Rex Rabbit Not Eating

A rabbit's gut depends on an almost unbroken stream of fiber moving through it to keep the whole system fermenting properly, and once intake drops for more than a few hours, the resulting slowdown can compound on itself — less movement in means less movement out, which further reduces the appetite signal, a spiral that looks the same in a Rex as in any other breed and needs the same urgent response.

What's worth checking specifically in this breed before assuming the cause is purely digestive is the hock: because the gene behind the Rex's plush coat shortens fur uniformly across the body, including the soles of the feet, this breed carries measurably less natural cushioning where the hock bears weight during sitting, and a rabbit developing early hock soreness may simply avoid crossing the enclosure to reach its bowl and hay rack, producing what looks like appetite loss but is really a mobility problem.

That distinction matters for what happens next: a rabbit reluctant to move because a hock hurts still wants to eat, and once food is brought within easy reach, or the discomfort is addressed directly, appetite typically returns — a very different picture from true GI stasis, where interest in food itself has genuinely dropped regardless of how accessible it is.

Dental pain sits alongside this as an equally real possibility, unconnected to coat type: every rabbit's molars grow continuously, and a spur or misalignment can make the physical act of chewing hay something a rabbit actively avoids, again producing reduced intake that looks superficially like loss of appetite.

Because a Rex tends to carry more overall body weight than a dwarf or lop rabbit, whatever pressure lands on a sore hock while sitting is somewhat greater in this breed, which is one reason a keeper who's ruled out an obvious dental cause should look hard at the feet before assuming the appetite drop is unexplained.

None of this changes the bottom-line urgency, though — whether the underlying driver turns out to be hock pain, dental pain, or straightforward GI stasis, a rabbit that hasn't produced normal fecal pellets for roughly twelve hours needs a same-day vet visit, because distinguishing the cause reliably usually takes an exam rather than home observation.

A vet working up appetite loss in a Rex will typically check hock condition as a routine part of the exam specifically because of this breed's documented vulnerability there, alongside the standard gut-motility assessment, hydration check, and a look at the incisors and, where needed, the molars.

Supportive treatment for confirmed GI stasis — fluids, pain control, motility support, and often hand-feeding a critical-care formula — follows the same protocol regardless of breed, and outcomes track closely with how early treatment starts, which is the whole reason this gets treated as an emergency rather than a wait-and-see situation.

A keeper who mentions any observed limp, altered stance, or foot redness when calling the vet gives the exam a real head start, since it lets the vet prioritize a foot check alongside the standard workup rather than discovering the hock issue only after ruling out everything else first.

The cecum, the large fermentation chamber where this species breaks down fibrous plant material, makes up a disproportionately large share of a rabbit's abdomen, and once its contents stop moving, gas and fluid can build up quickly enough to cause real pain on top of the original problem — this is part of why a rabbit that's stopped eating often looks visibly uncomfortable, hunched, or reluctant to be touched around the belly rather than simply quiet.

A keeper who's dealing with a Rex that's been treated for hock soreness in the past should treat any new bout of reduced eating as worth a foot check first, purely on the basis of that individual's history, even if the current episode turns out to have a different cause entirely.

Unlimited grass hay does more preventive work here than any single other habit, since it's what keeps this species' gut motility running continuously in the first place.

A dedicated hock check during routine handling — not folded into a general glance — catches early redness or thinning before it progresses far enough to change how a rabbit moves around its own enclosure.

Soft, well-cushioned resting surfaces throughout the enclosure address this breed's specific foot vulnerability at the source, which indirectly protects appetite by keeping the trip to food comfortable.

Watching fecal output daily, as a habit rather than only when something seems off, builds the baseline a keeper needs to notice a genuine drop quickly.

Reliable, constant access to fresh water removes dehydration as one avoidable trigger for gut slowdown.

Routine dental checks catch a developing spur before it becomes painful enough to put a rabbit off hay.