Rabbit Hero
Well-Known Member
I decided to start this blog now because I've had a bad day with the bunnies, and later on I would like to be able to record the good times that I've had with them to.
I got Shino just over three years ago. Aside from a small case of pasteurella he has been a very healthy and happy rabbit. Last October I got Riza in order to bond him. This is when I started having bad bunny moments.
Of course I went through some trials bonding them. That wasn't the hard part. First I found Riza to be urinating on herself. I bather her to prevent urine scald, switched litters, trimmed her fur and that stopped. But then the hard part came when I started to be over indulgent with them and Riza became fat.
So Riza becomes fat, and I don't notice until I start finding large and very messy cecal droppings in their pen. I clean it up and I check out both bunnies and find Riza to be the culprit, she had fecal matter smeared all around her bottom and what appeared to be freshly matter fur under her tail. I cleaned her up, to much protesting from Riza, and started inquiring about her health.
I read a post somewhere that said Someone knew of a bunny too fat to reach it's bum to eat it's cecals, therefor causing large messes. Lo and Behold I look to Riza and she is struggling to reach herself. So forget eating her cecals let alone cleaning herself.
So I put Riza and consequently Shino on a diet, I start buying different hays to encourage them to eat more of that, and I spend more time getting Riza to be active, and She had to be given a bath every few days. It takes a log time before the messy poops start to subside.
It's been a few months and the poops have decreased greatly. They haven't stopped altogether but it's been getting easier and my bond with Riza has finally started to form.
I was so happy! Just like Shino she came bounding to me when I came home from work or got up in the morning. She was finally allowing me to pet her and started giving my ankles little nudges when she wanted attention. We even started training, I finally got her to lift her front paws off the floor for treats.
I always dread nail clipping. neither of them trance (or I just suck at it) and I live alone now so it's a difficult day when it needs to be done. Shino always recovers quickly and becomes my friend again in no time. But not Riza, she has to build her trust up again every single time.
I had put it off for far to long this time. I could see how long the nails where. Finally today I resigned myself to do it. I did Shino first, he put up a fight but I got him done and he readily accepted my peace offering.
Time for Riza.
I lay her on her back and what do I see? Matted fur, clogged scent glands, and poop. My heart broke at the sight f it. She had been doing so well I had neglected to check her bottom.
Not only had I let her nails get too long, but I had neglected her in a way that made me feel like I was the terrible people who dropped her off at the humane society covered in filth.
I bather her immediately which shattered any vestige of a bond I had managed to form with her. It took ages to trim away the matted fur. It felt like it took an hour just trying to gently clean her scent glands. I had to get fresh water several times before her fur rinsed clean enough for me to be satisfied. She was an angle for most of it. I apologized the entire time, and I had to stop from crying. She kept pressing herself against my arm and looking up in my face. I felt like I was just adding the final touches to her torture.
I still feel the urge to whisk her back to the bathroom sink and do another cleaning. Thankfully there doesn't appear to be any Urine scald but all the same, I want her to be as lovely clean as Shino always is.
She's all dried up and back in her pen, So I offered her her favorite pellet and of course she wouldn't take it from me. I'm giving her her space for now but I still feel like a monster. Thankfully she isn't hiding, I just watched her do a good run around the living room and now she's taking a nap in front of a small fan I use to keep them cool.
Today I feel like a terrible parent. Tomorrow I wont forget to check her bum.
I got Shino just over three years ago. Aside from a small case of pasteurella he has been a very healthy and happy rabbit. Last October I got Riza in order to bond him. This is when I started having bad bunny moments.
Of course I went through some trials bonding them. That wasn't the hard part. First I found Riza to be urinating on herself. I bather her to prevent urine scald, switched litters, trimmed her fur and that stopped. But then the hard part came when I started to be over indulgent with them and Riza became fat.
So Riza becomes fat, and I don't notice until I start finding large and very messy cecal droppings in their pen. I clean it up and I check out both bunnies and find Riza to be the culprit, she had fecal matter smeared all around her bottom and what appeared to be freshly matter fur under her tail. I cleaned her up, to much protesting from Riza, and started inquiring about her health.
I read a post somewhere that said Someone knew of a bunny too fat to reach it's bum to eat it's cecals, therefor causing large messes. Lo and Behold I look to Riza and she is struggling to reach herself. So forget eating her cecals let alone cleaning herself.
So I put Riza and consequently Shino on a diet, I start buying different hays to encourage them to eat more of that, and I spend more time getting Riza to be active, and She had to be given a bath every few days. It takes a log time before the messy poops start to subside.
It's been a few months and the poops have decreased greatly. They haven't stopped altogether but it's been getting easier and my bond with Riza has finally started to form.
I was so happy! Just like Shino she came bounding to me when I came home from work or got up in the morning. She was finally allowing me to pet her and started giving my ankles little nudges when she wanted attention. We even started training, I finally got her to lift her front paws off the floor for treats.
I always dread nail clipping. neither of them trance (or I just suck at it) and I live alone now so it's a difficult day when it needs to be done. Shino always recovers quickly and becomes my friend again in no time. But not Riza, she has to build her trust up again every single time.
I had put it off for far to long this time. I could see how long the nails where. Finally today I resigned myself to do it. I did Shino first, he put up a fight but I got him done and he readily accepted my peace offering.
Time for Riza.
I lay her on her back and what do I see? Matted fur, clogged scent glands, and poop. My heart broke at the sight f it. She had been doing so well I had neglected to check her bottom.
Not only had I let her nails get too long, but I had neglected her in a way that made me feel like I was the terrible people who dropped her off at the humane society covered in filth.
I bather her immediately which shattered any vestige of a bond I had managed to form with her. It took ages to trim away the matted fur. It felt like it took an hour just trying to gently clean her scent glands. I had to get fresh water several times before her fur rinsed clean enough for me to be satisfied. She was an angle for most of it. I apologized the entire time, and I had to stop from crying. She kept pressing herself against my arm and looking up in my face. I felt like I was just adding the final touches to her torture.
I still feel the urge to whisk her back to the bathroom sink and do another cleaning. Thankfully there doesn't appear to be any Urine scald but all the same, I want her to be as lovely clean as Shino always is.
She's all dried up and back in her pen, So I offered her her favorite pellet and of course she wouldn't take it from me. I'm giving her her space for now but I still feel like a monster. Thankfully she isn't hiding, I just watched her do a good run around the living room and now she's taking a nap in front of a small fan I use to keep them cool.
Today I feel like a terrible parent. Tomorrow I wont forget to check her bum.
