My Bunnies are driving me mad!

[Aby]

Hi all!

I have 3 rabbits. Molly - a spayed doe. Thumper - an unnuteured male and Barnaby - a neutered male.

We saved Barnaby 2 days ago as he was going to be put down due to teeth problems. (Every 3 months we have to pay £130 to get his back molars trimmed as they grow weird. The original owner didn't want to pay this.

Upon bringing him home, Thumper will NOT stop being an absolute nut case. He has completely gone off his hay and spends all day running around the cage, chewing at the bars trying to get to Barnaby. They are in separate cages next to one another as we hope to neutered Thumper and bond the rabbits but can't yet due to money constraints.

We have tried moving Barnaby from the room completely and Thumper still wants out and won't eat his hay.

Barnaby won't eat his hay either. What do I do? As hay is so important, I don't want to deal with two rabbits with G.I. problems at the same time because they're both being absurd.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Aby]

Thanks to nobody for the help. :s

 

[squidpop]

Can you find a park or someplace with tall fresh grass and cut grass for them instead of hay. I have this big park with a walk about 3 miles along a river and theres always long grass on the bank so easy for me to cut grass with sharp knife.
Grass is like sandpaper if you feel it and like hay it will also wear down teeth.

If that doesn't work. I have a rabbit that isn't eating enough hay and grass right now so I've been grinding hay and grass in a coffee grinder, blender didn't work. Its a pain in the ass though, but his poo looks perfect since I started doing it.

 

[squidpop]

Theres also a product called Fibafirst- that might be a feed that help bunnies that don't like hay get more fibre.
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?384128-Got-my-Fibafirst-sample!

 

[JBun]

I'm sorry, but being snarky isn't going to encourage people to want to help you. And I don't know how accustomed you are to forums, but getting answers to your questions is going to depend on whether someone comes on that knows how to answer your question and has the time to do it. People do have normal lives and other things to do besides sitting on a rabbit forum all day answering peoples questions. It can sometimes take several hours to days before your question can get answered, and even then sometimes it will get overlooked and you may need to bump it up after a couple days. But you really do need to be patient and polite, as you are asking total strangers to take time out of their busy day to do you a favor and reply to the question that you have asked. And being rude in any way isn't going to help your cause. If your question is urgent and you need immediate answers, then you will need to either do your own research to find those answers, or if a medical issue, take your rabbit to a vet to get the needed help.

Now to your question. You may be able to minimize their upset at the presence of another rabbit, by putting their cages as far away as possible from each other, like other ends of your home. Then wash in between handling the other bun. You may even need to change clothes to get the other rabbits scent off of you completely. You can try their usual treats and veggies to entice them to eat. And if they are eating pellets then they should start eating their hay once they settle down.

Your unneutered boy bun will likely settle down and eat once he's not so upset about his territory being invaded. But your new bun is a bigger worry as he will be less inclined to eat if he is upset and stressed being in a new home. Best thing if he is skittish, is to put him in a quite room where he won't be disturbed much. You may even need to cover his cage with a sheet to help him feel a bit safer. If your new bun isn't used to hay then he may not eat it, and it will be something you will need to work on to get him eating eventually. He should be getting his usual foods that he had from his previous home. Having his usual foods will make it easier to keep him eating as well as not cause digestive upset by suddenly changing foods. Then once he's settled in you can start switching foods if you need to. And monitor eating, drinking, and pooping closely. If it's been more than 12-24 hours since either bun ate anything, then you need to contact your vet.

Jbun
Health and Wellness Moderator