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My rabbit won't eat or drink and is lethargic. Is it an emergency?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Small Animal | Rabbit | Female | spayed | 4.2 lbs

hi my rabbit is refusing to eat she hasn't eaten since this morning and I haven't seen her drink in a while and it's worrying me she isn't moving much either just to the corner to poop and back any help is appreciated we are in Scotland so heat is not a big factor sorry for any spelling I am dyslexic

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Miranda Sadar, DVM, DACZM

Veterinarian

Published on July 2nd, 2018

Your spelling was just fine, no worries. I am sorry that Rebecca isn't feeling well. When rabbits don't eat or drink, it is an emergency situation. The reason for this is that they are prone to developing gastrointestinal stasis. What this means is that when a rabbit doesn't eat, they can build up gas in their gastrointestinal tract, and this is painful. When they are painful, they don't eat, and when they don't eat, they don't produce fecal pellets (poop). The hard part is that many things can lead to gastrointestinal stasis, including injuries, arthritis, organ problems, etc. I would recommend taking Rebecca to a veterinarian. The vet can perform a thorough examination, and then will likely recommend diagnostic testing including blood work to evaluate systemic health and radiographs (x-rays). These may help to narrow down what the underlying cause of the gastrointestinal stasis is. They may recommend treatments including pain medications. Please do not give Rebecca any human medications, as many of them can be harmful to rabbits.

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