Strange Behaviors

[kattrav]

*Mavie will act like she is chewing on something and she isn’t chewing on anything…she will do it for a long time too. It looks like she had gum in her mouth and she is chomping away on her gum! Why is she doing this and is it normal?[/b]

*How can I get her to not hate me when I have to give her medicine she hates, twice a day![/b]

*The Boy sometimes taps his paws on the ground really fast while he is grooming himself…it was so quick it almost looked like twitching of his paws that he couldn’t control. But he does it a lot. Is this normal?[/b]

*They both bite at the tile floor…they can’t get at it and it looks like they are hurting themselves…they just scrape their teeth on the floor…they have lots of chew toys but they seem to hate anything I buy specifically for them. [/b]

*The boy had pee that is like brick orange/red/brown, it looks nasty but the vet said it’s probably normal. Is it? Sometimes he will even spray it upward all over the wall? WHAT is he doing?[/b]

*They are both potty trained and usually don’t have accidents but at night time, the boy always poops all over their room…he doesn’t do it during the day. How do I fix this?[/b]

*I know this is weird, but they don’t ever do the bunny humpty dumpty..Aren’t they suppose to mount each other, is it normal if they don’t?[/b]

*I feel like they are always on edge and maybe not happy, what should I do to make them happy? Goose sometimes will binky, but Mavie hasn’t done it since before she got sick. Are they miserable?[/b]

[/b]Thanks

 

[Marietta]

Hallo and welcome.

There are a lot of different issues asked, some belong here and some to the infirmary, however, you'll find my answers in bold lettersin between your questions, for your easy reference:

kattrav wrote:

*Mavie will act like she is chewing on something and she isn’t chewing on anything…she will do it for a long time too. It looks like she had gum in her mouth and she is chomping away on her gum! Why is she doing this and is it normal?[/b]

What you describe may be a dental issue. I suggest that her vet takes a look at her teeth. Is she chewing okay? Do you ever notice her eating with difficulty, especially hay or greens?

*How can I get her to not hate me when I have to give her medicine she hates, twice a day![/b]

Why do you administer medicines to her? what kind of medicins? If you are talking about pills, some have a very bitter taste (e.g. Baytril) and the rabbits won't swallow, they'll spit them right off. A way of coping with this is to put the pill in a small piece of their favourite fruit or a tiny piece of bread. In this way, they'll swallow the whole piece and they won't feel the ugly taste of the medicin.

*The Boy sometimes taps his paws on the ground really fast while he is grooming himself…it was so quick it almost looked like twitching of his paws that he couldn’t control. But he does it a lot. Is this normal?[/b]

Thumping against the floor means that he is either scared of something or wants to attract attention. It is normal behaviour for buns (not only male ones).

*They both bite at the tile floor…they can’t get at it and it looks like they are hurting themselves…they just scrape their teeth on the floor…they have lots of chew toys but they seem to hate anything I buy specifically for them.

Chewing is also a natural behaviour. Some say that when rabbits bite at the walls or tiles, they lack minerals, but I have read nothing to validate this. Try to understand what category does they fall into in regard to toys. If your buns are chewers, try a carton box or a paper tube stuffed with hay, an old phone directory, pieces of paper to shread, toss and play with (be careful about not eating and swallowing quantities of paper, otherwise they may have GI problems).

[/b]

*The boy had pee that is like brick orange/red/brown, it looks nasty but the vet said it’s probably normal. Is it? Sometimes he will even spray it upward all over the wall? WHAT is he doing?[/b]

The urine color depends on the pigment of the greens consumed. It can vary and can have all the colors you mention, they are, indeed, normal. What is not normal is perfectly clear, colorless pee (kidney problems) or pee white and thick as chalk (UTI problems) or pee mixed with blood (urethra or uterus malignant tumors or UTI problems as well). As far as spraying is concerned, it is a dominant behaviour coming from male buns. I guess he's not spayed yet? If you spay him a lot of this behavioural issues will be resolved.

*They are both potty trained and usually don’t have accidents but at night time, the boy always poops all over their room…he doesn’t do it during the day. How do I fix this?

Try keeping more litter pans in certain corners where he goes to poop. This can also be a territorial behaviour as your boy marks his territory by pooping all over.

[/b]

*I know this is weird, but they don’t ever do the bunny humpty dumpty..Aren’t they suppose to mount each other, is it normal if they don’t?

I hope they are spayed or else you'll end up with a bunch of babies. Buns breed like ...buns (!) and unspayed rabbits of the opposite sex should never be kept together. Unspayed buns of the same sex can have huge fights, which can cause them severe injuries, if kept together, as well.

[/b]

*I feel like they are always on edge and maybe not happy, what should I do to make them happy? Goose sometimes will binky, but Mavie hasn’t done it since before she got sick. Are they miserable?

This is a very vague description. Why do you think that they're always on edge and not happy? Have you noticed anything that makes you feel concerned? Not all buns binky, younger ones do it a lot better than older ones, too. What was Mavie's sickness?

[/b]

[/b]Thanks

 

[Little Bay Poo]

Hmmm...a lot of these I don't know but maybe I can help out with a few of them:

*Mavie will act like she is chewing on something and she isn’t chewing on anything…she will do it for a long time too. It looks like she had gum in her mouth and she is chomping away on her gum! Why is she doing this and is it normal?

It could be a variety of things:

Occasionally bunnies will eat cecals which is something their digestive system produces that has a lot of essential vitamins and nutrients. They get it from their bum, so you might miss when they do that and only see the chewing part.

It could be other things too like bruxing which is basically movements of the mouth to grind down the teeth. Another mouth movement I've seen from one of my bunnies happens when he gets scared...he moves his mouth like he's trying to talk to me but no sound comes out


*The Boy sometimes taps his paws on the ground really fast while he is grooming himself…it was so quick it almost looked like twitching of his paws that he couldn’t control. But he does it a lot. Is this normal?

Yes, both of my bunnies do this right before grooming. My guess for its purpose is this: when bunnies live out in the wild they collect dirt on their paws. So when they groom themselves they don't want to groom themselves with dirty paws! I think it's a way for them to shake off the dirt/debris to get their paws clean before they use them to wash their face. House rabbits still have a lot of the instincts that wild rabbits do.

*They both bite at the tile floor…they can’t get at it and it looks like they are hurting themselves…they just scrape their teeth on the floor…they have lots of chew toys but they seem to hate anything I buy specifically for them.

My bunnies rejected all of the things I got for them to chew also...until I discovered pinecones. They LOVE pinecones. If you get them from a tree outside make sure you bake them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes to make the pinecones bunny safe. Cardboard boxes and newspapers are also things that a lot of bunnies enjoy chewing and shredding.


*I know this is weird, but they don’t ever do the bunny humpty dumpty..Aren’t they suppose to mount each other, is it normal if they don’t?

I'm guessing that some bunnies are more prone to humping behaviors than others. Before we got Billy neutered he was very particular about what he would hump. He liked his blue stuffed bunny and nothing else. Ronnie on the other hand humps anything and everything and although he's been neutered for 9 months now, he still goes after my arm every time I try to pet him! So I think it's something based on the individual bunny's personality.

*I feel like they are always on edge and maybe not happy, what should I do to make them happy? Goose sometimes will binky, but Mavie hasn’t done it since before she got sick. Are they miserable?

I'm not too sure about this one. I know I always have doubts about whether my Ronnie is happy because he never binkies. But we take care of him the best we can and he gets more play time than our other bunny (Billy the binky master). I think for me, I expect a bunny to show happiness like a puppy but that's not how they are. It seems like bunnies are more reserved and it's hard sometimes to read them. So, I would guess that your bunnies are just fine, and are content, but it's just difficult to understand bunnies sometimes!

Thanks

 

[gentle giants]

I know you are getting three almost totally different answers here, but here is my two cents, LOL.

1. This sounds to me like bruxing, where they sit and rub their teeth together to aid in wearing down the surfaces. Rabbit's teeth grow continusly, so they have to keep them worn down.

2. My advice would be treats afterwards. Ithelps them realize that your hands don't just make them take yucky stuff, they give yummy stuff to. Plus I always think it has to help get rid ofthe taste of the medicine, too.

3. I agree with what Little Bay Poo said on this one.

4. Bunnies can be contrary, LOL. Just keep trying different things, there is a favorite toy for ever bunny, if you can just find it.

5. Bunny pee can sometimes be wierd colors. And yes, he is marking his territory by spraying, just like a tom cat does. Neutering him should help this.

If you have an uneutered buck and an unspayed doe, DO NOT let them play together! It only take about five seconds for your doe to get pregnant, you might not even see them do it. Also, doe rabbits do not go into heat, they can get pregnant at any time. A rabbit's gestation period is only about 31 days, so if you have had them less than that she may already be pregnant.

 

[kattrav]

Thank you so much Everyone...My bunnies have actaully a long story and I explained it all under new member introductions, I just reposted the questions here in case no one reads them in the new member section. They are both fixed...well I personally took the female in in March 11th...this is when I found out "he" was a she and thats how Maverick became Mavie...This is when I also noticed she was sick...I though at first she caught something at the clinic but it wasnt mites it was a middle/inner ear infection...she had always seemed deaf to me..she didnt respond to noise unless very loud...so I took her to a new vet and he said her ears were full of puss. She was on Bayril and Synotic from April 2nd to May 30th...the meds were doing NOTHIGN and she was starting to show signs of discomfort. He also tried an ear flush on her on May 13th. The vet was happy with the way it went and said he though it would help...when she went back for a checkup a week later, her ears were filling right back up even on antibiotics. On May 30th He just switched her to Azithromycin and Metronidazole antibiotics becuase he thinks maybe its an anaerobic infection. And Meloxicam for pain. I pressured him to let me try this liquid ear drop called Zymox Otic Enzymatic Solution "without hydrocorisone" because multiple bunny people including the chicago rabbit society and an online bunny vet said it was wonderful. She technically she receives 4 different medications every day. She absolutley hates me now! They are all liquid and are syring feed except for the octic ear drops. She is not responding to any medications....she is acting a little better becuase she is on pain meds but I can already see the puss filling in her ear just by looking down into it. The vet really doesnt know what else to do...he will prob refer me to hisa surgery vet friend next visit. He said my last option is prob surgery and even that is no sure thing. Im broke and dont know what else to do .....................................The boy on the other hand seems fine. The doc said he looks healthy and both thier teeth look fine. I was told that the boy was fixed. I dont have any reason to believe he wasnt becuase the vet didnt check but he though he would have noticed if the boy wasnt fixed. So I dont think thats the problem. She used to love eating but just recently I havent seen her eat as much but she still likes to chew on hay. I try giving her treats right after the meds and she will eat as much as I will give her then run away. They are not confined to a cage they have a bunny condo that is open to run in and out, they have thier own small room which opens into my kitchen which they also have the free run of. I dont let them into my living room or bedroom becuase it is carpeted and wires and the boy loves to destroy carpet! Im actually not even suppost to have pets here so I have to be really carefull not to let them do any damage I cant explain. I also wonder...How do I know how much "cardboard and carpet" they are eating!!!! They love to shred the area carpet i got for them and all boxes. should I be worried they are eating the carpet fibers. I find the fibers in huge piles all over so i figured they just liked digging and pulling them out. But i feel horrible taking it away becuase then they are just left with the tile floor. I really appreciate all your help! Thank you so much!!!!!

 

[Little Bay Poo]

Oh, poor Mavie, I hope everything turns out ok with her. Sorry I don't know much about vet stuff or caring for sick rabbits but I will keep her in my thoughts ray:


About the carpet fibers, yes it is bad for them to ingest these. I believe they can cause blockages in the digestive tract if too many are ingested and not passed. One of my bunnies also likes to rip up carpet fibers, but he doesn't rip up the little area rugs. We stop him right away if he pulls at the carpet floor because while he spits most of the fibers out I have seen him chew a few here and there.

I would suggest looking at other surfaces to put over the tiles. Unfortunately I can't think of any specific things to use but I'm sure other members would have plenty of suggestions for you, so please do post this as a question in the general forum for some extra input.

~Robin

 

[juliew19673]

I'm sorry your having such a problem with Mavie and ear probs.. It sounds like a serious issues and hopefully one of the Sr. Mod's will come on hereand help with a suggestion, but I would guess they would tell you to take the bun to a bun specialist Vet who could diagnosis the problem.. It sounds serious, and not something to treat with general antibiotics..

I know you just found RO and info can be overwhelming but keep in mind that ear infections can go "REALLY" south with buns and is not something to take litely..

That being said I'll keep you in my thoughts and please keep posting what is going on so that those on the board that know of similiar problems maybe able to help you figure out what is going on..

Good luck!

 

[gentle giants]

I would suggest that you pm Randy (ra7751) and tell him what you have told us. He is very knowledgeable about rabbit medicine, more so than a lot of vets. He may know of something that you/your vet could try to help.

 

[kattrav]

Thank you so much everyone, Ive been talking with Randy and he has been very helpful, we are going to work together with my vet to get her better! I thank you and so does Mavie (even though she pretends she dosent

 

[Pipp]

Did Mavie have head xrays? I'm sure it's been mentioned, but given the behaviour and infection, you may be looking at a tooth rootor other abscess issue that presents in the ears, which can be pretty complicated (and not all that easy to diagnose).

Please let us know how she's doing. et:



sas :clover:

 

[kattrav]

Maverick (Mavie) and Goose Update!

Im so happy there are other people who care about my bunnies that dont even know us! My friends and family dont want to hear any more about bunnies! Anyway, Mavie and Goose were finally refered to Midwest Exotics in Elmwood Park (Near Chicago). It was a stressful day for all three of us...I hate driving into the city especially on a Friday....and It was a long ride for the buns. But so far things are looking better! Goose has a small urinary infection (most likely but had blood work done just be safe), so he is now taking Baytril and he is already acting more like himself. As for Mavie the new vet said that her ears werent even full of puss they were full of residue and wax from all the meds that had been in there. They cleaned them out and they look better! We are waiting for Mavies blood work as well. They didnt do skull x-rays becuase I need to schedule a different appointment for that becuase they have to sedate her. But I think she wants to see what the blood work says first. She says that Mavie actually doesnt look that bad. Im still a little skeptical becuase mav still acts really sad sometimes and I dont want to get my hopes up. But she is acting better today! When I put her new ear drops in, she actually felt it go in and tried to shake it out! She usually cant feel any drops i put in. She still doesnt respond to most noise so Im assuming she has permanant hearing loss, but I dont think she is totally deaf becuase sometimes when I drop something and its loud she looks! Anyway, today is looking great! I have a positive outlook and Mavie and Goose are having a fun day today as well! I will keep you posted if anything changes or when I get the test results back. Im just wondering should I still get the skull x-rays done....its a stressfull trip for us but if its the best thing to do then i will! Thanks, Katie, Mavie and Goose!