Unusual behavior/changes in a buck

[MichelleT]

I have a buck who is around 11yrs old. He's been very lucky with never having any sort of illnesses or problems, but I've noticed some changes. When I've looked them up they all seem normal, but I'm wondering if all of them together is a problem.

The first thing I noticed was his pee had changed to a bright orange colour, and he was doing it all over rather than in the usual spot. Shortly after that I found he was suddenly really interested in his mineral lick, which he has never touched before. I thought maybe he was licking it too much, and that might have caused his pee to change colour so I removed it. Not sure if that was a good idea or not...
He was still perfectly normal in every other way.

Yesterday he was keeping to the 'bed' part of his cage, which he rarely uses normally. He sometimes goes in a bit of a mood and will sit there, but gets over it a couple of days later. Since cleaning the cage yesterday there's a lot of mushy/wet stools around. He is, however, very in to his food still.
So I decided to give he a look over. When I picked him up his stomach seemed a little bigger than normal, but not hard. And then I looked underneath and saw he has too large flaps dangling between his hind legs. He is handled regularly, and I have never seen that before.

I'm getting a bit concerned at this point, and would like to know if this all adds up to something. He is still very much himself, apart from sitting in an unusual spot. Is it worth a trip to the vets now, or should I just keep an eye on him?

 

[Popsicles]

It’s alwsys worth a trip to the Vets if things are out of the ordinary, that’s the best way to catch problems early

 

[JBun]

I would first determine if any new foods had been added to the diet that could explain the change of urine color and mushy poop. If not, that combination of changes could mean there is a potential health problem developing. It's possible it could just be a simple UTI or bladder sludge since he isn't peeing in his usual spot, but if that is ruled out I think having a blood panel done to check liver and kidney function would be a good idea.

If he's not neutered could the sacks you are seeing be his testicles? If he is neutered then you definitely should have the vet check them out.

If you don't already have a rabbit vet that you normally see, I would suggest finding an experienced rabbit vet to take your bun to. You can take a look at these links to help you find one.
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/ve...s-that-have-been-recommended-by-rabbit-owners
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-friendly-vets/rabbit-friendly-vet-list/

In the meantime, I would probably give back the mineral lick as he may be needing the extra sodium/electrolytes and also monitor how much water he is drinking in a day, and if there is a significant increase. If there is, that can also be an indication of a health issue to discuss with your vet.

 

[MichelleT]

We have had a bedding change from hay bales to timothy hay due to the dry summer. Other than that everything has been the same.
He isn't neutered, so that's probably what they are. It threw me off as I've never seen them before and with his pee changing colour... not sure why they've suddenly come out of hiding!

I hate to be one of those people asking if I should go to a vet, but getting to our rabbit vet isn't easy, and I didn't want to go all that way to find out he's there's nothing wrong, with him still being 100% himself. Thank you for the advice, will definitely get him booked in.

 

[JBun]

The change to timothy hay could very well explain the change of urine color then, and possibly be a cause for the mushy poop, though usually timothy hay won't do that unless maybe it is very soft and rich with not a lot of crunchy stalks. If it is a soft rich timothy hay, I would suggest trying to find something that is more a mix of stalky and leafy stems, and that should help clear up the mushy poop. If it doesn't then there could be something else going on there. It might also explain him peeing in unusual places if the hay is upsetting his GI system a little and causing discomfort. Or it could have to do with him being an older bun, or there could be some urinary health issue going on there, hard to know.

With the mineral lick, if he's not drinking and peeing more than usual it could just be an odd occurrence and not necessarily something to worry about. Though if he is drinking unusual amounts then that is definitely something you need checked out at the vet.

Him keeping to his bed may not mean much of anything. It could be because it's getting colder, it could be because he's getting older. It's not something I would necessarily worry about unless he seemed off in some way and/or he wasn't eating or hardly eating.

So if the changes that occurred were just due to the change of hay and he continues to eat, drink, and act normally otherwise, I wouldn't think going to the vet is needed myself, but if he seemed off somehow and/or his belly definitely seems distended or hard, then yes, I would definitely get to the vet right away. Just my opinion though. When in doubt it's always best to go to the vet just to be safe.

 

[MichelleT]

He's still very much himself. Today he's out of his bed and sitting where he would normally be. Something I've noticed as it's gotten colder is that he's eating more pellets than normal, but so has my other bun. Maybe that would explain the stomach feeling bigger?
I feel like he's drinking the same. He's always liked me to squeeze the bottle so he gets more water in one go, so I've given him a bowl of water as well just in case he's not getting enough..

The timothy hay is really soft. It was a sudden change, but I can't remember if it coincided with the pee colour. I'll be getting the proper bale hay they're used to soon.
I'm keeping a close eye on him for now. As you say it might all just be a huge coincidence, but I'll see if anything changes once the hay goes back to normal and go from there.

 

[Reese_loves_her_bun]

I have a buck who is around 11yrs old. He's been very lucky with never having any sort of illnesses or problems, but I've noticed some changes. When I've looked them up they all seem normal, but I'm wondering if all of them together is a problem.

The first thing I noticed was his pee had changed to a bright orange colour, and he was doing it all over rather than in the usual spot. Shortly after that I found he was suddenly really interested in his mineral lick, which he has never touched before. I thought maybe he was licking it too much, and that might have caused his pee to change colour so I removed it. Not sure if that was a good idea or not...
He was still perfectly normal in every other way.

Yesterday he was keeping to the 'bed' part of his cage, which he rarely uses normally. He sometimes goes in a bit of a mood and will sit there, but gets over it a couple of days later. Since cleaning the cage yesterday there's a lot of mushy/wet stools around. He is, however, very in to his food still.
So I decided to give he a look over. When I picked him up his stomach seemed a little bigger than normal, but not hard. And then I looked underneath and saw he has too large flaps dangling between his hind legs. He is handled regularly, and I have never seen that before.

I'm getting a bit concerned at this point, and would like to know if this all adds up to something. He is still very much himself, apart from sitting in an unusual spot. Is it worth a trip to the vets now, or should I just keep an eye on him?

-He is getting older so he might rest more
-orange pee is totally normal so you can give him the mineral lick back
-the large flaps are his....testicles (I know they look very weird)

I’m a huge bunny lover and have had them for quite a few years now and I’ve done lots of research. You can trust me on this.
Hope this helps.