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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR How to tell if your bun is genuinely depressed?

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    • MimzMum
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        Mimzy has been off and on sulky of late. I have been out of his favorite hay for a few days and the next shipment is going to take awhile (my bad for not getting this done sooner) and so I’ve been trying to tempt him with other hays and treats to keep him eating. He still looks bony to me and seems so moody, even before I ran out of the hay. I’m trying to keep his joint pain under control, but I can’t give him even small doses of his metacam if he’s not eating much. (his tummy is sensitive to it)

        Today I took another tack and unwrapped his timothy tunnel, which I was saving to put in the exercise pen as extra fun after bonding sessions. He immediately took it and began trashing it (typical behavior for him-he hates things in his night hab that he feels don’t belong there) and he’s nomming some of it, so at least there’s some indigestible fiber going through, right? That way I don’t have to worry about gut slowdown if he’s not eating much of his less than favorite hays. (by the way, input may be lower, but ouput seems okay)

        I also gave him a straw mat and he’s throwing that around as well. When he took a break from these, I put the tunnel up on his shelf (which now just holds things like freeze bottles, he can’t get up on it where I placed it) and went to finish cleaning bunny litterboxes…I suddenly heard a loud noise in the bunny room and realized he was trying to pull it back down again! (scared me to death…sounded like something heavy fell over in there) He was put out that I’d taken it away! So I returned it and he’s still beating it up…I can hear him from where I am now at the computer.

        But when I got up this morning, he looked like the most lackluster creature I’d ever laid eyes on. He was loafed, but with his head pointing down to the floor and didn’t seem to want to say hello to me, which he usually does. His fur, while clean, seems unkempt and his eyes dull…he hasn’t eaten last night’s hay, so since he pooped all through it I tossed that and added fresh. But now he is up and throwing this tunnel about and his cardboard tube and his straw mat and you’d not think he was sullen and gloomy even two hours ago.

        What gives? Was he a bit bored waiting for me to finish with him and the other bunnies and Jenna? Plus today is a lot cooler than previous days and overcast. Could it be the weather? Usually cooler days bring on an abundance of activity that I don’t have to initiate (in fact, he wakes me up with it.) I’ve been trying my best to keep him cool during our warmer temps by freeze bottles and open windows, he gets really uncomfortable in the heat, but he developed a more runny nose lately and I wasn’t sure if it was too drafty in the bunny room…so I try to keep the window set so it doesn’t blow right on him. Today there’s no wind, but he still has goobers and I notice he is almost snoring when asleep..new for him. I can’t tell contented grunts from agitated ones anymore, because both come out with the same ’emo’ presentation. I don’t know…I am confused because now he seems fine.

        How does one tell if a bunny is truly depressed? I would’ve been ready to haul him off to the vet until he began roughhousing today. He is his old self now…is he just playing me?

        At any rate, I’ve got to get xpens set up, but I just wanted to post here and get some input. What do your bunnies do when they are unhappy? How can you tell if it’s just boredom or serious illness? For me, I get to watch him utterly destroy this timothy tunnel (dang, should’ve gotten more than one)…what do you do?


      • RabbitPam
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          Hi, MM. First, I don’t think he’s depressed. I actually think you hit on an elegant solution that you didn’t let him fully enjoy, that is, he needed more hay to tide him over until the shipment arrived and he got it in the form of a tasty timothy tunnel. He is eating it and playing with it vigorously, which can tire him out. So, after a full meal of tunnel treat, plus his aches probably flared up a bit due to his unexpected activity, he was logey this morning. Then either his meds kicked in and he felt up to tunnel tussle again, or he just was ready for more. I think it is a healthy sign considering he is not in the best of shape. Not new illness mind you, just coping with his various chronic things like his nose and his aches. So it sounds like you did him a favor and need to keep letting him rough house with his new timothy treasure. Or eat it. I like how he sounds, and would worry less hearing this, not more.

          To answer “How to tell if your bun is genuinely depressed?”
          If he goes to the corner bar and starts drinking boilermakers at 2 in the afternoon, he’s depressed.


        • littlemissflip
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            Has his appetite slowly decreased over time? Our first bunny seemed to gradually become a little depressed like this, but with enough periodic spurts of energy and excitement that we didn’t realize anything was wrong… we just thought he was mellowing out as he got a little older. He just seemed a little more lethargic, and he was still eating, but…not as much as he used to… it was so gradual…

            …and to make a long, very sad story short, we discovered too late that he had a badly overgrown tooth. He passed away after complications from GI stasis and the extraction surgery.

            So, if these periods of “depression” or lethargy have been happening for awhile, and/or if his appetite seems depressed… might be worth having the teeth checked out??


          • MimzMum
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              Thanks littlemissflip, but yeah, he just had his molars filed last month. Unless those have regrown, I don’t think it’s the teeth. But I think I will speak to the vet this weekend.
              Thanks to you too, Pam, he is still pretty miserable looking this evening, so I need to just check in with her for my own peace of mind. He is really having sneezing and goober problems, so at least we should try to recheck that and make sure his lungs are clear. Usually when the nose gets bad, he doesn’t eat much.


            • Monkeybun
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                Maybe he perked up at having something new to destroy? Could be he has been bored… Moosie gets to resembling a lump if he is bored. I need to rotate toys out for him alot to keep hm occupied.


              • LittlePuffyTail
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                  Well my bf would tell you what he always tells me when I ask such questions “Stop trying to interpret everything they do…”. Sometimes I realize he’s rights. We just worry because we love our bunnies.

                  If he’s still interested in good food like veggies and treats then I doubt he’s actually depressed. Bindi goes through phases where I get concerned sometimes where he’s just less active and seems to be brooding and not as responsive to my attention. Maybe it’s a lop thing?


                • MimzMum
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                    *sigh* I know, I am probably reading too much in…it’s just that he’s been ailing for so long (as has Fiver) and it makes it impossible for me to sleep well worrying that he’s just hiding something I can’t see properly, and by the time I do, it’ll be too late.
                    I noticed this morning early, he was really kicking his rear legs trying to get comfortable…maybe just needs a dose of metacam today, but I hate giving him that because it makes him so dopey and he loses interest in eating. So it’s a choice of lesser evils.

                    And lol…Pam, I think I should refer to my terrible trio from here on out as the boilermakers…because when I think they are ill but they are hiding it, it makes my blood boil. >.<


                  • BinkyBunny
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                      It doesn’t sound like he’s depressed to me either. Sounds like he has the energy to cause a real ruckus when inclined. A depressed bunny would be less likely to show as much interest (especially the part when Mimz sought out the tunnel that was stored away). Bunnies can go through lulls and as long as he is eating, pooping and otherwise seems normal, then it’s probably just him dealing with some of his chronic ailments. I think that it’s obvious you watch him closely and if something is really wrong, stops pooping and loses appetite and some of the symptoms that are more serious, you will know. But I understand balancing that fine line — it can be very frustrating. And of course, when it doubt, call the vet. (which I know you do)


                    • Elrohwen
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                        I agree with the others that he doesn’t seem depressed – he seems pretty happy and active to me! Bunnies are very good at looking sad and grumpy when they’re trying to sleep, but it seems like he was just tired and taking a nap (which is normal since he probably got more activity than he’s used to with his new toy).

                        Like BB said, I think you’ll know when it’s something serious, but as he’s eating and pooping and playing with his new toy vigorously, I think he’s doing ok.


                      • MimzMum
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                          Thanks guys, I appreciate all the input.

                          Well I may actually have a reason for all his brooding. I have been lax in posting the ‘after’ pix because I’ve spent at least two full days just grooming him during exercise times. Allow me to explain:
                          Most of the time, Mimzy’s fur seems pretty normal to me. I see all three bunnies shed at roughly the same time each year and I figured I was doing okay with either the furminator or my love glove in removing the excess fur. Boy was I wrong! >.<
                          I have been afraid to try the hairbuster comb because it has such sharp tines that I was certain I would poke through his delicate skin. I am clumsy as a groomer at best. But I figured, jeez, I bought TWO of these (one for kitties) and I haven’t had the guts to even try them..how lame is that? (please don’t answer…rhetorical question…lol)
                          So I began gently pulling the comb through his fur the other day while he was out for binkies. I didn’t expect much, he’d just gone through his seasonal shed recently and all seemed to be smoothed out. The comb does pull a bit and it’s a new sensation to get used to for both of us. At first he did not like it and kept running from me, but remembering the tutorials here and Jen’s admonition to be sure and hold the fur down above the comb and pull in a lateral movement down the growth of fur just as I’d have to do with my daughter’s hair when she was young and it would get tangled. Now Mimz had no matting per se, but apparently he’s built up a bit of undercoat. And as I combed, it just kept coming off….
                          …and coming off…and off…and still coming off…what the…?
                          Well by the time I’d taken at east ten bunnies’ worth off his back, he was much silkier and seemed to be feeling much better. He sat with Fiver a bit and came to me for bunny massage for awhile and then would jump around (I made sure to get some off his legs as well) and seemed to be moving easier. I thought, holy cow, this fur must’ve been terribly hot to him plus keeping him from moving and stretching as well as he would normally be able to without it? (I have seen him get more vigorous with his own grooming as well, nipping at the legs and backside…I thought it was just his arthritis paining him?)
                          We had a repeat session for about three hours last night…even MORE fur is coming off, to the point he’s got a bit of bare spot in the middle of his back, but it doesn’t appear overgroomed, all this fur just came off there, like it had come off his gimpy leg before… So I just brush until the easy stuff comes out, to a bit more of the harder/more tenacious fur, then let him have some time to romp. He seems happier, if only by the photos I’ll crop and post later.
                          Also I was distressed to see his ear flap backs seem bare. I don’t think there’s as much fur there, over the years, as there is on the fronts of the flap because he’s always digging at them. He still has the dry crusties on the tips of his ear flaps and I notice he grooms them a lot, almost nervously. When I felt the ears, they were very warm, so I put a little water on the flaps to help cool him. It is not very hot here by any means in the last few days, in fact we had rain and cool temps most of the day and last night, but I guess my personal barometer and his are very different. He is just too warm, even at a mild 74 degrees F.

                          So I’ll keep grooming as long as the fur keeps coming…but already he seems happier. He still looks beat at the end of the day, but I realized that little corner he sits in in the morning is his waiting corner for me. It’s the first one he can both see me, or for me to see him, when I enter or leave the room. And his eye is always looking right out the door, or over at the bed, at me. His litter box ‘yoga’ position is always there, whether he’s had metacam or not. His sleeping shelf ramp used to stop right there, so he’s sleeping in his usual place where he’d normally be under it, but now he can incline his head rather than lay it flat on the floor. It may just be his new position.

                          So let’s hope this is all it was…for both his mood and his overall health.
                          One more thing, I had to clean his anals by the back door last night…e.g. I couldn’t get him to trance, so while he was puddling during massage, I would sneak back to his tail and kind of lift it a bit till I could see the glands and then scooped them as best I could, which was surprisingly easy (and stinky! whew! He’s never been that bad before!). lol…
                          But I see that any physical contact with his bum tends to cause a poop to come out…gross I know, but I think he may have a slightly prolapsed anus/rectal sphincter. Is that possible? May explain why there are pooties all over his night hab instead of in the box where they belong. I’ve watched him and he really doesn’t even get up to deposit them there, he just goes wherever he happens to be. I wonder if he even realizes he’s doing it?

                          Okay…pix in next post. Thanks again everyone!


                        • Monkeybun
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                            I hope it IS the excess fur causing him to seem all weird. Hopefully he’ll be more himself now


                          • MimzMum
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                              Maybe you have to be day to day with him to tell a difference between my first photos and this one but….

                              Look who’s all bright eyed and bushy tailed now!

                              Mimz… Did you just ROLL your eyes at me?

                              Guess so…humph! Fine, ignore me then….*sniffle*

                              Fiver waiting his turn patiently

                              This morning’s smile rates a four paws up! (please ignore mess, this was before the daily cleaning again)

                              Is it just me? Does anyone else see a difference? Maybe it’s just me……


                            • Monkeybun
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                                He looks so sleek and shiny

                                …I like shinies…

                                *bunnynaps*

                                Fiver looks so cute waiting his turn


                              • MimzMum
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                                  Thanks MB! ^_^
                                  Ooops, just realized I was referencing photos from my “Bunny Yoga” posting in this same section…I got those mixed up. >.<
                                  His ‘before’ photos are in that post. My bad. No coffee today.


                                • Michelle&Lolli
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                                    Dare I say that he looks smaller? LOL But he’s definitely a handsome boy!

                                    I was also going to say that Eddie had perfected the “sad lop look” so not to necessarily fall for it. I know Mimzy has other issues going on, but Eddie would have me thinking he was all sick and all he wanted was major snuggles and treats. 15 minutes later, he was absolutely fine. And all I’d fall for was that look, no other problems. Just him looking all sad and pitiful and depressed. LOL

                                    You need to post more pics of your bunnies! Fiver is adorable and I don’t think I’ve seen any pics of Pip. *poke poke poke*


                                  • MimzMum
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                                      I know, my picture quotient is sadly lacking behind other members’. >.<
                                      Pip is next for the Hairbuster treatment. She also has a lot of extra fluff that needs removal. She is not anywhere near as cooperative as Mimzy, so you can imagine the tussle I’m up for. 0_o;
                                      Fortunately, Fiver doesn’t need the comb to have his fur done, I don’t think it would be wise to use this comb on a mini-rex anyway. Since he’s been on his ‘timothy only’ diet, his coat is almost as sleek as Remy’s!


                                    • Michelle&Lolli
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                                        I use the hair buster on Lolli and she’s a mini rex. But I have found that it only really works when she’s shedding really bad. It helps to get the tufts out. But it does nothing if she’s not full on shedding. Like right now she’s just starting to shed again and for whatever reason, the comb won’t do much. And anyways…I try to pluck as much as I can off her first. Then use the comb when she’s all fuzzy looking since mini rex fur just sticks EVERYTHING.

                                        Since switching her to Oxbow pellets, she’s looking VERY sleek and glossy. And I swear she feels softer. I never really thought a high quality pellet would make that much of a difference but it does.

                                        I don’t post many pics of Lolli cause my digital camera isn’t very good and she’s always in her box anyways. Plus it’s hard to find the time and get them to cooperate. LOL So post if and when you can! No biggie!


                                      • MimzMum
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                                          I’ll give it a good try! My bunnies like to hide away too, so the best time to get them is either first thing in the a.m. or last thing in the p.m. Otherwise they look like three throw pillows.

                                          Fiver tends to turn and lunge when I’m trying to get fur off him without restraint, so I fear he’d poke his own eye out with the comb tines. The only way I can do this safely, for both of us, is when he’s getting a bunny massage from me. I tuck him into my lap or on the bed between my knees and just pull it off as I pet him. That way nobody gets hurt.


                                        • Michelle&Lolli
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                                            Oh I have to put Lolli on my lap and hold her. And I now put a towel down since she likes to start biting. LOL I have to hold her to pluck her too.

                                            (Didn’t mean to hijack your thread with the grooming talk. )


                                          • LittlePuffyTail
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                                              He looks so nice and shiny! Hope it helps him feel better.

                                              Love Fiver’s Min-Rex induced disapproval. So cute.

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                                          Forum BEHAVIOR How to tell if your bun is genuinely depressed?