The Rabbit House» Care Archives – The Rabbit House

Bunny Proofing… Again

Tamsin — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:16:51 +0000

Rabbit proofing is a continual process with Scamp (and I’m sure he’s not unique). The bin and potatoes are now securely protected by a new cupboard door. But, that meant adding a couple of vents so the potatoes didn’t get too toasty shut in a cupboard near the cooker. We got some round plastic push in ones that look really neat. All great for a week and then yesterday Scamp notices them and proceeds to remove them. Cue me spending half an hour with half my arm wedged into one hole trying to persuade him to come out the other hole whilst he alternates between licking my fingers and trying to dig a back exit.

Of course once he’s done it once, he knows he can do it again. There are no photos of the first portion of the entertainment (me being slightly busy at the time) but here is Scamp attempting a repeat performance. Yes, he can get through the tiny (just 70mm) hole once he’s pulled the vent out. No, I don’t know how he does it either, he sort of drops his shoulders and oozes – it really shouldn’t be physically possible.

So, bunny proofing step nine hundred and ninety-nine (approximately) was fitting bunny proofing to the bunny proofing. My dad had a great idea and we got some fan covers for computer cases, just the perfect size and shape… and made of metal. The worked a treat but wow was Scamp less than impressed. He was sure he got through there earlier and he wanted to go again. Here is a video of what a really cross bunny looks like; you can see how determined he gets and why the bunny proofing needs constantly revising. I hung his stick toy so it dangled over the area and distracted him. It worked a treat and by today he’d forgotten all about.

Monitoring Your Rabbits Weight

Tamsin — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 11:29:21 +0000

I should think most owners worry “Is my rabbit too fat?” or “Is my rabbit to thin?” at some point. Rabbits’ weight can be quite difficult to judge as their fluffy coats hide their shape well. I thought Gypsy was looking a little thin, which is unusual as her lionhead fluff generally makes her look a little round.

The answer to weight worries is to pop your rabbit on the scales. If your rabbit hasn’t been weighed recently then I’d recommend you do so now and note it down somewhere. Weighing a rabbit is fairly easy. You can use normal kitchen or bathroom scales (bathroom scales usually go up higher – handy if you’ve got a giant, but kitchen scales are generally more accurate). If your rabbit won’t sit still then pop them in a bowl or in their carrier (subtract the weight of the carrier afterwards).

It’s important to compare your rabbits weight to their normal healthy weight not a breed estimate. Rabbits of the same breed can vary greatly in weight. For example, the UK breed standard weight for a Lionhead is between 1.37kg and 1.7kg (3lb – 3lb 12oz). A lionhead with a healthy weight at the top end of that range could lose 20% of their body weight and still weigh in within the ‘standard’ range, but that much weight loss would make them significantly underweight.

Of course not all rabbits fit the standard to start with, even pedigree rabbits can be too big or too small and pet rabbits vary even more as they are often cross breeds. Gypsy had a vet check up a month ago and weighed in a just under 2kg, too high according to the breed standard but a healthy weight for her according to the vet. Once you know your rabbits normal weight you can then reweigh them regularly as part of your normal health monitoring. As we all know, rabbits are good at hiding illness and weight loss can sometimes be the first clue to a problem. Likewise, rabbits are also prone to weight gain and monitoring your rabbits weight can help you adjust their diet before any gain becomes excessive.

Gypsy weighed in at 1.66kg so will be visiting the vet to find out what has caused the sudden loss.

Update: Unfortunately, it’s not good news from the vet. Gypsy has, what the vet believes is a cancerous mass in her stomach. At eight years old we’re not going to try anything dramatic and invasive so she has Metacam and we’ll monitor whilst feeding her lots of scrummy things and see how she goes.

Emergency Vet

Tamsin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:40:47 +0000

Scamp spend Saturday night at the emergency vet. He stopped eating and was obviously uncomfortable, with a tummy that looked like a balloon. Thankfully, he’s doing much better now and is under strict instruction not to worry me again. Ever.

Symptoms of an ill rabbit:

1. A refusal to eat.. Scamp left his breakfast, which he does occasionally, but turning down apple and hand fed pellets is unprecedented. Eating is no. 1 activity for most bunnies and their stomach stop moving pretty quick when they stop.

2. Lack of poop… sometimes I think Scamp must have hollow legs to store extra poop in from the size of the pile he can leave in one visit. Lack of poop means the gut isn’t moving poop along… a sure sign something isn’t working right.

3. Sitting uncomfortably.. Scamp could decide how to lie down, he moving from sitting to half way between a crouch and a stretch. Not surprising considering his poor tummy looked like a football, that’s got to be uncomfortable however you sit.

4. It’s the weekend and/or middle of night… okay only joking on this one but how is they always seem to pick when the vet is closed to start looking off colour.

He stayed in overnight to have fluids, painkillers, gut stimulants etc. which helped his tummy go down. The vet decided Sunday morning he could come home as he was ‘sat in the back of the cage giving everyone evil looks’ and they felt at that point he was probably not eating because he was upset at being there. They were quite correct, he started eating as soon as he got home. His preference is for grass and raspberry leaves.

He was most unimpressed with his first experience of a night away from home. He had to go to the usual vet for a check up today and refused to come out the carrier – he’s not usually at all bothered by the vet. I think he can differentiate between vets though as he perked up when he realised it was his normal vet not the evil bunnynappers. He’s still not back to 100% but is eating and pooping and hoping about again. I’ve not idea what caused it. He usually has a cast iron stomach and has never had any issues before. He was in the bin the night before (don’t ask!) so he could have stolen something from there or perhaps nicked a potato without us noticing (though that hasn’t effected him before).. it’s a bit of a mystery. The vet prescribed dandelion root extract at his check up which is apparently a appetite stimulant. Anyone tried that before? It’s not something I’ve come across.

We went to a different emergency vet than usual. It seems pretty standard now for vets to contract out emergency care. It used to be out of hours you’d get a phone message with a vets personal number to call and you’d get them out of bed to meet at the surgery. Now there are specialist out of hours vets that provide an out of hours service for many local vets and your call is automatically directed to them. Makes you feel better about calling in the middle of the night but it did mean a 40-50 minute drive to the emergency practice instead of the usual 10, but this new service is only 20 minutes away, much more practical in an emergency. I would definitely recommend shopping around for emergency care before you need it. Find out if your local vet offers it and if not check out the local practices that do.

Rabbit Carriers

Tamsin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:07:03 +0000

Awhile ago Scamp’s transport case had a little accident. By accident, I mean I underestimated Scamp’s chewing abilities, again. I left the carrier in the kitchen as he was enjoying popping in and out and sitting on top. In hindsight perhaps I should have considered his previous box redesigns but it is (was) a fairly sturdy carry case. As cases go I thought is was quite nice, Scamp thought there was something missing though. It only had one exit… you can probably see where this is going. Yes, Scamp’s secure rabbit transporter now has an emergency exit.

I should point out, at no point was Scamp shut in the carry case. He was not a poor trapped bunny that wanted to escape. Nope, he just felt that the large doorway a few inches from he tail was not the best route out and proceeded to make his own exit.

Need less to say, that means a new carrier. Whilst emergency exits are usually good for health and safety, they are no so good when trying to get a rabbit to the vet. I considered going for an all wire mesh one but I think they are too open for a rabbit to feel secure and the risk of him sticking a leg through the wire is too high. After a bit of browsing I decided on this carrier from Wilkos:

It has all the basics: solid sides for a feeling of security, wire door (no point in plastic ‘mesh’ with a rabbit), plenty of ventilation holes, and it splits into two so it takes up less room when not in use. All that for £14, which isn’t too bad if someone eats it again!

I’m trying to expand the advice for bunny owners on The Rabbit House, so you can read my tips on rabbit carrier selection here.

New Litter Tray II

Tamsin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:52:22 +0000

Look what my parents bought for Scamp, a new tray Mark II. It’s slightly taller so the corner is hidden and it had metal reinforcing on part of the edge

The new litter tray didn’t last long. I think he’s got into the habit of nibbling now. He gets a little fixated on things sometimes and once he’s made his mind up it can be quite hard to distract him.

Here’s the newly decorated old new tray:

New Litter Tray

Tamsin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:37:26 +0000

Scamp got a new litter tray today. Unfortunately the customisations he had made to his old one made it a bit impractical as a litter tray. High sided tray with no corners anyone?

It’s not too bad though, his new washing up bowl.. err litter tray.. was only Â£1.60 at Tesco.Â It is exactly like the old one, except whiter, but he wasn’t entirely convinced.

An application of hay seemed to settle the matter though.

I’ve never been that impressed with pet store litter trays. They seem to underestimate either the height a rabbit can lift its tail or how much extra space is needed for hay/napping. Washing up bowls and storage boxes provide a much better choice of sizes.

Anyone want to place a bet on how many corners will be left by tommorow morning?

Hay v. Staw

Tamsin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:08:46 +0000

I had an email about the difference between hay and straw earlier this week. It’s a topic that confuses a lot of people.

Hay

Hay is fed to rabbits as a substitute for fresh grass. It is grass that has been cut and left to dry. Good hay should be green and smell sweet, not be dusty or smell musty (excuse the pun). The greener hay is the closer it is nutritionally to grass. Old brown hay will have plenty of fibre but is not so good for providing all the other nutrients a rabbits needs. It’s also less tasty… not that I’ve personally tried it.

There are different types of grass such as Timothy, Meadow and Orchard. Sometimes grass is also grown with legumes like Alfalfa. This increases the protein level which makes it too fattening to feed as the main diet for the average adult rabbit, although it can be good for growing youngsters or putting weight on an older rabbit. Alfalfa is also higher in calcium, again good for growing youngsters but too much can be bad for adults.

Straw

Straw is the stalks from grain crops after the grain heads have been taken off. It’s yellow and the stalks are hollow like a drinking straw. Straw is great for insulating so it is used for bedding to keep rabbits warm on cold winter nights. Straw has a lower nutritional value than hay so it’s not suitable to feed as a replacement for grass. If you use it for bedding, add some hay on top for your rabbit to snack on. It’s perfectly safe if your rabbit does nibble the straw a bit too though.

Rabbit Proofing Kitchen Cupboards

Tamsin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:09:11 +0000

Scamp likes to chew, and as far as he’s concerned the bottom edges of my kitchen cabinets are just perfect for gnawing on. I don’t share his enthusiasm, so I had some custom cupboard protectors made. They are clear perspex (in the first picture it still has the blue protective film on) with a small lip the depth of the door. They are held on with clear sticky pads.

I had them made to order from a perspex ebay seller. There are lots to choose from and many sellers will cut to size if you ask. You can also pick perspex up in a DIY store.

They have been up for awhile now and successfully Scamp-proofed the doors (he’s moved on to the skirting). I have to peel them off occassionally to clean behind but in general they look neat and work great.

Rabbit Holiday Boarding

Tamsin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:20:47 +0000

Are you planning a trip this summer? If so, do you have your rabbit’s holiday care arranged?

You have two options:

1. Get someone to visit your bunny at your home.

Pros: You rabbit stays in a familar environment minimising stress
Cons: Finding someone willing to check your rabbit twice a day for signs of illness and to make sure they have water and hay can be difficult. Ideally this should be done by someone familiar with rabbits so they can spot abnormal behaviour that may indicate your rabbit is unwell. A neighbour or friend may be convenient but unless you’re very lucky they may not know much about rabbits.

2. Book your bunny in to a holiday boarding facility.

Pros: A experienced and professional facility should take good care of your bunny.
Cons: Finding such a facility can be difficult. Some rabbits may find moving accommodation stressful.

More advice on choosing rabbit holiday boarding facilities.

Which ever option you choose you should quiz your rabbits careers carefully to make sure they understand your rabbits needs. Give a detailed list of what your rabbit can and cannot eat and in what quantities. Leave your vets details and contact details for you or an experienced bunny owning friend in case they have problems.

BBC Wildlife’s Ruthless Rabbits

Tamsin — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:36:26 +0000

I picked up a copy of BBC Wildlife today. It features an article by Dr Diana Bell on the territorial behaviour of wild rabbits. Bell has studied a colony of (European) wild rabbits at the University of East Anglia for the past 23 years.

The European Rabbit is the same species as our domestic pets, so understanding their behaviour can provide a helpful incite into the behaviour of our pet bunnies.

For example, Bell describes how male rabbits:

patrol their territory boundaries, scent-marking them with urine and secretions from their chin and anal glands to ensure that their neighbours respect these borders.

Behaviour which I’m sure is very familar to those who have lived with an unneutered buck.

Another interesting part is the social structure within the warren. The males and the females each have a social heirachy (pecking order) which they may fight to maintain. This provides a potential explanation for male-female (neutered) pairs are the most successful match in pet rabbits. Two or more of the same sex rabbits would naturally form a heirachy and if they don’t agree who’s boss that’s when fights can occur.