First Trip to the Vets. Advice please.

[New Bunny Mum]

Pancakes is going to the vets tomorrow for the first time for her vaccinations.

Being the stroppy teenager that she is he is pretty hard to catch and to hang onto at the moment and I’m a bit nervous about getting her into her carry case.

Has anyone got any advice on how to make the whole experience as stress free as possible for the both of us?

Thanks

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Put a cardboard box stuffed with greens, hay, a couple treats, bunny walks in, scoop up box and go to vet

[Stickerbunny]

I just put the carrier in the floor, with a towel folded in it, door open and some hay in there. Both of my buns walk right in every time. If yours is a bit reluctant, you could add a treat to it – craisin etc . I find it works best if I am not really close to the carrier when I want them to walk in, else they feel “trapped”. And I always take a treat for after the exam for my buns, so they get rewarded for being poked.

[bunnyfriend]

Is this also a pre-spay checkup?

[New Bunny Mum]

Bunny friend: She is having her first injection tomorrow, then in 14 days I’m taking her back for her second, and they will do her pre op then. Her spay is booked for the first week of feb.

Tomorrow I’m going to get the vet to give her a general check up, and to cut her nails and show me how to do it.

[CocoVermont802]

When i had to do this for the first time i took a card board box (not to big) and put a towel in. I was in a bit of a rush so luckly i herded her into the box and then flipped it up and put the lid on. I put acouple small holes into the box: Advice dont make them to big as I did she started to get curious in the car and stick her head out!!!!

Good luck!

[New Bunny Mum]

I have a proper plastic carrier for her – I was worried about her chewing her way out of a cardboard one.

I have had it open in the kitchen for a couple of days to get her used to it, and have put in a blanket that she has had in her room for a while and that she has slept on, so it should smell friendly to her.

The carrier has a front door opening, and also a top opening. Worse case scenario I will just have to catch her and cram her in!

Oh God!

[bunnyfriend]

Don’t worry, I have a bunny who pretty much is no touchy and is incredibly hard to pick up but the treat trick works sometimes and other times I just have to scoop her up as fast as I can, hold onto her tightly, and put in her the carrier. Good luck!!!

[Elrohwen]

Otto hates getting into the carrier, but I corner him in his pen and shove his little bum in there and he’s fine. Sometimes I open the top of the carrier, throw a towel over him when he’s close to it, then quickly pick him up and drop him in, the remove the towel from the carrier.

I also have Hannah who is very bad about being picked up (though, funny enough, she runs right into the carrier on her own every time). At the vet she’s tough, but they get through her exam. I also tell them that she’ll be great if they can pick her up as little as possible and that helps – if she has all four feet on the counter she’s pretty placid. The vet techs are good about squirmy bunnies and she’s tough, but they handle her eventually.

[New Bunny Mum]

UPDATE:
She was absolutely fine at the vets, hopped into her case without any problems (following a craisin!) and behaved like a complete angel at the vets for her exam and injection.

Her spay is booked for the 6th Feb. I’m really, really nervous!

[Monkeybun]

Glad the first visit went well

The spay should go fine, if the vet is rabbit savvy. Both my girls made it through just perfectly, and Monkey is a tiny little thing.

Sending good spay vibes your way

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