If your pet suddenly goes off their food, it's cause for concern, as it might be a sign of illness or injury. With most animals, however, it needn't have you rushing off to the emergency vet clinic for fear of serious consequences, but when it comes to rabbits, the situation can quickly become life-threatening.

As grazing herbivores, rabbits need to eat often throughout the day, with large amounts of fibre keeping their delicate digestive systems ticking over. Sometimes, their digestion can slow down or stop completely for various reasons, such as stress or infections. This is called gastrointestinal (or GI) stasis, and it's important to act fast and get the rabbit eating again.

Spot the warning signs

Keep an eye out for unusually small poop pellets or your rabbit being less active than normal. If you notice either of these things, watch them carefully for a few days to make sure they eat properly and things return to normal.

Try to tempt them

Good quality hay like timothy is key to good digestion, but if the rabbit isn't eating anything, try their favourite foods to tempt them. Sometimes just getting them to eat anything is enough to kick-start their digestion, and if they turn down favourites, you know for sure that something is wrong.

Give a gentle massage

Place the rabbit on a firm surface and – very gently and carefully – massage the abdominal area. They might enjoy this and relax, but if they get stressed, stop immediately.

Keep some emergency feed in stock

An emergency rabbit food product can put friendly bacteria and fibre into the digestive system quickly. It will normally be supplied in a large syringe, which can be carefully inserted into the rabbit's mouth, behind the teeth, and slowly dispensed a little bit at a time.

Get to the vet

Even if you get the rabbit to eat something, you should get to a vet as soon as possible. Explain the situation over the phone, and you should be given an emergency appointment. It's helpful if you can get the rabbit to eat something, but this doesn't necessarily mean the risk is over, and they may need medication to get back to full health.

Keep a close watch

For the next few days, you should watch your rabbit closely to make sure there are no other signs of digestive issues. If they're not eating when you get back from the vet, try as often as possible to tempt them. If you need to, set an hourly alarm and wake up frequently through the night. The enzymes in pineapples and papayas can be really helpful to rabbit digestion, so feed them small amounts while they recover.