Two Bunnies with problems :(

[Bunny Wrangler]

Hello, this is my first post here. Iadopted two bunnies, a boy and a girl,from the pet shelter onSeptember 26th. They are both intact. The sheltersaid that they were both about 4-5 months old and were formerstrays. And they both have problems that I'm not sure what Ishould do for.

The boy, Alexei, is an incredibly sweet little rabbit, but he hasmatted anddirtyfur on his underside. I'vetried'spot-cleaning' him with a damp paper towel but he getsfrightened by the water and it doesn't do a lotofgood. He also sneezes several times a day.Sometimes he has nasal discharge which he wipes away with hispaw. I have tried to get to him with a tissue but he isalways faster than me. I really hope this isn't pasturellabut if it is I will still take care of him. He's my furbaby!

The girl, Anastasia, is a total brat. She acts sweet when hercage is closed, standing up to be petted and everything, but when Iopen her cage to try to give her some hay or bunny-chow, she attackswith her front paws and sometimes grunts. Also, she has beentearing out her fur a lot lately, eating way more than Alexei does***,and I think her belly has been getting fatter. Is there anyway to tell for sure if she is pregnant or not? I keep mybeasts separate because I don't want my bunnies breeding (especially iftheir fatherturns out to havepasturella) but theycould have mated at the animal shelter since they lived there a monthand while they were housed separate, they could have been set out bysomeone and matedthen. (They were the only twobunnies at a cat/dog shelter.) I have tried to feel of herbelly to see if I could feel any kits in there but she is incrediblyhostile to being touched, so I only got to touch her belly for a minutebefore she made me take my hand back. I thought I did feelbabies but it's impossible for me to know for sure, and since I didn'treally know what I was doing, I was afraid of injuring her or the kitsand I wasn't feeling too hard. Can someone please helpme? Thanks so much.


(*** Alexei's eating habits seem to be okay because he is eating andusing his litterbox just as much as the rabbit I had before himdid. That rabbit, Tyler, is about the same size as Alexei andthey were almost identical except Alexei holds his ears differentlythan Tyler did.)


Courtney,the bunny wrangler

 

[Carolyn]

Welcome Aboard Bunny Wrangler,

Don't mean to alarm you, but Alexei sounds like he should be seen by avet and tested to see if he does have pasteurella. The sooner you getto it, the better. I'd also think of isolating them from each otheruntil you find out what's going on with him. The nasal discharge: is itclear or not? Are the forepaws matted from him wiping his face?

When you do wash his backside, be sure to get it dry to the skin. Ifyou don't, he can lose hair and be suseptible to fly strike, otherparasites, a chill, and bacterial problems.

As to the baby girl, she could be pregnant. Babies in the belly usuallyfeel like marbles. A vet can palpate her belly for you and tell you forsure. There's a post in this forum, I think it's only on the 2nd pagebecause it was bumped up for someone else, but it's called "A CheatSheet for Rabbit Care". In it, there's a website that you can link tothat will help in giving you instructions on how to tell if they'repregnant and their behavior around it.

I do hope everything's okay with both of them. Little Mon will be in my prayers.

Try not to get too discouraged about the doe's aggressiveness. Youdon't know how she was handled before. Hopefully, once she gets used toyou and her hormones aren't bouncing off the wall, or if she ispregnant than once she has the kits, she'll calm down a bit.

Please feel free to jump in anywhere on this forum that you have input or questions. We're happy you found us.

-Carolyn


P.S. When I mentioned getting the fur dry (especially closest the furto the skin), you can use a hairdryer for that. You might try givinghim a dose of NutriCal to boost his immune system. (It's a dietarysupplement usually geared towards cats and dogs and can be found at apet supply store. He'd only need to take about 3/4 - an inch of itsqueezed out from the tube.)

 

[rabbitgirl]

bunny wrangler is a good description!

Another possibility for your bun if he tests negative for pasteurellais allergies. My boy Fen has horrible allergies--to hay, among otherthings. He does that whole sneezing and wiping thing, and obsessivelyscratches it raw. Otherwise he's energetic and healthy. It changes withthe weather.

He's had it for years, seasonally. Poor boy. There's only so much youcan do. I'm afraid to give him anything (antihistamine) as he is sosmall and fragile.

Your doe does sound pregnant. That moody weirdness sounds familiar.

Good luck!

Rose

 

[Bunny Wrangler]

Hello Carolyn and Rabbitgirl,

Thanks for your help. I did palpate Anastasia (much to herchagrin) and while I'm not sure what I was able to feel (I was afraidof hurting her or the babies) I think she is either not pregnant or notgoing to have many babies. Either of those is fine withme--I'm not a breeder, my rabbits are just pets, and if she ispregnant, I'm going to havea hard time making sure her babiesare adopted by people who will not abuse the animal or feed him to apython.

Little Alexei seems to be doing better today. I finallymanaged to get him to let merake the mats offthefur on his belly, although the mats on his rear end (back of bunnyabove tail) are still there and are very stubborn. I wasafraid of hurting him there so I quit. I cannot use a hairdryer on him because the noise frightens him so much (found out thehard way). When I dry him Ihave been usingseveralclean, dry paper towels, making sure to dry his furdown to the skin, and I turn off the a/c whenever I have a wet bunny inmy midst so he doesn't get too cold. He enjoys the attention.

Thanks for the tip on the NutriCal. I think Alexei will definitely benefit from that.

Courtney, the bunny wrangler

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Courtney,

It's obvious that you have some experience with rabbits by the way youwrite. Your little ones are in good hands.Sometimes the babies are hard to feel in the doe's belly.

I'd still suggest you keep them away from each other until you have thesneezing figured out with Alexei. Granted that rabbits needto sneeze as we do sometimes, but when there's a discharge, I do worrya bit until I know for sure what's going on. I may be being abit paranoid, butbetter safe than sorry.

Keep us posted.

-Carolyn

 

[AnnaS]

Bunny Wrangler: your bunnies have such cute russian names.

 

[mygrl2k3]

A few times i have given Luv a partial bath withsome baby shampoo to clean her bottom. but onlywhen i really have to.

Cristy