Gut stasis: the rabbit rule that saves lives
Every rabbit owner should learn one rule before all others: a rabbit that stops eating is an emergency in progress. Rabbits depend on constant gut movement, and when the gut slows — because of pain, stress, illness, or too little fibre — the slowdown itself makes the rabbit feel worse and eat even less. The signs build over hours: favourite foods refused, droppings shrinking to tiny hard pellets or stopping altogether, and a rabbit sitting hunched in a corner, sometimes grinding its teeth quietly, which in rabbits signals pain.
Do not wait overnight to see if it passes. Contact a vet the same day, keep hay and favourite greens in reach, and note when your rabbit last ate and passed droppings normally — that timeline is one of the first things the vet will ask. Gut stasis is usually a symptom of something underneath, from teeth to pain elsewhere, so the visit investigates the cause as well as restarting the gut.
Teeth: the chronic problem behind many emergencies
Rabbit teeth grow continuously, and molar spurs are one of the most common hidden causes of appetite loss. The signs repeat across rabbit medicine because they are so reliable: drooling with a wet chin and chest, eating enthusiastically at first then dropping food, choosing soft foods and abandoning hay, runny eyes from pressure near the tear ducts, and gradual weight loss. Front teeth may look fine throughout.
A rabbit showing that cluster needs a vet examination of the back teeth. Long-term prevention is dietary: unlimited grass hay forces the long chewing motion that wears molars evenly, while a bowl-fed rabbit on mostly pellets barely chews by comparison.
Breathing, balance, and parasites with serious effects
Repeated sneezing with thick white discharge, wet or matted front paws from wiping the nose, and noisy breathing point to respiratory infection, which rabbits carry in their nasal passages and which flares under stress. A rabbit with laboured breathing is urgent; a rabbit with persistent sneezing deserves a booked visit rather than months of watching.
A head tilt, rolling, or sudden loss of balance is always a prompt vet case — causes range from ear infection to a parasite-associated condition vets will test for, and early treatment gives the best chance of recovery. Rabbits can also carry that parasite without signs, so a new rabbit tilting its head should be kept away from companions until assessed.
Skin, feet, weight, and flystrike
Check the soles of the hind feet regularly: red, bald, or ulcerated hocks develop on hard or wet flooring and under heavy rabbits, and early cases improve with soft, dry bedding and weight management while sores need vet care. In warm conditions, flies lay eggs in soiled fur around a rabbit's rear and the hatching maggots damage skin within hours — flystrike is a race, so check the rear end daily in summer for any rabbit, especially one with a dirty bottom, difficulty grooming, or loose droppings, and treat any sign of maggots or eggs as an emergency vet trip immediately.
Unspayed female rabbits have a high lifetime risk of womb problems as they age, which is a conversation to have with your vet about preventive neutering. Weigh your rabbit weekly, watch droppings daily, and keep the record in your rabbit's KinsLe Pet Passport, because in a species that hides illness, the notebook often notices first.