Rabbit GI stasis: when your rabbit stops eating or pooping

A rabbit that stops eating or stops making droppings needs a vet, not a wait-and-see. Call a rabbit-savvy vet as soon as you notice. No food or no droppings for 12 hours is an emergency, House Rabbit Society says. While you call, offer hay, fresh greens and water, and gently warm a rabbit that feels cold.

Written by Justin Alcalde, AHA and American Red Cross instructor, CPR West Covina · Reviewed September 27, 2026

Read the video transcript

Your rabbit stopped eating. Step 1. No food or no droppings? Call a rabbit vet now. Step 2. Offer hay, greens and water. Warm a cold bunny. Step 3. Tight, swollen belly? Do not press. Go now.

No food or no droppings? Call a rabbit vet now.
Offer hay, greens and water. Warm a cold bunny.
Tight, swollen belly? Do not press. Go now.

What do I do if my bunny is not eating or pooping?

Call first, then keep your rabbit comfortable until a vet can see it. A rabbit's gut is built to keep moving all day, House Rabbit Society explains, so an empty litter box is worth acting on.

Call a rabbit-savvy vet
Say it stopped eating or pooping, and when you last saw either.
Check the litter box
Smaller, fewer or no droppings? Note what you see and the time.
Offer hay, greens and water
Fresh hay, wet leafy greens, and water in a bowl.
Warm a cold bunny gently
Feels cold to the touch? Add a wrapped heat pad it can move off.
Leave a tight belly alone
Do not press on a tight, swollen belly. Let the vet examine it.
No medicines or gas drops
Give nothing from your own cabinet unless your vet says so.
Do not force-feed
No syringe feeding until a vet has ruled out a blockage.
Pack the carrier and go
A towel inside, your notes in hand, a calm and quiet ride.

Water goes in a bowl: Merck notes that rabbits drink significantly more from a bowl than a sipper bottle. Wet greens and a few kinds of hay can tempt a sick rabbit, House Rabbit Society suggests.

When it is time to load the carrier, keep a hand under the hindquarters. The rabbit handling guide covers the full lift.

Is a rabbit not eating an emergency?

Yes, treat it as one. VCA warns that a rabbit that is not eating can go from feeling poorly to a life-threatening illness in a matter of hours.

House Rabbit Society calls 12 hours with no food or no droppings an emergency. Merck also lists no droppings for more than 12 hours as a reason to call your vet right away. Treat 12 hours as the outer limit, not a waiting period.

The problem feeds itself: gas-making bacteria take over and the painful gas makes the rabbit eat even less, VCA explains. PetMD adds that 24 hours or more without food can bring on a liver failure called hepatic lipidosis.

Rabbits also hide pain by sitting quiet and still, Merck notes, so the early stage is easy to miss.

What are the signs of GI stasis in rabbits?

They often build quietly. Any one of these is a reason to call.

Sign	What you may notice
Fewer or smaller droppings	Smaller, drier or fewer than usual, or none at all
Eating less	Leaves its hay, or takes only treats and favorite foods
Hunched or stretched out	Sits hunched and still, or lies stretched flat
Teeth grinding	Grating its teeth while not chewing anything
Belly discomfort	Flinches or resists when you touch or lift it
Tight or swollen belly	Rounder than usual and firm under a light touch
Cold ears and feet	Cooler than usual, a hint that body temperature is low
Dull or lethargic	Slow to move, uninterested in you or its surroundings

Signs from PetMD, the University of Illinois, Angell Animal Medical Center and Merck.

Is it a slowdown, GI stasis or rabbit bloat?

Rabbit bloat is what vets call gastric dilation: the stomach swells with fluid and gas, often because something blocks the gut further down. Rabbits cannot vomit, Merck notes, so nothing comes back up.

Pattern	Eating and droppings	Belly and body	What to do
Mild slowdown	Eating as usual, but droppings are small and hard	Alert and acting like itself	Offer more hay and call your vet for advice
GI stasis	Eating less or nothing. Droppings smaller, drier, fewer or none, often over a few days	Hunched and quiet, may grind its teeth. Belly may look a little bloated	Call a rabbit vet now. 12 hours with no food or droppings is an emergency
Bloat (blockage)	Normal earlier in the day, then suddenly refuses food. Droppings may stop abruptly	Tight, swollen belly that hurts to touch. Very dull, often cold	Go now to the closest vet that treats rabbits

Slowdown: House Rabbit Society. Stasis and bloat: Angell Animal Medical Center, VCA, the University of Illinois and Merck.

Bloat often means a blockage. In a 2007 study of 84 bouts of bloat in 76 rabbits, most were blocked, usually by small pellets of compressed hair. Many vets start with fluids, pain relief and warmth, since some blockages pass, and save surgery for rabbits that do not improve, Angell and Illinois vets explain.

Get to the vet now if

Your rabbit's belly looks tight or swollen, it hunches and grinds its teeth, it feels cold, or it is too dull to move. Go, too, once it has eaten nothing or made no droppings for 12 hours. Do not wait for morning.

Should I keep my rabbit warm?

Yes, if it feels cold. Merck puts a healthy rabbit at 101.5 to 104.2 F and lists a reading under 100.4 F or over 105 F as a reason to call your vet right away. Take a temperature only if your vet has shown you how.

Angell's emergency vets describe rabbits with stasis as near normal or a little cold, 98 to 101 F, and rabbits with a blockage as often below 98 F. PetMD notes that a low body temperature tends to mean a worse outlook.

Check the temperature before warming if you can, as House Rabbit Society advises. Then use a wrapped heat pad or warm towels, with room to move off the heat so the rabbit does not overheat.

Can I treat rabbit GI stasis at home?

Not on your own. Home care only keeps a rabbit stable until a vet sees it, House Rabbit Society says. Only a vet can check for a blockage, and several home remedies are risky if there is one.

Medicines: PetMD says never to give a rabbit any medication without your vet's approval. Some owners keep infant gas drops, but House Rabbit Society notes limited evidence that they help. Merck says mineral oil and laxatives do not clear a mass of hair.

Belly rubs: gentle massage is a common home tip for gas. A University of Miami rabbit guide lists it only for after a vet has ruled out a blockage. Do not press on a tight, swollen belly, which Angell notes is painful in a blocked rabbit.

Syringe feeding: wait for the vet. House Rabbit Society says to syringe-feed recovery food only after a blockage has been ruled out, and Merck advises against force-feeding a rabbit with bloat. Leave hay, greens and water within reach instead.

How do I find a rabbit vet before an emergency?

You want an exotics vet, meaning one who treats rabbits regularly, plus an emergency hospital that will see rabbits after hours. House Rabbit Society calls rabbit-savvy emergency care hard to find, so set this up while your rabbit is well.

Search an exotics directory
The Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians finder, or a local rabbit rescue's list.
Ask who covers nights
Does the clinic see rabbits after hours or on weekends?
Find an ER that sees rabbits
Call ahead to confirm before you ever need it.
Make a plan with your vet
Ask what to keep at home for a bad night.

Rabbits have a knack for falling ill on weekends and at night, House Rabbit Society observes, when fewer rabbit vets are open. PetAid, our iPhone first aid app, includes rabbits, so you have steps to follow while you work down that list.

Why do rabbits get GI stasis?

Stasis usually follows another problem, University of Illinois vets note.

Trigger	Examples
Low-fiber diet	Too many pellets, treats, carrots or fruit, and not enough hay
Stress	A visitor, a new pet, a sudden food change, loud noise, a move or a car ride
Pain	Injuries, arthritis, a sore mouth or bladder stones
Dental problems	Overgrown teeth with sharp points that hurt to chew with
Other illness	Kidney or liver disease, infections, or overheating
Swallowed fur or fabric	Heavy grooming, or chewed carpet, towels or plastic, which can block the gut

From VCA, Angell, the University of Illinois, PetMD and Merck.

How can I prevent GI stasis in my rabbit?

Hay comes first. House Rabbit Society suggests hay make up about 80 percent of the diet, and VCA adds vegetables, a small amount of pellets and very little fruit. Chewing hay also wears down teeth that never stop growing.

Brush often, allow plenty of exercise out of the pen, change foods slowly, keep carpet and towels out of reach, and book regular checkups that include the teeth.

Check the litter box daily: House Rabbit Society says droppings strung together with fur call for more brushing.

Keep the steps on your phone

PetAid for iPhone, for dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish and reptiles. Free on the App Store.

Get PetAid

Questions people ask

Is it a hairball?

Usually not. VCA says rabbits normally carry some hair in the stomach without trouble, and Merck calls true hairball blockages uncommon. Fur can become a problem when it mats into dense pellets, so regular brushing still helps.

What if no rabbit vet is open tonight?

Call the nearest emergency hospitals and ask which will see a rabbit. While you wait to be seen, House Rabbit Society suggests keeping your rabbit warm and calm and writing down what you notice, with the times.

How long does recovery take?

University of Illinois vets hope to see eating and droppings return within 24 to 48 hours of treatment, with care usually lasting 3 to 5 days, sometimes longer. PetMD gives a similar 3 to 5 days for uncomplicated cases, and notes droppings may be soft for a while afterward.

Can a rabbit survive bloat?

Many do. In a 2014 study, 130 of 145 rabbits with bloat (89 percent) recovered with medical treatment in hospital, without surgery. Rabbits that need surgery have a more guarded outlook, Illinois vets note.

More pet first aid

This is first aid, not veterinary care. Get to a vet or an emergency animal hospital as soon as the steps are done.

Sources