happy and healthy.