Urine Scald

[biancaaandrews]

Hello,

I am new to this group. I want to quickly introduce myself my name is Bianca I rescued four rabbits that were in a really bad living environment. I thought I would be able to place them right away because they are pure breeds. Unfortunately, I have not been able to place them. The problem is that we are struggling financially ourselves and rescuing these bunnies has just added more to worry about especially since one of the rabbits is sick.

I know I should take it to the vet but I do not have the money to do so. Even thought it is hard for us to get by I am willing to keep the buns as long as it takes to find them good homes. The other issue is that I have no idea how to care for rabbits and I am a little scared of getting bitten to tell you the truth. These bunnies grunt and lunge at me if I try and pick them up. So, as you can see I am in desperate need of bunny 101.. Below Icopied and pastedthe information required for the post along with what the issue is. If anyone knows how I can treat this bunny I would really appreciate some advice.

P.S

All the other rabbits are in the same type cage and eat the same food. None of the other rabbits have this problem.

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Description (American Fuzzy Lop, Brown & White, about 2lbs)

Age: 2 years old

Sex: Male

Concise Summary of the Rabbit's Condition: Urine Scald, did not notice if he had this problem when I rescued him. His hind legs look raw. He has blisters on feet also hair around feet is gone. Looks like his skin is peeling.



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / CHECK LIST: (Please fill in relevant info).

Fecal and Urinary Output

- are the bunny's poops and pees normal? As far as I can tell. I do not know what to look for.
- when did they last use their litter box? He has not used it since I have had him. He pees all over the cage.
- any unusual behavior? straining to pee? unusual litter habits? Not that I have noticed.
- what litter and/or bedding do you use? I put hay in the littler box. Someone told me to do this to try and train him to use the little box. No bedding I just try and keep the cage clean. With the type of cage he is in I cannot use bedding. It will fall out the sides

Medical History

- spayed/neutered? No
- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before? No, No
- is s/he on any medications? None

Diet:

- what specifically does your bunny eat? Timothy Hay, Pallets, sometimes carrots and lettuce.
- when and what did s/he eat last? Today. He is still eating on a regular basis.
- any changes in the way s/he eats? (ie: not eating a particular food, odd chewing motions, etc) None that I have noticed.


Other

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally? Walks funny that’s when I noticed something was wrong he was walking like he was in pain. I had my husband take him out of the cage and turn him over. I examined his legs and could see he was wet with urine I was able to see pink irritated flesh but not that bad. We bathed him dried him and put him back in his cage. Over the next couple of days we noticed he was getting worse when examined again his skin looked really irritated and I was able to see blisters and peeling.

- is the rabbit molting? Yes
- any weight loss? Yes, he looks thinner
- any sign of drooling? wet face? No
- runny eyes? No
- wet nose? coughing? sneezing? No
- is s/he breathing normally No

Additional

- any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach? No
- has the rabbit been outdoors? Yes, Unfortunetly I keep them all outside. I cannot keep them inside for several reasons, mostly husband is allergic.
- any other pets? if so, have they been ill? No

 

[Seraphina]

Hey thats a big post, a lot to take in there. Good for you to rescue rabbits but i can imagine it'd be hard to place them. Don't be afraid to take the rabbits to your humane society to be adopted out from there. Both of my rabbits i adopted from our humane society and they both recieved medical care and both of them fixed before i could adopt them. So just an option.

You seem to have everything under control except for the scalding theres actually a real easy thing to do to help. Neosporin it's ok for buns. My rabbit too has peeing problems. If they pee in unusual places (not the litter box.. but your rabbits are outside so it's different), if the pee soaks up in the fur it can cause scalding. The only solution is to keep the fur as clean and dry as possible. If fur is gone or there is skin peeling, neosporin is fine to help heal the skin. Blisters i don't know.. i just know if an infection occurs, probably a vet is the only choice for antibiotics.

I believe i also read somewhere that if your rabbit has sore feet, you can make it sorta a 'shoe' to help heal them. Since your rabbit is shedding, this would be easy.. Take some shedded fur from him and put it under his foot. use like one of those stretchy medical wraps around the foot up to the knee and cut out a hole for the back of it's heel. Other than that... time.

With your rabbits aggression, give it time. I'm sure rabbits bite, but i've never heard of one biting in defense (that doesn't mean i know for sure! lol). Food is probably your quickest way into a rabbit's heart. Pellets, timothy hay, and romaine lettuce.. not iceburg lettuce, is fine to start. Carrots should be in moderation, it's like a chocolate bar for a bun. The bulk of their diet should be hay and or grass, not pellets.

hmmm maybe i can find you some websites about the rabbit boot, and basic rabbit care you can find everything you need on Rabbit.org. Good luck with your buns!

 

[Seraphina]

oh! and potty behaviors will change to normal after a little while, don't be surprised if theres not a lot of poo cause .. well at least with my rabbits, they were eating it for the first week. Sorta a way of not leaving any traces behind? cause they were uncomfortable.

And weight issues, my vet told me as long as your rabbit is getting enough hay, theres no reason it shouldn't beable to maintain it's weight. So hay in unlimited quantities, but again yours are outside so they'll eat grass too. Pellets help to put on the pounds on rabbits as well, but many vets suggest to really limit pellets. My rabbits are 5lbs and only get 1/8 cup of pellets a day.

Heres a website with instructions on 2 ways to clean your rabbit's bum - dry and wet bath
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html

still looking for that rabbit boot thing. lol...

 

[Seraphina]

here it is
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

sore hocks.

If the bunny is in a wire cage, get the bunny some carpet! Wash the feet off. YOu could try putting bagbalm on. Does the bunny thump his feet excessivly? Try to keep him from doing so as this contributes. 2 lbs? Keep him going up in weight. American fuuzy lops should be about 4 -4 `/1 punds I think.. maybe its more I forget. Try putting Neosporin on his feet ( if you can prevent him from licking it off, I've heard its good to use on sore hocks..)

 

[biancaaandrews]

Hi, Seraphina

Thank you so much for your advice. and sharing the link with me.I went out and got some Neosporin for him I have been applying it twice daily. The area looks better but I still see blisters can't tell yet if they are healing. I attempted to make some booties for him like you mention but he keeps biting them off. One thing I am wondering is, if it is ok to bathe him daily? Also anything I can do to get him to trust me and let me pick him up? he did bite me and scratched my hands up pretty good yesterday. I wonder if I should try and handle him more. It seems to really piss him off though when I try and pick him up.


Thanks,
Bianca

 

[biancaaandrews]

Hi, Bunnylova4eva

Oh, no I do not like wire cages. He was not in one of those; he is in a large cage that has a plastic tray and can remove to clean. There is a piece of carpet in there also. That's why I am wondering why he got urine scald. I know he could have had this problem already due to the horrible conditions I found them in when I rescued them. But I have been very attentive with them since they came to stay with me and did not notice this problem till a few days ago. Just a little upset that this could have happen under my care.

As far as weight goes I am a little concerned, when I bathed him I could see how thin he actually is and again I am stumped. I give him unlimited supply of hay and pallets (I did not know I should limit these till Seraphina mentioned it ) and I see him eat all the time. Could it be parasites? Can I buy something over the counter to deworm?
I really do appreciate your advice thank you for responding with suggestions.

Bianca

 

[Seraphina]

your welcome!

yah i'm sure my rabbit epies would eat off the boots too lol. so i guess it just depends on the rabbit. And i'm glad the medicine is working! and i know nothing about parasites... because you just got them, it's hard to say whats wrong with the underweight one right now. They will potty less to leave less of a trace, they may eat less cause they're stressed. If the rabbit has completely stopped eating and pottying, then you'll be in trouble, but it's just hard to know right now..

My rabbit, sera, also has potty problems and for me it's been ok to wet bathe her bottom everyday. but then it's important that it gets dry. You can use a hair dryer but it certainly isn't fun for them. x_x (or you if it takes an hour...sera's long fluffly hair pffff). So really trimming the back end with scizors (being extra extra careful, they're skin is very stretchy and a small cut can be a big problem) can help. You'll wanna look for hard pieces in the fur and under the feet too.

Soooo some things i've done to help my rabbit with her potty problem, you mentioned you have a plastic bottomed cage that can be removed. Is it like so many inches deep? cause if so, you can fill that with paper pulp bedding that'll soak up any wetness around. We've also placed the litterbox right next to the water bottle so she can make it to the bathroom.. although i forget if your rabbits are litter trained. The only other thing is to check everyday, which you are, bathe if needed, and make sure they're dry all the time. Because of her, i go through loads of toilet paper lol. Drying her legs, drying her feet, checking the bottom of her cage, checking my other rabbit's cage. Checking the carpet around their cages x_X ....see now your glad they live outside haha

other than that you wanna know how to gain trust well theres a few different ways. Lots of people like the humane way, sit with the rabbit and let it do it's own thing, no look, no touch, just sit. Then try sitting with food, like pellets near you. see how close they'll get... things like that over time they'll want pets and cuddles. End of the day, rabbits simply do not like being picked up.

Another way is to pick up your rabbit and have it sit with you for a certain amount of time everyday, say 5 min or 10, whatever. After awhile your rabbit may extend it's time with you on it's own.

Lastly theresbribery lol. Figure out which treat your rabbit will eat from your hand while your holding them. So everytime you pick them up, they get that treat. Then when you put them down they aren't AS pissed but they may follow you around wanting another one just because. (this is the only thing thats worked for me and my rabbit) For sera, it's apple dumplings and bananas. What i'll do though is lay her with her head on my knees and her feet by my hips and i'll lay her out by gently guiding her feet out beneath her just as she lays when she's relaxing on the floor. It took awhile for her to get used to it, but i've found it to be the best way to take care of her rear end and legs by myself.

lastly, do you know how to properly lift a rabbit off the ground? Theres actually many different ways you can try to see which one your rabbit doesn't hate you the most with. Sera likes the laying across my arm from head to rear, with her head at my wrist and her rear on my elbow pit. Then the other arm to hold her close or hold her feet. Epies likes laying on his back, oddly enough, like a baby. But whatever you do, make being picked up a good thing for your rabbit.

There are literally loads of 'rabbit holding/lifting' videos on youtube.

 

[Seraphina]

wow, that looks longer than i thought X)

 

[MILU]

First of all, you are such a wonderful person rescuing those bunnies! I wish there were more people like you in the world!!

About weight and making your bunnies closer to you, well, maybe this can help: My last bunny didn't care too much about me until he tried sunflower seeds. After he got the 1st, he wanted more. He was already on my lap when I gave him more, and then he'd do anything for them (hehe) so that was my chance to pet him nicely and talk to him smoothly and show him that all I wanted was to treat him well. He got it fast
I think it also helps if you put some "soft" music for the bunnies to listen. It soothes the spirit, heheh they like it. Romantic music or even classic or country music is appreciated by rabbits (well, mine loved them).
About the sunflower seeds - they're not too good in excess, I've heard about 3 a day is enough. Since your bunnies are thin, maybe it's ok to give a little more. I know oats seem to be good for bunnies who need to gain weight too.

Sorry I can't help more, I wish I knew what to tell you... but I can say that you're awesome, and I'm really glad to read that you're helping those bunnies!

:big kiss: