Why is my young rabbit refusing solid food and only drinking water?

Look for Oxbow Critical Care for Herbivores. Your veterinarian may stock it or you may be able to find it online. If Fluffy is not eating at all, this should be considered a veterinary emergency. Have her physically examined by your veterinarian, a vet experienced in treating rabbits or at the nearest veterinary ER. It is critical to get her eating normally to keep her gut moving. Gut stasis can be life threatening in rabbits.

Thank you for your question about Oreo. When rabbits begin having preferences for different food items intermittently, it is often a sign of dental disease. I would recommend having Oreo seen by a veterinarian who is familiar with rabbits. They can perform a thorough examination, including an oral exam. It isn’t enough to just look at the front teeth, as often the issues are further back in the mouth. This area can only be seen with specialized tools that your veterinarian will have. Depending on what they find, they may recommend diagnostic testing to confirm or rule out dental disease. From there, they will also recommend treatments to pursue, which may include trimming the teeth. I hope that gives you a place to start, and that Oreo feels better very soon.

I think the bunny looks fine. Just because it is smaller does not mean it is not healthy. You can add goat milk (regular, not low fat) to the kitten milk replacer and a pinch of acidophilus (aka Probiotic) to the formula to promote healthy gut flora. Formulas vary depending on region. Avoid Esbilac and any puppy formulas. FEED TWICE A DAY ONLY and let them have free choice alfalfa hay. At 3-6 weeks of age they should be eating about 13-15 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings a day) but it may be LESS depending on size of rabbit so they little one may only eat 8-12cc. That is OK. Hope this helps.

1/2 Cup evaperated milk 1/2 Cup water 1 egg yolk 1 Tablespoon Corn syrup Kits should be fed every 6 hours for the first 2 weeks, then every eight hours the third week, and every 12 hours on the fourth week. After that the kits should be eating a good amount of solid food, and they should be drinking water. If they seem to be doing well on pelleted food, discontinue the formula. Otherwise, feed once a day until they are six weeks old, or until they to well on solid food. Feed a good quality grass hay starting at four weeks, and do not feed any moist foods such as fruits or veggies.

A rabbit that is not eating or drinking should be seen by an exotic species veterinarian as soon as possible. She is at risk of developing dehydration and GI stasis which can lead to death. Until your appointment, you can try offering fresh, dark, leafy greens (kale, collards, etc) and other palatable greens, like cilantro, parsley, carrot top greens, to encourage her to eat. You can also soak rabbit pellets in water to make a slurry and carefully feed that to your rabbit via a syringe (baby dosing syringes can be bought in drug stores and discount stores). Make sure fresh Timothy hay and water is available. Carefully syringe feeding an electrolye replacement solution, like Pedialyte, can help with dehydration. http://myhouserabbit.com/rabbit-health/gi-stasis-in-rabbits-a-deadly-condition/

At two weeks he should be pooping on his own continually throughout the day. The fact that he is not pooping may indicate a problem. This could be a blockage, disease, or an abnormality he's had from birth. It's best to have him seen by a veterinarian in the next 24 hours if he is still not pooping or is not acting normal. Below is a link to good information about caring for an orphaned rabbit and it explains how to make them poop. https://rabbit.org/caring-for-orphans/ I hope that helps and Bugs gets better soon.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach. He is pretty small but definitely not a newborn. He looks like a Dutch. They are usually weaned from the mother at 4 weeks of age and I think he looks close to that but honestly, it is hard for me to say for sure. That being said, at weaning, it is best to keep all the kits together for a few weeks to minimize stress. I don't think that happened here. I suggest you try bottle feeding some KMR kitten milk replacer and offer some alfalfa hay and some pellets. Once he is an adult you need to stop the alfalfa and use timothy hay or orchard grass hay. Offer all of this and let him choose and see what he eats. Hopefully he will eat something. If he is not interested in eating anything you will need to find a way to get him to the vet sooner. You can get the KMR and bottles at any large pet store (like Petco). Walmart may even have it. I suggest Oxbow hay and pellets. You can usually find them at Petco but you may have to order online. ( https://www.amazon.com/Oxbow-Alfalfa-Hay-15oz/dp/B007SYTRPA/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2I61EPMWJF68F&keywords=oxbow+alfalfa+hay+for+rabbits&qid=1571081976&s=pet-supplies&sprefix=oxbow+alfalfa%2Cpets%2C540&sr=1-2 ) ( https://www.amazon.com/Oxbow-Bunny-Basics-Rabbit-Alfalfa/dp/B001CQGMNA/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2FWQ4D9EUDP69&keywords=oxbow+rabbit+food&qid=1571081639&s=pet-supplies&sprefix=oxbow+rabbit%2Cpets%2C156&sr=1-3 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.