I think my baby bunnies are STRESSED.

[CookieNCream]

I have COOKIE and CREAM. ([ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=MqFWwaSj8ZA]http://youtube.com/watch?v=MqFWwaSj8ZA[/ame])

I don't know their gender ortheir age. ;(

I posted some questions on Yahoo! Answers, but so many people have different answers that it seems unprofessional.

So, here I am! :bunnydance:

Our bunnies absolutely LOVE food- they eat, poop, and repeat. And when I came downstairs today, they were standing on their hind legs (like I taught them the day before), asking for food.

See, my mom got these bunnies from this farm(?) and the person who sold them had given us a big cup of food. They finished this yesterday, so I opened the new bag we had bought from Petsmart. They look exactly the same and from a human's nose they smell the same, too. But the bunnies smelled it and wouldn't eat it! They are only biting my hand. I got one of them to eat one (and with much difficulty), but he wouldn't eat anymore.

I think I should have mixed the two foods together, but that didn't really strike me that time.

When I offered one, one of them pushed away my hand with his head and the other keeps on biting me as to see if I'm edible.

Help! I don't know the brand of the old food.

 

[naturestee]

Can you get in contact with the farm and ask what brand they feed their rabbits? It was most likely something from a feed store like Purina, Heinhold, Blue Seal,etc. Even though they look the same to us, different brands of pellets can really smell and taste different to a rabbit.And yes, you'll need to mix the old food with the new stuff so they can get used to it slowly.

 

[CookieNCream]

The thing is, the farm is really far away. my mom had gone to take care of something else and had seen cookie and cream.

is there any other way to get them used to the food? im really worried.

 

[naturestee]

Do you have a phone number you can call? Or look up the name in a phone book.

Also, are you giving them hay? They might eat they hay even if they're picky about the pellets.

 

[CookieNCream]

nope. no name.

i haven't got them hay yet. i'm planning to get them from petsmart tommorow.

i want to take them with me to check their gender/age and ask about spaying/neutering (and is this necessary?); how do i take them?Cookie's okay with my holding her(him?) but Cream always runs away.

Thanks!

 

[IM4Swine]

Do you have any kind of a small cage you could put them in to take them? If not, a cardboard box should work fine (just make sure that they can get plenty of air).

If they are both bucks, I would recommend getting them neutered because full-grown unneutered bucks will fight.If they are both does, it probably would not matter,but some of my does are a little bit mean (to me) at times, and I have heard that spayed does are not that way. If one is a buck, one is a doe, you should spay/neuter one orboth unless you want lots more rabbits.

 

[Spring]

Hi! Welcome to the forum.

They are both adorable! What sweet hearts. I love their names also. Great job on the video.

Isuggest figuring out their gender soon. You know what happens if it turns out one is a male and one isa female!

Is it possible to get the hay today? If they are not eating the pellets, they need to eat something to keep their digestive tract moving. You can feed them alfalfa hay since they are babies and need protein and calories to grow .

I would be hesitant to get their genders checked at a pet store. Sometimes pet stores can make a mistake and tell you the wrong gender because they are not familiar with rabbits.

Do you have any vets in your area that deal with rabbits and are rabbit experienced? This would be abetter option because they could tell you for sure if they are male or female.

Generally spaying and neutering is recommended in pairs because as they get to the teenage stage and become hormonal, they can start to fight.

 

[naturestee]

Is this one of the Petsmarts with a vet clinic inside? If so, they might be able to check the gender as long as the vet is good with rabbits. Many vets aren't so you'll need to ask some questions. You can also see if anyone here knows of a good rabbit vet in your area by checking out our Rabbit Savvy Vet Listings:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=9

If there's not a vet there, I doubt the Petsmart employees can help. Personally I wouldn't trust a pet store employee for any sort of advice at all as they usually don't know much and often give out incorrect advice.

I highly recommend spay/neuter. Many rabbits, even girl pairs, will start to fight during puberty and spaying will help that. If you ended up with a boy and a girl you'll need to keep them in separate cages until they're both spayed/neutered as they can start breeding at 3 months of age, sometimes earlier.

And I'd definately recommend getting hay today. Rabbits cannot go for long without food as their intestines start to shutdown. They need something that they will eat.

 

[NZminilops]

It would be a good idea to really find out what they were eating before, some rabbits will just eat the new food once they are hungry enough but others are stuborn and will practically starve themselves rather than eat the new stuff.

I had to change the food mine were eating recently as the kind I normally buy just seemed to disapear off the shelves everywhere, I just couldn't find it no matter where I looked. They didn't like a new food much and stuck their noses up at it, they just ate hay for a few days(as well as their usual vegies). They eventually started to eat the new food and now like it more than the last! Silly bunnies :rollseyes

 

[CookieNCream]

thanks for those who replied!

they did end up eating some of the food- i think they were really hungry. they also bit off pieces from this little twig and drank lots of water.

the thing is, today i took them out to my parents' workplace (an education center). on the way there they seemed freaked out by the car's movements, and after they got there few kids were in the room with them to pat them when they got near.

i think cookie&cream are kind of stressed right now, so i'm leaving them be. i'm guessing i should give them some mini carrots...

as for the pet store thing, i don't know if they have a vet just yet. they probably do. i don't know any vets...

my mom is already stressed about the bunnies. she bought them for ten dollars each, but the cage was $130 (i paid for it), and with the food and all that...:shock:

any other suggestions/advices will be greatly appreciated! and does anyone know what breed they are? thanks!

 

[Spring]

That's great that they are eating! Always a good sign! Maybe just leave them for a day or two to have them settle down a bit?

I wouldn't give them carrots.They are too young to be having vegetables, and it can give them diarrhea. I wouldn't suggestgiving themvegetables atleast fora few weeks.

I would just recommend going through the resource centre and checking everything out! There's lots of fun stuff to learn about rabbits!

If you have any questions,always feelfree to ask.

 

[Haley]

Thats great that theyre eating! Make sure you get them some hay asap. Bunnies need unlimited hay all the time to keep their digestive tracts moving. Also, be careful with giving them any veggies and/or fruits. I would actually hold off for a while and just stick with pellets and hay and water. Let them get adjusted.

They are adorable though! As everyone else suggested, you will want to get them to a vet as soon as you can to be sure hat sex they are. Dont want baby bunnies!!

And youre right about keeping things quiet for them. Being a prey animal, bunnies are frightened very easily. Remember they are in a new place and need some time to settle in and get to know you (and trust you).

Im not sure about their breed, maybe post something in the rabbitry section and someone will have an answer for you.

Oh, and welcome!

-Haley

 

[CookieNCream]

It's our fourth day together. Cream is still a bit wary while Cookie is a bit more open.

Today I took them to my parents' workplace (an education center). The yhad a room by themselves to play around in, but for like five minutes at 3:00 and for about ten minutes at 4:30 ish they had about six kidsin the room with them. I told the kids that they should not try and chase the bunnies, but should sit down or lie down and wait for the bunnies to come near before patting them.

Anyhow, I think Cookie and Cream are quite stressed out, especially from being in the car. They won't eat (it's new food which they are not used to, and I had succeded in making them eat a bit, but now they won't eat at all), and Cream, who is always jumpy and alert, didn't budge from the cardboard box when I was trying to get him back into his cage. I even pushed him gently a little (which I was never able to do before), and no signal. I had to grab him (struggled a little) and put him in.

They are not so active right now, and I'm worried about them being too stressed out. We're going to take them to the pet store tommorow to get hay and stuff.

Can baby bunnies DIE from stress? I'm guessing so...but in that case,what can I do to relive that stress? I haven't touched them since we got home.



Thanks!

 

[CookieNCream]

well, they are not eating anymore, and i think that's because of stress more than being full. please see my other thread (i think its in the forum about health)! thanks!

 

[Spring]

For the night, I would just leave them alone.Don't try to pet them or pick them up until tomorrow. You can't really do anything to help calm them down. Just leave them on their own in their cage and make heir environment as calm as possible.

Please don't take them to the pet store tomorrow. It would be best if they didn't have the added stress. You have to remember that they are still new and need time to adjust.

Rabbits can die from stress. It can also bring on illnesses because their immune system becomes weaker.

They'll be fine though. They just need time to calm down. Just make sure they are eating enough and drinking.

 

[Haley]

Also, do you see poops in their cage? You definitely want to be sure they are pooping. Baby bunnies have very touchy digestive systems. Just put some water and pellets in there for now, hay tomorrow.

Springs advice was great. Just let them relax and calm down. Make sure the room is quiet where they are, maybe put something over the cage so they can hide and feel safe.

And you were right what you said about letting them come to you in the future. Let them adjust, settle in, and trust you. I wouldnt take them anywhere in the next few weeks (except maybe the vet to be sexed).

Keep us posted!

 

[NZminilops]

They sound stressed to me as well, it's too much too soon for them at that young age.

They don't look very old, about 6 weeks maybe, and that's a very delicate age for a rabbit. Children can very easily break a rabbits back so I'd keep them away from young people. Did you leave them alone with the kids? They might have scared them pretty badly (hopefully not though ).

I wouldn't be removing them from home for a while, they need time to settle down and get used to you and your house first. I don't know about all rabbits, but I'm pretty sure they wont like being taken everywhere as they like to feel safe and close to home in case danger arises. I wouldn't even try to pat them for at least half a day, they may start to think hands mean grabbing and picking up. Believe me I'm still having this issue with my 9 month old rabbit! He hates hands.

Also do you have a little hidey hole or cardboard box for them in their cage? Just somewhere for them to chill when they feel a bit scared .I only saw an empty cage in your video.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Michelle:brownbunny

 

[Mikoli]

Yes, rabbits can die from stress, as can pretty much any other prey animal.

Leave them in their cage, and let them relax by themselves. Make sure that they are cool, have plenty of water and food, and are passing poo.

Are they together, or do they live apart? If they do not live together,you might want to give them a stuffed toy to snuggle up to, to keep them company.

Would you be able to build a ramp onto their cage, so that the bunnies can hop in and out by themselves? If you can, open their cage, and let them come out on their own. If they are scared, don't try to force them to come out, but let them stay there.

Once they have settled in a bit, start interacting with them for short periods of time. Just open their cage and pat them a bit, so they start getting used to you.

Once they have settled in more, then you can try to take them in to the vet, just for an initial checkup.

The advice you were given from Spring and Haley was great. Just let them relax until they've settled in a bit more, then you can think about road trips when they're a little older.

Rachel.

 

[CookieNCream]

Thanks for all the replies!

Okay, so I won't touch them today and I will not take them to the petstore tommorow. My brother (Cream belongs to him) and I will go alone to buy hay (Timothy Hay? Suggestions/Advices please!) and a wooden chew toy.

I already have a big wood in their cage (I put it there AFTER I shot the video) and some smaller wooden blocks (cut by my dad with a saw). I also put in an empty paper towel roll (recommended by Yahoo! Answers people) and some twigs which Cream LOVES.

Suggestions needed! Thank you so much!

 

[NZminilops]

Sounds great!

At that age alfalfa hay would be best, then switch to timothy when they are a bit older (about 6 months). Alfalfa is a bit more fattening and good for growing babies.

I just made a tunnel for two of my rabbits from plywood today, they love it! They keep hiding in it and peeping out the ends .

I think you are doing a great job learning about your rabbits, it's so nice to see :bunnydance:.