in desperate need of help !!!!

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butsy

butsy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2010
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shediac, New Brunswick, Canada
so i just read a thread saying it is important to clean glands for the rabbits health and comfort. butsy is 1 year old, and i have never done it. she hates being handled so i considered bringing her to the vet to get it done but after the nail incident i dont feel comfortable doing that since there are no rabbit savy vets around here at all.... i went on youtube to find out how to flip a bun. she absolutely HATED IT, i feel sooooooo bad. i flipped her after struggling, she stayed put for like 5 seconds then freaked, i had to let her go .. she was so scarred, she peed all over me. i feel horrible, and dont want to put her threw that again.. what should i do??? , im despered for help.... its vital i learn how to do this because i have to start cutting her nails myself now. PLEASE HELPP !! ps- she is pretty fat so its veryyy hard to flip her...
 
bunny burrito! wrap her up in a towel, give her lots of kisses from the front end and slowly roll her over while rubbing her head. then you can just open the towel up from the bottom and yeah have access to her bits.

to be honest i can't trance my bunnies or fingernail clip them or ANYTHING without my boyfriend helping, so maybe get a friend to help you?

 
after she is flipped will she automatically be in a trance ? if not how do i open the towel without her escaping ?? i wont try it tonight cuz i dont want her to be traumatized, plus mom is taking a nap lol.
thanks so muchh for the great idea!
 
butsy wrote:
after she is flipped will she automatically be in a trance ? if not how do i open the towel without her escaping ?? i wont try it tonight cuz i dont want her to be traumatized, plus mom is taking a nap lol.
thanks so muchh for the great idea!
Click to expand...
im not too sure to be honest... i think you just have to flip them completely and get them in a state of relaxation. sometimes my buns will snap out of the trance after a few minutes but yeah, just do it slowly, give rubs as its going along and i think i read on here someone feed their baby treats as its happening to make the transition easier.

 
My girl doesn't like to be held too ! I can't clean her glands and clip her nails without my hubby's help. Our vet suggested us to clean glands once a week or once in 2 weeks. She jut got spayed for about 3 week ago, since then we still didn't do any cleaning :( She totally hates being picked up now. I guess it's a side effect from taking her to clinic for spaying. Just hope she will be ok with it soon :).
 
When you are trancing it helps to have their head slightly lower than the rest of their body...slightly.

I have several rabbits who don't like to be tranced...
I like to tell people that trancing is def a necessary evil...

If you have an injured or sick bunn and have to manipulate them to treat them or change bandages, to check them over or just to trim nails or clean glands...knowing how to trance willsave you time, money and more than a little frustration!

One thing I noticed...our absolutely worst rabbit to trance...the one that makes me the craziest...trances like a champ when we go to the vet!:grumpy:
The vet does nothing different...just our Nafty doesn't know the vet and as such is on his best behavior! With us he knows if he kicks enough we aren't going to eat him and he MIGHT just make it free!:grumpy: Rabbits are pros when it comes to learned behavior!

While rabbits don't like to be handled...you have to find a middle ground where both you and the rabbit are able to work together! :biggrin:Our Nafty still kicks and tries to bite fingers and our Peppy kicks like a mule when she is on her back...but they are in the "grooming" position and will stay there till released...we may not have won the battle...but sometimes a draw works just as well! :biggrin:

Try to make it a positive experience too...when you pick them up...give them a small treat...we use craisins...and before you release them give them an ear scritch and another craisin...try to end on a positive note.
Rabbits are piggies...so use it to your advantage! :)
 
When I clean ours, I set them on my lap with their feet on my legs and hold them upright around the middle. Then I reach down with my other hand to check both sides of their vent and clean them using my fingers. This method works for us. I sometimes check and clean them when doing nails too, and it's a lot easier as someone else is hold them in the same fashion as I already described.
 
Just a small helpful tip.........Whenever you have to handle any bun for anything please remember to do so near ground or floor level. I read too many horror stories where buns struggled enough that the person holding them just let them go. The outcome was broken backs, legs, need I say more.

I always hold my bun with one hand under her bottom and the other under her chest and then gently bring her to your chest. My wife will then do the clipping.

I had to let my bun go on my first timeduring one of her struggles and I safely released her at floor level. She hopped away in a normal fashion.
 
You don't need to do it unless the scent glands are impacted.

I have had Pippin's scent glands cleaned once, and Benji's never. I check them, of course, just in case, but lots of bunnies never need it done.

If the scent glands don't look swollen or impacted then I wouldn't put Butsy through the stress if he's not a very cuddly or relaxed bun when it comes to handling.

If you really need to then I would definately get a friend to hold him and you to do the cleaning- they are so sensitive down there I would want to be as careful as possible and have him struggling as little as possible.
Warm some cotton wool balls or something equally soft (Q tips I have heard of but I don't know what these are?) and gently wet the black 'beans' in each scent gland and take your time gently warming them and very carefully separating them from the skin, because they will likely be dried stuck to the skin, which is very sensitive. Keep easing it off with warm water and gently sort of, put slight pressure around the side and ease it out.


With trancing I don't fully trust it. Because they can 'snap' out of it and leap out of it which can be quite dangerous if you are clipping nails etc. so I have formed a way that is perfect for me and my buns.
I sit with my legs straight and apart, and sit bunny between my legs as close to me as possible, facing in the same direction as me. Then I lean forward so my chest is against their back and put one of my hands around their front paws and try and get as good a grip as possible around their back to. Then I pick up their front and just pivot them to leaning back on me so their belly is exposed (up against me), they are sitting on their bum, and i have firm hold of their whole top half. Then their legs and claws are completely accessible and they just can't jerk away. If they try and jerk they just don't move far. So I can quickly snip their claws. It's SO quick and SO easy and I know they can't suddenly leap away and risk getting cut or catching my skin with their claws etc. And this way it literally takes one second per clip- so about 20 seconds.

Hope this helps :D

Jen
 
yes i have heard of rabbits breaking their backs struggling, wich is why i am so scarred... and i dont know how to tell if i need to clean them or not since i cant keep her still to look at themm .. im scared i will have to put her down to get the job done, but it cant be to healthy to do so and not so healthy for my wallet these days either... im worried ! i want the best for her but im struggling here !
 
Put her down as in, put her under anasthetic you mean? No for sure. The risks with being put under general are just too great for purely checking scent glands, imho. Like I said, most rabbits go their whole lives without needing them cleaned.

Yes, some rabbits when not supported properly (or in just some very unlucky, rare situations :( ) can kick so hard with such force they can break their own back. My friend's rabbit was having her nails clipped at the vets and was struggling so much she broke her back and they had to put her down there and then. So very very sad. So I would always make sure to support the back legs very securely. And if your rabbit is struggling and struggling do not keep a hold of them (unless it's outside or something) because they can do themselves damage. Let them hop away, have a calm down, and then you can try again.

Jen
 
random and prolly stupid question, but when you have a speutered bun, do they still need to be checked?? i checked before Dante was neutered, but i thought that they kinda became inactive after the fixing (the whole non spraying the walls anymore thing and all made me think that).
 
Bunns still mark territory...speutering just takes care of the hormones and the hormonal drivesinvolved.

I would not wait to deal with a bunns glands until it has an impaction or infection caused by the build up...it is a very sensitive area and waititng until the area is swollen is just causing the bunn unnecessary discomfort for a quick cleaning that takes seconds once you have done it a couple times and now what you are looking for!

Look at it like trimming nails...I used to freak and worry about cutting the quick...11 bunns and7 years later...I can do everyones nails in about 15 minutes!;)

Time, patience and practice.
 
Runestonez wrote:
I would not wait to deal with a bunns glands until it has an impaction or infection caused by the build up...it is a very sensitive area and waititng until the area is swollen is just causing the bunn unnecessary discomfort for a quick cleaning that takes seconds once you have done it a couple times and now what you are looking for!
Click to expand...
So how often to rabbit's need them cleaned? I was under the impression that some rabbits just never need them done. I check mine all the time and I can barely ever see any 'black stuff' lol sory I don't know the name for the life of me, except one when I got Pippin's cleaned, when I saw it on my routine checks.
If I can't see anything in their scent glands is it worth fiddling around there and the stress for them to try and clean something that's not there? Or IS it there but I just can't see it?

Jen
 
So how often to rabbit's need them cleaned? I was under the impression that some rabbits just never need them done. I check mine all the time and I can barely ever see any 'black stuff' lol sory I don't know the name for the life of me, except one when I got Pippin's cleaned, when I saw it on my routine checks.
If I can't see anything in their scent glands is it worth fiddling around there and the stress for them to try and clean something that's not there? Or IS it there but I just can't see it?
Click to expand...
It is different with different bunns...some may need to be cleaned more often than others...after you do it a few times you get a better idea of how often it needs to be done!

Our boy Tucker needs to have his cleaned every other month...whereas Darwin is one and a half and has only had his cleaned once!

As long as you know where the glands are...and finding them is the hard part!...checking is a quick peek now and again to make sure they don't have to be cleaned! If you find gunk...clean it if not...no stress...lots of pets and move on!
It's all about being confident handling your bunn so it doesn't have to be stressful...for you or the bunn!:biggrin:
 
Ah okay that makes sense. I was just getting a bit concerned that my guys' hadn't been cleared for years lol!

I check their scent glands every few days. It's just such a sensitive area I try and fiddle and prod as little as possible, bless them. I guess my guys are just lucky with theirs I suppose. Which is definately a good thing! :)

Jen
 
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