Is something wrong with my bunny?? Help me diagnose

[dhaval0603]

I bought a pair of bunnies yesterday, 1 month old..
one of d bunnies is very active nd keeps hopping throughout my house.. but d oder one seems very lazy.. its always sitting in its cage, as if its sleeping.. even wen i take it out for exercise, it moves only a little, slowly, and den rests in one place.. I fear if it is hurt.. sometimes its hop is a lil weird (i m attaching a video of my bunny during the weird slow hop..)
Vid : https://www.dropbox.com/s/kd770vzex7v5phw/MOV_1130.mp4
But sometimes it hops around properly, although for a small period or a small trip around my room..
It is eating.. It is pooping nd peeing.. So i doubt if ders ny problem with its tummy..
My petstore person was feeding green leafy veggies and sometimes carrots.. I m feeding it with d same veggies to avoid changing its diet suddenly..

Is there any indication of a problem??

Sorry i m new to d bunny world, these are my first bunnies.. i ve been researching about bunnycare but practical xperience is Such a Must!!

 

[isabelwhatx]

Welcome to the world of bunnies! First off, a month old is really too young to be weaned off of a mother. Because of that, your buns are going to be extra delicate and you have to be very vigilant in your care for them. With buns that young, you should NOT be feeding them vegetables. Their GI track is far too underdeveloped to handle that, and it can be fatal. In fact, because they were weaned so early they are more prone to GI track problems, so this is really, really important. The only thing rabbits that young should be fed is unlimited alfalfa and unlimited pellets (and ONLY pellets, not the kind with extra treats in them). They should be ingesting nothing else except water.

It looks like your rabbit might have a bit of a limp. His hind legs might be underdeveloped. I would suggest scheduling a vet appointment for both to make sure they're in good health.

 

[dhaval0603]

Thankyou!!

d pet store guy told me dey r 1mnth 2weeks nd r safe to be taken home.. :nerves1
I will take extra care of my bunny.. i feel sorry already..
About d food, yes i ve bought hay today, nd will b heading out to buy pellets 2mrw morning..
(PS : I stay in India, and my local petstore doesnt hav rabbit pellets, i will hav to travel to a bigger pet market)
I will start introducing d hay into its diet..

Also, in the meanwhile, while i m hunting for a good Vet who is experienced wid rabbits, i ll monitor it for a couple of days with the new diet nd see if it solves the problem..

 

[SteviesMom]

In the video, it looks like your rabbit may have a broken or slight splayed (genetic deformity) back leg. I would definitely take them to a vet just to get them checked over.

Good for you for coming here to learn! I'm not sure if you should switch their diet so quickly? Maybe someone else will comment on this? Bunnies this young should not be eating veggies but a quick switch could cause more stress and harm. Are their poops solid? The bunny in the video looks to have dirty paws, is the dirt or feces?

 

[dhaval0603]

its feces..
yes d poops r solid.. dey r xactly similar to d other bunny who is very active, having d same diet, he runs very quick as well..

 

[Zekapa]

Um.. to me he looks completely malnourished, he's very skinny, is this normal in such young rabbits? And if his feces stick to his paws, then the stool isn't ok, it's probably mushy or soft which is definitely not good, right?
I always say that I'm a beginner when it comes to rabbits so maybe I'm wrong but to me it just seems illogical that the feces would stick to the fur if it's a normal dropping...

 

[hannaroo]

Your bunnies need to see a vet asap in the morning. They are too young to leave their mother and you need to seek advice from a rabbit specialied vet about what to do next with regard to their diet. Please do not wait, rabbits this young deteriorate quite quickly.

 

[JBun]

Part of the oddity in it's hopping, may have to do with the slippery floor. Some rabbits aren't as comfortable hopping on slippery surfaces. Having a rug or non slip surface under it should help it. There could also be some sort of genetic deformity, or it could be from malnutrition, but it's hard to tell for sure.

I agree that your bunny looks very malnourished and skinny. Vegetables don't have all the necessary nutrients for rabbits, especially growning bunnies that need lots of protein. If it has been on a vegetable only diet, that would explain the malnourishment and mushy poop sticking to its feet. They can have normal fecal pellets, but the cecotropes can be coming out mushy, so that's why you may be seeing normal fecal poop, but still having mushy poop stuck to their feet. It's called cecal dysbiosis. Your bunny needs a good quality grass hay right now. One that is weed free and no mold(never been wet or rained on). I don't know what you are going to have available to you, but a good quality horse hay, that is a grass hay, can usually be used for rabbits. New foods need to be introduced slowly with rabbits, but grass hay(dried not fresh) can usually be given right away without it causing digestive upset. Once you find a good grass hay, I would suggest stopping the vegetables for now, and feeding unlimited grass hay. When you find some pellets for your bunnies, those do need to be gradually introduced, starting with a very small amount and slowly increasing each day, if you aren't seeing mushy poop, or small irregular poop. You can also start introducing some alfalfa hay if you have it available to you, but this type of hay has to be gradually introduced into the diet, or it can sometimes cause digestive upset. Start with a very small amount and gradually increase if there are no signs of digestive upset. You won't need alfalfa hay if you are able to find alfalfa based pellets, but you do need one or the other, as grass hay doesn't have enough protein for growing rabbits. Feeding alfalfa hay and alfalfa based pellets, is usually too rich of a diet for bunnies. They usually do better on alfalfa based pellets, along with grass hay.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/drop/Drp_en.htm
http://www.sawneeanimalclinic.com/downloads/chronic_intermittent_diarrhea_in_rabbits.pdf

 

[majorv]

So, they're 6 weeks old then. Agree with Jenny that the bunny in the video is underweight and a veggie diet isn't the best thing for them right now. I think also that part of the problem with the way he's hopping is because of the slippery floor. He may also have a slight deformity but I don't think it's broken or he wouldn't be using it. He needs hay and pellets, but you just need to go slow with introducing the pellets.

 

[Zeroshero]

He looks unsure to me, my bun isn't the picture of good health so I am not sure if its gait is normal or not but there are times he doesn't hop at all he will walk like a little dog.

 

[RabbitGirl101]

The reason he could be walking weird is one of two reasons. He is still young and has a lot of development to do. A rabbit should be weaned at 6-7weeks and isnt ready for its new home until it is 8 weeks old. I raise rabbits and I know my young ones sometimes walk weird at first because they have to develop still. The second thing is the flooring. The floor you have the rabbit on is slippery, and that will cause the foot to bow unnaturally, try putting him on a carepeted surface and let him run around, if he is still walking unnormally take him to the vet. He doesnt look underweight to me, however he is too young for veggies and shouldnt be fed anything but hay and pellets until he is 6 months old. Make sure you get a good quality pellet not a pellet from a pet store, because he is a baby you can feed him unlimited pellets until 6 months of age the limit his pellet intake(general rule of thumg one ounce per pound of rabbit) Weaning a rabbit too young, a quick change in diet, and many other things can affect the type of poop your rabbit has. At this age, for growing purposes and keeping him healthy, you can feed alfalfa hay this is good for growing bunnies but make sure to transition him once he reaches 6 months old. You really need to watch for diarrhea at this age it could be fatal. At this age veggies can end up killing your rabbit, you need to get it on pelleted feed ASAP and as always you need hay to keep the digestive system moving.

To check if it underweight, you yourself will be the only one to be able to judge that. put your hand over the back the spine should be barely noticeable as you run your hand down the back. When you reach the ribs your hand should go in SLIGHTLY. if you run your hand over the rabbit and you feel no fat or "meat" on the bones and its just loose skin your rabbit is thin. If your rabbit balloons out then it is too fat. *this is a tip so you can make sure your rabbit is of good health*

unfortunately most pet shop rabbits comes from rabbit mills and they a lot of them have diseases make sure to keep and eye on your rabbit for anything out of the normal. I would recommend a trip to the vet just for a check up and make sure your little buns are in good health

Also because they are so young make sure to keep them together, and also make sure you check the gender you dont want to end up with a rabbit fight, or an unexpected litter!

 

[tonyshuman]

I think the gait is more than just the slippery floor. I can't say for sure what, but potentially deformity or a broken bone. I would have the bunny seen by a vet. It doesn't sound like it is in a lot of pain, because then he'd be sitting with eyes half closed and maybe grinding his teeth, and he's eating and drinking fine it sounds. A painful bunny won't eat much. The feces also worry me. Most rabbit poos don't stick to fur. These things combined with a general poor body condition make me think they should be seen by a vet soon.

 

[squidpop]

Sometimes rabbits are born with what they call pinched hindquarters (sometimes called cow hocked) which means the feet go out sideways when the rabbit hops- instead they should be parallel to the body. Sometimes a bunny has it worse when its young and it corrects itself a bit as they get older. Here's a link to an example http://s4.zetaboards.com/Rabbit_Addict/topic/8891975/1/ Best thing for your bunny is hay and good pellets- a teaspoon of rolled oats would be good for him too and add some protein to his diet. If you can find a rabbitry or reputable breeder of rabbits in your area you should contact them and ask them what the best pellets are because Some pellet brands you buy in the pet store are really bad, its important to find a good brand of pellet.

 

[existenziell]

The rabbit looks okay to me. I think he/she might be walking weird because of the flooring. Also, the weight looks normal to me for that age. If you are looking for a good food to give the young bunny, Oxbow makes really good pellets. Get the Young Rabbit Oxbow pellets. Also, yes, unlimited alfafa hay.

One of my rabbits was 6 weeks when I got her. She didn't have any issues and she has turned out to be the best rabbit. Just make sure to give your bun lots of attention, be really gentle with it, and give it only pellets and alfafa hay (like other people have said). Also, what kind of cage are you using? If you're using one that has a wire bottom, you need to get a different cage immediately. Since your rabbit is still growing, wire cages can be detrimental to growth and cause deformities. The best thing to use is a cage with a plastic bottom that is lined with bedding (like Carefresh bedding). No wood shavings.

 

[cookiebun]

Thankyou!!

d pet store guy told me dey r 1mnth 2weeks nd r safe to be taken home.. :nerves1

Never, ever believe what the people at the pet store say. They are out to sell you something, not provide excellent care for their merchandise which is just what your little bunny is to them.
Hope you can find some good food and care for your cute little rabbit.
:anotherbun