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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Blind and Mistreated

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    • BunniesInTheBreakroom
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         I wasn’t sure where to post this one, but this is about my newest lop Zelda. She is around 8 months, female, and probably came from a pet store. I adopted her just last week. Here is what happened:

        A girl I went to school with posted a few pictures of her bunny Zelda on Facebook several months ago. In the picture you could see that Zelda was in a VERY small wire cage. I can’t stress how small it actually was. Probably not even large enough for her to lay down. I contacted the owner, like I said I knew her from school,  and asked if I could come meet her bunny. 

        She knew from my facebook that I loved bunnies and about a month later she invited me over. When I got there I saw that the cage was just as small as it was in the picture. The wrong kind of bedding was being used and there was no hay or veggies. Only pellets and a water bottle.

        My heart was aching and I didn’t know how to help the bunny. I thought maybe if I just explained to this girl about what bunnies really need she might get it. First I asked her how often she let Zelda out of the cage. “A couple hours before bed sometimes.” That was it. And I could tell that it was more ignorance than abuse. I explained that bunnies need exercise, and we all know what else bunnies need. So I told her everything, about the bedding, hay, chewies, so on..

        When I left I thought about Zelda all the time and hoped she was ok. I planned to go back and see if the girl had listened to me, but before the week was over, I got a call from her. She said she had no idea bunnies were so needy, and she said she didn’t want her anymore.. Poor Zelda. 8 months of living in a cage, unwanted. 

        I already had 2 bunnies and never imagined having 3! But immediatly offered to take her. I knew I could give her a good home. If not with me than with someone else. I grew to love her in just a day. When I found out she was blind (didn’t take long to guess) I knew I had to keep her! Didn’t trust anyone else with her and I knew she deserved to have an amzing life and permanant home after 8 months in a cage.. her baby years. So sad

        Anyway..Sorry this is so long but I am just now getting to the problem that I am now having..

        My other two lops are babies. About 10 weeks. Bonded. The first time I introduced Zelda to Panda, they were fine. Sniffed each other and behaved cautiosly. 

        When I introduced Dumplin and Zelda, they fought almost immediatly! And if I hadn’t pulled them apart, it would have been violent.. fur flying.

        I set Zelda up in a seperate room with plenty of space and all the hay she could ever wish for. Toys, hammocks, tubes to run through, anything she might want. But, here is my problem-

        All Zelda does is sit on her bed. She looks so loney and bored. Sometimes she lays in my lap to be pet, and she has energy to run around but just seems so sad. Do bunnies get depressed? What can I do for her? And does anyone know anything about caring for blind bunnies? I know you aren’t suppose to move the furniture around and I know about keeping a blanket or something familiar with them. Any one have any more advice for me? Shes very friendly and sweet. You can tell she craves attention and cuddles.


      • MoveDiagonally
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          Thank you for adopting Zelda! I’m sure she will have a much better life with you.

          I would NOT try to introduce her to any other bunnies at this point. I’m betting she’s not spayed so that will have to happen before she can be bonded with anyone. 

          Your other bunnies are 10 weeks? Are they male or female? You’re getting very close to puberty and if they are male/female they will need to be separated to avoid babies. If they are the same gender have you had it confirmed by a vet? Baby rabbits are often miss gendered and sometimes people think they have a male/male or female/female when they actually have a male/female. Keep in mind that even same sex rabbits that are bonded as babies can start to fight once they reach puberty.

          I think taking her to the vet for a check up would be a great idea, if you haven’t taken her in already. 

          All that said, Welcome to BB! I look forward to pictures of your babies


        • tanlover14
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            I agree with MD. I would definitely get her seen by a vet as soon as possible. The vet should also give you some ideas on how to be able to handle having a blind bunny.

            There is a GREAT organization in my area called Rabbit Wranglers. I would send them a message explaining your situation. They deal specifically with medically challenged buns. They can give you great advice on how to care for this little girl.

            Thank you so much for taking her! It’s so wonderful you stepped up and she is finally getting the care she deserves.

            https://www.facebook.com/RabbitWranglers?fref=ts

            Theres Rabbit Wranglers Facebook page. You can get some contact information off from there.


          • LittlePuffyTail
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              First of all, I want to thank you very wholeheartedly for taking Zelda in. That poor little bunny.

              I don’t have experience with blind bunnies but there are several members here that do.

              It’s normal for a bunny in new surroundings to not feel very adventurous. And being blind is obviously making her more secure in her new surroundings. Just give her time to get adjusted.

              I echo what the others said. A vet check is a very good idea.


            • BunniesInTheBreakroom
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                Thank you for all of the advice!! None of my three have been in to see a vet yet. I have called all of the vets within a 30 mile radius of my home. None have much experience with rabbits so I am unsure what the best move would be. I can either broaden my search but it is hard for me to travel so far, I have a lot on my plate; or I can choose which of the ones around here would be best. I am afraid to risk a surgery with anyone who doesn’t know what they are doing (for spay and neutering) but I did find one vet who has done a few. He is also the vet who sees my cat and I trust him very much so I believe he would let me know if he didn’t feel comfortable in doing this. However, I checked out the section here on BB on how to choose a vet and I asked him some of the questions and he really didn’t know much about the things I asked.
                I dont know if my two youngest are male or female yet and I don’t mid either way. I suspect Panda is male and Dumplin is female.. They have 4 weeks left before puberty right? The vet also said he wouldn’t spay until they were 3 months at least. I really don’t want to spay Zelda yet because she isn’t well adjusted to living her yet and is already stressed. I think it would be best if I worried about getting Panda and Dumplin altered for now because of the risk of babies.. I do NOT want that to happen, I know it is really hard on them and would also be too much for me with just taking in a blind 8 month old.

                Sorry for all the long texts!! I wish I had more people around me that knew more about bunnies that could help me out. I live in a small town and I think I know more about bunnies than anyone here (And I don’t know much!!) So trying to learn as much as I can. Have been reading up on bunnies religiously here on BB!!

                Thank you all!


              • supierce
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                   I don’t know much and am learning about bunnies.  However, when I got my boy, I wanted to get him neutered immediately and there was only 1 exotic vet in my town and she charged $500 which I couldn’t swing, so I googled rabbit rescues and found an amazing one about an hour away and they had a program with a vet that operates on all of their rescues for $65.  Turned out awesome so that may be an option to see if there is a good rabbit rescue group close by…


                • tanlover14
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                    You really shouldn’t feel bad about knowing so little – I did a research rabbits before getting my first three but it was still very different and confusing from what I expected. All of us have gone through that.

                    That being said – (in my personal opinion) I think three months is very risky to be spaying. Neutering but not spaying. Spaying is a much more invasive procedure and you want the female to typically gain as much weight as possible before putting her under for the surgery. My vet is very experienced and she really prefers to wait until 5 months for the females at the very least. As much as your vet is probably a nice person – I do believe if he couldn’t answer those questions, you shouldn’t use him for a procedure such as this.

                    I would call around to the closest Humane Societys or rescues that have a larger number of rabbits, explain your situation, and ask if they can point you in any direction of a qualified vet for spaying/neutering exotics or rabbits in particular. Even if you have to drive farther than anticipated, you will know your buns are getting adequate care, and it is only a day long thing. You could stay out there in the area until they are ready and pick them up to bring them home.

                    It can be very tough in some areas to find a qualified rabbit vet – but I would strongly urge you to find one and drive the distance one day even if it’s a few months away, rather than doing it sooner and having complications. Just make sure to keep them separated. And waiting a few extra months until you can come up with the money and find a good day for the procedure is perfectly fine.


                  • MoveDiagonally
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                      I would NOT go to a vet that is not rabbit savvy unless it was an emergency. I understand and sympathize with having a lot on your plate but your rabbits need care from a rabbit savvy vet. A vet that doesn’t know rabbits specifically can kill a rabbit by using the wrong anesthesia, antibiotics, etc… I agree with tanlover males can be neutered at 3 months but females should usually wait until 6 months.

                      If you are unsure about the two younger rabbit’s genders than I would separate them at NO LATER than 12 weeks. They need to be kept as separate as possible and cannot be housed near each as rabbits have been known to mate through cages. It takes 1 second for a male to impregnate a female so I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep them completely separated with zero contact even through cages.


                    • BunniesInTheBreakroom
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                        Ok I will seperate them today. I knew I needed to seperate them soon but was and still am worried about the emotional effect on two bonded rabbits being seperated. I will probably move Dumplin to another room in the house.
                        I have also heard that if bonded bunnies are seperated they have to be rebonded later and may no rebond. Is this true? And will they be depressed or lonely after I seperate them?

                        I will also wait until they are five months to get them altered. I don’t know what I would do of anything happened to Panda. He is my little joy and he follows me everywhere and likes to snuggle his face into my hand(:

                        In the mean time I will continue to search for a more rabbit save vet. It is very hard to find one! If I need to make it a trip I will do so. However, another thing that concerns me about using a vet that is so far away is what if there is an emergency? Also how often should they be seeing the vet for check ups and other things?
                        What all do they need to have done at the vet aside from spay/neuter?

                        Lots of questions! I am so thankful for this site. Before I found it I was using google and found so many conflicting answers and opinions on all topics.


                      • BunniesInTheBreakroom
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                          Also when is the safest time to get Panda (my probably male) neutered?


                        • colleenbunny
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                            I would say 4+ months, just because you don’t know if he is a male or not.


                          • MoveDiagonally
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                              They are still really young and once they’re spayed/neutered their “scents” will change and they’ll look at each other like a brand new rabbits. They will need to be re-bonded as if they’d never met.

                              Some good bonding info can be found here:
                              https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/9/PID/940/Default.aspx

                              Males can be safely neutered by a rabbit savvy at 3 months or whenever their testicles drop. Females can be spayed as early as 4 months by some vets but I’ve heard it’s best to wait until 6 months because estrogen helps them develop healthy bones.

                              If you tell us the general area you are in we might be able to help you locate rabbit savvy vets.

                              I take my rabbits in for annual exams other than that they just go in if they’re sick or I think something is wrong. You’ll want them to have a fecal test with their general well visits. I’d also have them check out Zelda’s eyes since she has vision issues. 


                            • NewBunnyOwner123
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                                Also about you worrying if there is an emergency with your rabbits and you are worried that a rabbit savvy vet is so far off. Please note that if your bunny is VERY ill and is considered an emergency do not hesitate taking your bunny to a vet. They have basic care they can provide. Like fluids and such. They can also get into contact from another vet and take instruction on what medicine to give the rabbit. Just because they are not considered an rabbit savvy vet, do not hesitate taking them if there is an emergency because they are still reliable when it comes to emergency care.

                                You may have to drive a good ways for their spay and neuters but it will definitely be worth it. I drove over and hour away for my buns. And I’m pretty sure some others have done a little further. What is your locations? Perhaps one of the members can help find a vet in your area


                              • Stickerbunny
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                                  When you find a bunny savvy vet, ask them for who they recommend in an emergency in your area. My vet knows all the emergency vets in town and has two that are less likely to mess up with a bunny, but he prefers we never have to risk it if we can help it since none are really bunny savvy.

                                  As for how often they need the vet, it depends on the rabbit. Some a yearly checkup is all they need, some may develop tooth issues that require weekly/bi-weekly trims. A healthy no special needs bun, the yearly and whenever there is an issue is fine. Mine have only been to the vet a couple of times – Powder for a checkup/neuter and Stickers for spay / checkup and again for a URI. I trim their nails myself. Our vet is a ways away, probably about 40 minutes or so by car. But he has been seeing buns for 25 years and is good with them, so it is worth it. He spays at four months if the bunny is big enough.


                                • BunniesInTheBreakroom
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                                    Thank you! We live in Sikeston MO


                                  • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                      Kudos to you for taking Zelda on!

                                      I had a blind rabbit and honestly you just have to make sure they can’t hurt themselves-you make sure stairs and any drop are blocked off, and anything that could be dangerous. I think starting off with just a room and moving up to other rooms is helpful too. When I showed videos of him, people swore he wasn’t blind. A friend of mine when I was younger had a blind rabbit and didn’t even know it until she had her in to get spayed!

                                      I just saw this product in the store the other day-they are meant for blind dogs but they are scented dots you can stick onto items in your house. It’s meant to give them a signal near an area. So whatever this stink is, means this is the bathroom, etc. You just stick the small dots on furniture, and they really won’t show up or smell to you. I think it would work perfectly for a rabbit as they have a great sense of smell as well.


                                    • tanlover14
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                                        As MD said, don’t worry about separating. They are very young and most buns become separated around this age anyways. Your buns probably have created a “baby bond”, it’s what I call a young rabbit age bond. As they age they will develop a bond that cannot be broken BUT usually at this age they are very versatile to change and will be okay emotionally. As MD also said – their scents will change when they come home from the vet and they will most likely need to be reintroduced.

                                        As NBO said, if you DO have an emergency then don’t hesitate in taking to a closer, less experienced vet. In an emergency, they should be able to get your bunny under control until he can be seen by a rabbit-savvy vet. Such as fluids or administering pains meds, ect.

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                                    Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Blind and Mistreated