STRESS! So Much Stress! =(

[lotsoluffles]

Sweet Pea has a problem with her eyes in that if she gets upset, her eyes start to bulge. This is fixed quickly by immediate contact, such as petting her head or picking her up.

Is this a serious issue, or are there stress techniques I should use instead?

 

[lotsoluffles]

Also, the vet said he's not 100% sure about what the eye problem is, but she only seems to do it with fear or stress, so it wasn't "cherry eye", and didn't seem to be something of immediate concern. If anyone recognizes what it is, that would be helpful as well!

But right now I'm more worried about the stress or fear she's been having. I can't think of anything that could have changed, so I'm worried it may be a psychological or physical problem I can't see. =(

Is it even normal for rabbits to be scared or stressed so much or so often? She seems to get this problem every few days.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her eating, drinking, sleeping, pooping, etc. hasn't changed. She is in a relatively clean environment (soiled or flattened litter removed daily, thorough cleaning every 4 days or so) and gets out of her cages (2 put together since one didn't seem big enough) every day. So nothing has really changed with her. I've even been avoiding clipping her nails since she gets so upset when I do.

Is this a growing issue? Does she need more space? A change of scenery? Should I try aromatherapy? I think the smell might irritate her, though. More toys?

I'm really lost here. =( Anyone have this problem before or have some ideas to try?

 

[ZRabbits]

How old is Sweet Pea? And during this period does she hold her breath and stiffen up?

Some bunnies are more skittish than others. It seems you resolve it with contact which is excellent. If she younger, she may just grow out of it.

Shame, hate to hear any bunny that's scared or stressed.

K

 

[LakeCondo]

I wonder if a neighbor has a new pet that you can't detect but she can.

Anyway, according to Rabbit Nutrition, celery contains phthalides, which lowers blood pressure & reduces stress. It should be cut so that there are no long strings.

 

[Perocore]

[align=center]You should try getting her a stuffed animal without any hard parts. My buck is really skittish, but as soon as I give him his stuffed animal, he calms down and starts cuddling it, very cute and apparently very soothing
[/align]

 

[lotsoluffles]

ZRabbits wrote:

How old is Sweet Pea? And during this period does she hold her breath and stiffen up?

Some bunnies are more skittish than others. It seems you resolve it with contact which is excellent. If she younger, she may just grow out of it.

Shame, hate to hear any bunny that's scared or stressed.

K

I'm not completely sure since she's a petstore bun, but I would say 10 months by the 26th (assuming she was 2 months old at the store).

She doesn't stiffen up or hold her breath as far as I can tell, as long as she's in her cage. It's her own personal domain, and she spends most of her time flopping around and half-binkying.

When she is being handled by someone else who scares her (such as the first vet she went to), she'll make the eye buldge and stay still and rounded, but her head bobs lightly with her heartbeat so she can't stay completely still (the vet suggested the eye buldge was a cardiovascular thing, and that it was caused by pressure, which would explain the head bobbing).

But she otherwise only does it in her cage, randomly. She huddles up and looks around a lot. She normally focuses on whoever is nearby, but doesn't make any noises, which is odd. It's normal for her to make loud chipmunk noises every so often like a quick "[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPdsAK332j4&feature=related]chipy-chipy-chipy[/ame]" noise (but not [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXDlIsPhKU4]tooth grinding[/ame] as far as I can tell. Close to the chipy-chipy video, but more high-pitched and loud). It's not quite a tooth purr, though. I can't hear her purr when I pet her, but I can feel her muscles moving on her head and can see her mouth move.

 

[lotsoluffles]

LakeCondo wrote:

I wonder if a neighbor has a new pet that you can't detect but she can.

Anyway, according to Rabbit Nutrition, celery contains phthalides, which lowers blood pressure & reduces stress. It should be cut so that there are no long strings.

We have a fox in the backyard that comes back in Spring and seems to love to eat the wild rabbits in the bushes and under the porch. He just curls under the apple tree and rips it apart. It's hard to watch but nobody bothers trying to scare him off. You have to just let him eat it or else he'll come back and kill another.

The neighbors don't have any new pets that I can think of; we have a dog that she doesn't seem to be afraid of, and the neighbors have a lot of house cats and the other neighbors have a few dogs (a Saint Bernard and a Golden Lab).

I can't think of any animals she might be afraid of during the winter (she's been doing it for about a month now, and it's still wintery weather, assuming she isn't doing it for the fox since it's getting close to Spring). There's a bobcat we hear during these seasons, but I haven't heard it recently, and I've never seen it eat anything.

Thanks for the information!! She gets celery every night when she's awake. I'll make sure she gets extra tonight.

 

[lotsoluffles]

Perocore wrote:

[align=center]You should try getting her a stuffed animal without any hard parts. My buck is really skittish, but as soon as I give him his stuffed animal, he calms down and starts cuddling it, very cute and apparently very soothing
[/align]

Awww! That's so cute! :hearts

It would probably help her. I hate to admit it, but I think she might have bonded with another bun at the pet store. I feel so sad that I knew nothing about rabbits back then, and her whole personality could just be coping with how she lost her friends when she was a baby (she took no time at all to bond with and eve grooms me back, and she tends to get lonely a lot if nobody is there). A whole cluster of them were cuddled up in the corner of the turtle case/aquarium they were in.

She used to have little cuddle toys off of a soft stuffed dog when we first got her, since we assumed she would think it was another bunny and she would feel better from the cage filled with bunnies to her new, empty cage. =(

I still have the dog somewhere. I'll just cut off any remaining legs and the head, sew it up and give it to her. I think that might really help.

 

[gmas rabbit]

Does she have a box or house that she can go into when she is frighten. If not try covering part of her cage with a blanket especially at night so she feels safe. Also try putting on a radio with soft music that could sooth her, I would leave it on 24-7 if it was me. If you have a thrift store or dollar store you could pick her up a couple of stuffies. Harley when we got him slept between 2 of them. Have you thought about getting her a friend??

 

[lotsoluffles]

gmas rabbit wrote:

Does she have a box or house that she can go into when she is frighten. If not try covering part of her cage with a blanket especially at night so she feels safe. Also try putting on a radio with soft music that could sooth her, I would leave it on 24-7 if it was me. If you have a thrift store or dollar store you could pick her up a couple of stuffies. Harley when we got him slept between 2 of them. Have you thought about getting her a friend??

One of her cages is completely covered in a blanket, and inside of that one is her hiding and chewing tube (made of some kind of branches), a large nesting and rolling ball (some kind of hay or dried grass?), and a chewing tube (wheat-based cardboard and a chopped alfalfa coating for taste). It also has clean cloth (cotton) and extra litter in case she needs to burrow.

I'm afraid that another rabbit is out of the question. =( My parents don't really like Sweet Pea to the point that my dad suggested to let it loose in the yard and my mother suggested that it's nickname be "Stew." And no, I'm not even kidding or exaggerating. They really want her gone, even though she's relatively quiet and doesn't smell at all because of the litter.

Sweet Pea is pretty smart, though. She recognizes their bad feelings and externalizes them... Into bites. And only to them.

Actually, come to think of it, I might be the one to blame. She's very intuitive and aware of others, like an INFJ personality. I've been looking at apartments recently, but all the ones I've seen in my price range are no-pets-allowed. I did look at a rabbit rescue, since there was NO way she was being set loose with that fox roaming around, but, after reading the relinquishment form, I realized I didn't have the heart to let go of her and leave her to fate... Though I was tempted when it said she would become a REAL house bunny at a foster home! It's more than I can give her here. I can't even give her my room since my parents are afraid of her spraying and ruining the walls. I'm also afraid of my dad needing to get into the attic, leaving the door open, and then her either getting caught in a heating vent to burn to death or the dog finding her. =(

She could have picked up on it either from all the subliminal cues (I'll admit it, I cried a lot), or from a change in my behavior. But I decided to stay a little while longer a few days ago, and she just did the eye bulge again today. I think there might still be something else wrong.

 

[LakeCondo]

The fox could be there already; it's almost spring & it's been springlike for awhile now.

An xpen in your room would keep her away from the walls & a sheet of linoleum a little larger than the pen would protect the floor.

Maybe you should place a room wanted in pet-loving home ad various places, including a post in the regional section here.

 

[lotsoluffles]

LakeCondo wrote:

The fox could be there already; it's almost spring & it's been springlike for awhile now.

An xpen in your room would keep her away from the walls & a sheet of linoleum a little larger than the pen would protect the floor.

Maybe you should place a room wanted in pet-loving home ad various places, including a post in the regional section here.

I'm not completely sure what an x-pen is. I have a puppy pen, though. She uses it when she goes outside.

Would linoleum really work? I've heard rabbits can't stand smooth floors. The first vet Sweet Pea went to had smooth floors, and she just meatloafed on my shoes the whole time. Plus it would force her into contact with her own urine, and she would smell it and it would get on her fur... I guess if I use duct tape on part of the sides, I could use her litter on the bottom.

I was thinking of getting those shelving units if she needed more room and couldn't be out of a cage. 3 packages would only be about $60, and allow me to make a cage that is 5ft x 3.5ft x 2.5ft, plus enough left over to make a top and a bottom. She'd need cardboard above the bottom and under her litter to prevent sore hocks, which would make it easier to clean as well without making her give up her favorite litter.

I probably will post an ad somewhere. My parents don't actually want me to move out, so there's no rush.

 

[ZRabbits]

With everything I've read, sounds like Sweet Pea is a bit insecure and very in tuned to negative vibes. It's called survival. As you are her "touchstone" you being upset with moving she's all alone and is trying to protect herself. Those "chirpy" noises sounds like warning signals. Stress sounds. Your parents not wanting her there is also another negative vibe and her biting them is showing she feels it.

Hoping you find a place of your own or finally decide to stay so that you can relax and then help your bunny, who used to huddle with many, to find a safe "touchstone".

It's amazing how bunnies can feel emotion. All my boys know when we are upset and they get restless. So we both decided to leave those things that upset us outside our door when we come home so that we all can relax.

K

 

[LakeCondo]

lotsoluffles wrote:

I'm not completely sure what an x-pen is. I have a puppy pen, though. She uses it when she goes outside. same

Would linoleum really work? I've heard rabbits can't stand smooth floors. The first vet Sweet Pea went to had smooth floors, and she just meatloafed on my shoes the whole time. rather than polish it, scuff it up a little


Plus it would force her into contact with her own urine, and she would smell it and it would get on her fur... I guess if I use duct tape on part of the sides, I could use her litter on the bottom. what?? The little box, like everything else, is on top of the flooring.

 

[lotsoluffles]

LakeCondo wrote

What?? The little box, like everything else, is on top of the flooring.

I meant to stop the litter from going out the sides when she hops, if that makes any sense. Like how cage bottoms are rounded plastic on bottom before it reaches the metal part, so all the litter goes on bottom so it can't be kicked out from between the grates?

I'm not sure what little box you're reffing to. Sweet Pea isn't litter box trained, if that's what you mean. And if I just randomly decide she has to use a litter box, it's not really fair for her, since the rest of the flooring would be linoleum, which doesn't absorb the scent and just allows the urine to puddle for her to hop in and possibly get sick from if she has an accident. She does have a very distinct area which she's designated as her "bathroom" area, so litter box training won't be hard. I just can't switch it immediately.

Also, try not to laugh at this question, but would linoleum color or design matter? Like blue is calming to people, red can be angering, should I avoid certain colors or aim for specific ones? Brown, so it reminds her of her litter? Green to remind her of grass (if she doesn't think it's timothy hay and tries to eat it)?

 

[lotsoluffles]

ZRabbits wrote:

With everything I've read, sounds like Sweet Pea is a bit insecure and very in tuned to negative vibes. It's called survival. As you are her "touchstone" you being upset with moving she's all alone and is trying to protect herself. Those "chirpy" noises sounds like warning signals. Stress sounds. Your parents not wanting her there is also another negative vibe and her biting them is showing she feels it.

Hoping you find a place of your own or finally decide to stay so that you can relax and then help your bunny, who used to huddle with many, to find a safe "touchstone".

It's amazing how bunnies can feel emotion. All my boys know when we are upset and they get restless. So we both decided to leave those things that upset us outside our door when we come home so that we all can relax.

K

Stress signals?? I thought they were more like "look at my renovations, I need attention!" noises. She only makes them when she's gnawing apart her twig chewing tube. But I've read that excessive chewing can also be a sign of stress, so it would make sense. She's been spending more time on that tube, trying to tear it apart, when she used to spend more time rolling and bunching. She's seen a vet not too long ago who said her teeth looked fine, but do you think she might be in pain? Like a jaw thing, maybe?

Awww, I feel so bad for her. It's easier and quicker to just stay. I can't imagine it getting worse. :feelbetter: Besides, my rent here is pretty low; I doubt I'd find something like that anywhere else. I just wish they would stop trying to control my life the way that they do. They don't like her, therefore they think I don't like her, like they think I got her and changed my mind, and am only keeping her to spite them. My mother offered Sweet Pea to some random woman in the supermarket! Can you even imagine?! :X

I know what you mean... If someone were to tell me before I found her that rabbits were capable of such intelligence and emotion, I would think they were just another one of those "look at my cat! It does the same thing every other cat in the world does. It's so smart!" types of people. But they really are amazing creatures.

 

[LakeCondo]

I meant litter box not little box. As she goes in only one spot, just get the largest litter box with high sides for maybe $10-15 & move her poop & urine into it. Being housebroken is a near-necessity for a housepet.

I don't know what colors rabbits can see, so just choose something you like & will look good where it's going to go.

I'm sorry your parents don't treat you as an adult. A parent can give away a child's old toys etc [subject to putting up with the child's tantrums], but no adult should try to give away an adult family member's things, especially not a pet & not to a stranger. Are you sure she seriously tried to do it?

 

[lotsoluffles]

LakeCondo wrote:

I meant litter box not little box. As she goes in only one spot, just get the largest litter box with high sides for maybe $10-15 & move her poop & urine into it. Being housebroken is a near-necessity for a housepet.

I don't know what colors rabbits can see, so just choose something you like & will look good where it's going to go.

I'm sorry your parents don't treat you as an adult. A parent can give away a child's old toys etc [subject to putting up with the child's tantrums], but no adult should try to give away an adult family member's things, especially not a pet & not to a stranger. Are you sure she seriously tried to do it?

She starts it off as a joke to the person, and it remains a joke if the other person says no. It turns into a serious offer if they say yes. I originally typed up the story of my hamster here, but it doesn't matter now. I just don't appreciate it.

As for Sweet Pea, I am not looking forward to switching her to the puppy pen. I once put a piece of cardboard on top of her non-covered cage. She noticed it immediately, got up on her back feet, and nudged it through the cage until she knocked it off, then gave me the stink eye when I picked it up. She's not fond of change, but I really want her to have more space, so she's going to have to get over it, I guess. I'll look at litter boxes tomorrow, if I can talk my mom into driving me to PetSmart (she doesn't let me drive myself to the college :rollseyes ). Could you, by any chance, find a picture similar to a litter box I should get? I've honestly never needed to get one before. I've never had a cat and nobody I know has ever had one.

Color doesn't bother me. I was just wondering in case it was some secret to raising rabbits. White will let me see if her urine is healthy, so I'll probably go with that while she's at risk for accidents (I won't even get into the crazy way I check currently). Can I still use her regular litter? Or should I get special cat litter instead? She really, really likes smashing down her current litter, so I know she'd pick right up on litterbox training if I use it, but I just don't want her to think it's a good idea to sleep in her litterbox. It's also another reason why I want to put a base of her springy litter on the bottom, but it might end up confusing her.

 

[tonyshuman]

She definitely needs a box to hang out in. Our Big Bunny (a 10-lb californian rabbit) likes to lie in a small dog carrier (he barely fits) without a door. He and his dwarf mate Frida also have a small wooden house (made for kids to play with, I guess) to chill in. The other two like to sit underneath a futon. Bunnies like to have a very small space that they can survey their territory from. I know you said something about a tube and a cage covered with a blanket, but I am not really sure what that is, or if it is what she needs. I recommend a box just big enough for her to fit in.

 

[LakeCondo]

Sleeping in the litter box is ok. So just use your current litter & she'll catch on right away. This may be bigger than you need, as it's going to be a dig box with a cardboard hide box on top, but go to www.wag.com & check out the Van Ness high-side cat pan. It's 21.25"x17.63"x9, but 5-6" deep would be fine for a litter box. The only things NOT to get are ones with swinging doors or the little triangular ones that supposedly are meant for rabbits.