New mom has some questions

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Dawn

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2004
Messages
67
Reaction score
0
Location
Boston Ma, ,


I havea new bunny.YA HOO!!!! He wasreturned to the local pet store because he was gettingbiggerbeleaved to be ayear old. His family didn'twant him :( But I guess that is a good thing for me andhim. I have been looking for a rabbit fora fewmonths now. I saw him and I just could not resist.He has adjusted very well so far. I think it helps that he is spoiledrotten already with tons of toys and free time. We let him out thefirst night and he was chinning every thing including me. :) I put asmall box in his cage to start litter box tanning him it was going goodtill I came downthismorning andwhen hesaw me he started pulling at the box and tipped it over. Ithink he wasjust excited to show me he was using it. :) Icould go on and on but will try and make it easy.

1. What dose it mean and how do you keep them from tipping over the litter box?

2. Any suggestions on keeping the food dish from getting tipped over?

3. He seams to have a wet nose just under the nostrils andsneezes some than cleans his face. I have cleaned high andlow in the living room thinking their was dust in places he goes and Inormally don't like under the couch and behind theTV. I am just really worried he may have a cold.:?Do they usually have wetness on there noses?



Thanks in advance for any help!

Dawn

This is Buster
wub.gif
Ibelieve he is a Grey and white Dutch but pleas correct me if I am wrong.
busterbunny.jpg



 

Hi Dawn,

He's a beautiful baby boy! Congratulations. You've got a real beautythere. I'm not an expert by any means, but he looks like a Dutch to me.

He's excited to see you which is why he's making such noise. He wantsattention. My rabbit does that when he's feeling tough.

You can put his food in a clay crock or they have screw-down food bowlsat pet stores. I just put mine on my rabbit's bed because I got tiredof fighting with him about eating his food out of bowls.

I'm concerned about the sneezes and his cold. Rabbits aren't supposedto have wet noses. Does he sneeze alot? Are the front paws wet?

-Carolyn
 
Thanks Carolyn!

His pawsare dry its just under his nostrils at thebottompoint of his nose. I am going to call around the localvets in the morning and see who seams to be the bestforbunnys. I wanted to make and appointments for him any waysbeing a new bunny andall. I alsowant toget him fixed.
 

Good Dawn,

He needs to see a vet right away. Sneezes aren't a good symptom for arabbit to have. It could be a sign of a respiratory disease. The soonera vet can see him, the better I'd say.

Give him lots of kisses from all of us, and welcome to the board.

-Carolyn
 
Hi, Congratulations on your new Bun! He does look like a Dutch. He should, if he's pure, weigh about 4 pounds.

I'm not sure but, that looks like pine shavings that you are using asbedding. If it is, it is probably the reason for the sneezing. Alpineis much better. It doesn't have that pungent odor that pine has. Pinehas been known to cause respirtory problems with rabbits. A littlewetness of the nose is okay. Dribbling wetness is not.

You'll have to use something different in his litter box (likeYesterdays News) or he's not going to know the difference bedding andlitter. A small plastic dish pan works well for a litter box.

The food dishes..heavy crocks work well. So does the bins that attach to the cage.

I didn't see any timothy hay in the cage. Is it hidden?
Hay is essential not only for their digestive systems, it is also good for their teeth.

Well, enjoy Buster. I'm glad you waited for him!

Charlotte
 
Buster is a stunning "Blue" Dutch :)

The Gray color in Dutch really doesn't look all that gray and is aticked agouti color more like a wild rabbit (It used to be referred toas Brown-Gray). The Grays have dark brown eyes.

I agree about getting Buster to the vet. In the meantime, ruba little vics on his nose to help relieve the congestion.It's possible the sneezing and snotty nose is just due to stressfactors, but I would recommend the vet visit and possible antibioticsto be sure this doesn't progress into something more serious.

Pam
 

Thanks everyone for the advice!

Buster has an appointment at 2 today at a very good vet. He is stilleating and drinking. I had a small thing of pine chips so I was usingthem up and mixing in alpine. I have Timothy hay in his litter box Iheard they like to chew on it as they do their business. Just have tokeep changing it. He seams to do a lot of sneezing out side his cadgebut I will stop using the pine and stick with the alpine. I spent agood amount of time vacuuming and whipping every thing down with a wetcloth to get up any dust that might be around. He likes hoping behindthe couch and TV. I don't often vacuumed behind there. I thought I hadthe room bunny proof but he finds more stuff to get in to. It will getit bunny proofed really good with him just have to keep a close eye onhim for now.

On a funny note I have a Curtin across the door way of my living room.It works well in keeping my parakeets from going in the dining room andkitchen. Well buster learned how to get past it so I put some cardboardacross it like a baby gate and he got past that too (myfault)and made it to the kitchen. He was sitting looking atthe fridge I think he knows that's where the treats are kept. I tookone step out and told him to get back in there. He came hopping so fastand went straight in to the living room! LOL He is to funny!
 
Oh My Dawn!

It sounds like you've met your match with Buster-Boy! What asmart little guy to find his way to the refrigerator.BuckJones will tell you that his little girl hops-to whenever she hearsthe refrigerator door open as well. When she was very sick,it was a clear sign that she was getting better when she robbedsomething from the fridge as she was healing. I got a chargeout of how Buster seems to have zoned in on where the refrigeratorwas. What a little devil!

I'm glad you're getting him to a vet today. Although he maybe sneezing from the dust, the cedar/pine shavings (as pointed out notgood for him at all), or stress, it's truly best to get him in to seethe doctor. The sooner a rabbit is treated for sneezing, thebetter chance he has of the treatment working.

Not everyone advocates pine shavings either. Some people haveused it, but the verdict is still out as to howhealthy itisto useas litter. I know a breeder thatdoes use the pine shavings and claims not to have anytrouble. Personally, I wouldn't chanceit.

Just be sure to keepBuster dry.Ifrabbitshave to sit in soiled litter or awet/dirtyenvironment,their chances of illness increases.Notaccusing you of anything, just makinga statementin general.

Sounds like Buster and you are having a blasttogether. That's too cool. He sure knew to scootwhen told, ey?! What a little sweetheart!

-Carolyn

 
Your rabbit truly is a beauty and i hope it s nothing and he gets better.
Hes such a rascal yet very clever for working out where the fridge was! Crafty little bunny!!
So write in again with how the appointment went @ the vets cos we all wana no how it went!
Lots of love lauren and ebony
xXx
 
Well the vet could not find any thing that requiredantibiotics and thought he would be ok. Theeyes ears alllooked okbreathing was good. Hisnose was a littlewet but not to bad and he had no temperature. Hes not quite a heavywight champ yet he's about 3.4 lbs. The vetsaid ifit persists tocome back.I will keep a close eye onhim. He is still eating and drinking. I have a feeling it might havebeen dust. He did a lot of sniffing around when we first let him out toromp aroundfree. Last night was the most I hard him sneezeand he did the most romping incorners and behindthe couch last night. I moved every thing in the living room andvacuumed he seams to be better tonight. :) I will also besure to keep his cadge and litter extra clean and dry especially till Iknow he is all better.

We did find out Buster dose not like being touched under the chin. Hegave the vet a little nip (did not brake the skin) to let him know hedidn't like it. I can't say I blame buster he was really scared. :?

Thanks every one for the advice and help! :cool:
 

Yay! Thanks for the Update, Dawn.:dude:

That's great you found out what it was. I think it was very wise of youto take Buster to the vet when you first got him. It's great to knowthat he's got the okay by the doctor.
Since you know you've got a green light on his health, I'd suspect thiswas due to either the dust or the stress of getting shifted around somuch--from the old home to the petshop to your place. He's had quite ajourney to finally find his home, but it's worth every bit of it forhim to have found you. :)

-Carolyn
 
Very glad to hear that Buster's exam went well (except for that little nip he gave the vet LOL)

3 1/2 pounds is actually on the small side for a Dutchwhichweigh upto 5 1/2 pounds.He appears to be a purebred, and a rather nice one at that.He must have a disqualification for show to end up in a petstore --poor guy : (

He certainly is lucky to have ended up with you!

Pam
 

Since of the recent events I have decided Buster needs a new name Ithink Dust Buster will fit him perfectly he is after all a big Dustbunny!! LOL

He has been doing much better the last day or two.
 
I'm THRILLED to hear it Dawn!

Good Job!

Love his new name too. :)

-Carolyn
 
Dawn wrote:

Since of the recent events I have decided Buster needs a new name Ithink Dust Buster will fit him perfectly he is after all a big Dustbunny!! LOL

He has been doing much better the last day or two.


I love the name -- glad to hear he's doing well!

Pam
 
my bunny has a heavy bowl (i dont remember whattype its pottery or something but it really has slipped my mind) I gotit because with my last bunny it had a light dish and it always pushedit over). But like carolyn said you can get screw down ones.
Loadza luv loz n ebony n fidget
xoxoxox:cool:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top