How ageing changes a Rex appetite
An aging Rex usually does not stop eating suddenly; the appetite narrows. Hay sessions get shorter, grazing becomes selective, and a rabbit who once worked steadily through coarse strands may pick out softer pieces and favourite greens instead. Sometimes the cause is in the mouth — back teeth that make grinding hay uncomfortable. Sometimes it is in the feet: Rex rabbits are prone to sore hocks, and a Rex whose hocks hurt may avoid standing at a rack, shifting in a litter tray to reach hay, or moving to a bowl, so intake falls even though interest in food offered close by remains.
Watch the whole pattern rather than a single meal: hay intake, droppings size and number, speed of eating, and enthusiasm when food is placed directly in front of the rabbit on soft bedding.
Weight gain in the less active Rex
A senior Rex who moves less but is fed as before commonly gains weight, and the velvet coat makes it hard to see. Extra weight then loads the hocks further, reduces willingness to move, and can make cleaning the underside difficult, so a Rex can enter a cycle of gain, soreness and still less movement. Feel for ribs beneath a light covering and weigh on a regular schedule; judge portions against that trend with your vet, keeping hay freely available while adjusting richer foods thoughtfully.
Do not respond to gain by sharply restricting food. Rabbits need near-constant gut throughput, and sudden restriction in a senior risks more than it solves. Gradual, vet-guided adjustment is the safe route.
Weight loss and the signs that speed things up
Loss in an aging Rex deserves prompt attention when it is rapid, ongoing or paired with other change. Dental pain, hock pain severe enough to limit feeding, gut problems and other illness can all sit behind a Rex who is quietly eating less. Clues include leaving hay but accepting soft food, dropping food, smaller droppings, a wet chin, sitting hunched, or hock redness and sores discovered on your daily check.
Contact your vet promptly if your Rex stops eating, produces very few droppings, loses weight noticeably over a short span, or has broken hock skin. In rabbits, appetite loss is itself an emergency pattern, because the gut slows when intake stops.
Supporting appetite at home
Place hay at floor level on soft bedding in several spots, including inside the favourite resting area, so eating never requires standing on a sore hock on a hard floor or stretching up. Offer fresh herbs to spark interest, keep water easy to reach, and serve meals in a calm routine. Check hocks daily and deepen bedding if you see thinning fur or pinkness, since improving comfort often improves feeding.
Record weights, hay enthusiasm and droppings notes over weeks rather than relying on memory of how your Rex seemed last month, and KinsLe Pet Passport keeps that aging Rex history together so your vet can read the trend in one packet.