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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

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 Breathing

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    • Kbana
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        Hi Again!! It has been forever since I’ve been here! The new job has been crazy and Al has been his old mellow self.

        I hope everyone is well!

         

        Anyhoo,

        On a sad note, we recently lost our dog suddenly. Long story but we think our vet missed the boat.

        On the plus side, that means that we have no dogs in the house right now so I’ve been bringing Al upstairs the last few days. I’ve set up the play pen in the living room and I just leave the door open when I’m here. He has been getting braver and braver and expanding his searching areas. ha! He is getting better about getting picked up too and will cuddle with me on the couch.

        I am concerned though because I can’t tell if he is in distress when I do this. He doesn’t struggle at all and will close his eyes while I pet him, but he seems to be breathing so quickly. I am worried I am stressing him out or scaring him. Since he has never been a lover of being picked up, I just want to make sure I am not scaring him into submission. LOL! What do you think?

         

        Thanks for your thoughts! I’ve missed BB! I need to be better about visiting!

         

        xo Kate and Albert.


      • Kitty
        Participant
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          My Pippin does the same. he does breathe very fast when I pick him up. It’s cause rabbits hate being picked up. I think they will either get used to it, or I will stop picking mine up as i don’t like to see him stressed and scared.


        • Kbana
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            Thanks! I’m hoping he will at least get used to getting picked up so I can bring him upstairs. I won’t force him to cuddle with me.


          • Deleted User
            Participant
            22064 posts Send Private Message

              OMG OMG OMG!!! Do you know how much I have missed YOU???

              I am SO sorry for your loss Kate, how terribly sad.
              Ummm….. sounds like your doing better than I ever have with Henry??? Lol!
              I reckon ‘go for it’! If he’s not happy I’m sure you will be the first to know.

              Please, do NOT be such a stranger…. I think of you all the time. xo


            • tanlover14
              Participant
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                A much easier way to do this would be to clicker train him to hop into your lap. If you Google clicker training, there are lots of sites to help teach you the steps. You are basically rewarding them for getting on your lap. They associate your lap with good things & they will be much more likely to be calm & accepting! It’s GREAT for developing a bond with your bunny


              • LBJ10
                Moderator
                16870 posts Send Private Message

                  OMG, hi Kbana!!! How are you and Albert? I’m so sorry to hear about your doggie.

                  Not sure about the fast breathing, but you could always try providing him with a step or something to encourage him to get on the couch with you. You can give him treats too. Treats always help.


                • Kbana
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                    Hi guys!! I’ve missed all of you! We are good. I’ve been bringing AL upstairs for the last three nights but tonight I went to go get him and he hissed at me, thumped, and ran into his maze. He seems to like exploring while he is up here though…he eats and grooms and drinks and hops around. He likes the fireplace hearth since it is cold stone. Last night he just loafed there and didn’t hop around much. But he didn’t seem upset…So I am not sure if he just hates the being picked up part to get him upstairs, or if he just hates the whole thing.

                    I didn’t bring him up tonight because I didn’t want to force him, but It is soooo much easier to have him upstairs with us. (Hubby won’t let him live upstairs still. He wants to keep the hay in the basement) We do have some up here in his second litter box, but that is as far as I’ve been able to push the hubby.
                    Do you think I should keep bringing him upstairs? I don’t want him to associate me with being scared.

                    AndHenry! I searched for you the other night but couldn’t find you. I was going to leave you a message to say hi!!
                    Sorry I’ve been a stranger!

                    For some reason I’m not getting notifications when you guys post. So I have to keep reminding myself to check BB! I used to get them…


                  • Kbana
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                      Here is a video of AL exploring the living room. Let me know if you can’t see it on Youtube…

                      https://youtu.be/y236vPCpWzE 


                    • Bam
                      Moderator
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                        Hi Kbana! I’m so sorry about your dog. We often have to trust our vets blindly and it’s just awful when they miss out on sth they ought to have seen.

                        I can see the video. He’s so cute! He looks like my Bam =)

                        Bam can also hyperventilate if I pick him up, but he doesn’t always. Sometimes lately he’s seemed to like to sit in my lap and be pet, esp if a treat is involved. My bunnies are never scared into submission I think (at least I’ve never seen the slightest hint of “involuntary” submission: If there’s sth they don’t like, they will make it very clear.)


                      • Kbana
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                          Hi Bam! I’m glad you can see it. It does seem that he is so scared when I pick him up because he is perfectly still and then clutches to me with his front feet. But when I put him down he is either curious or loafs forever on the fireplace. Is it worth picking him up so he can be upstairs with us?

                          And yes, we do have to trust our vets blindly. It is so tough.
                          We’ve had to put down a dog because of advanced cancer, but have never lost a perfectly healthy dog to someone’s mistake/misdiagnosis.


                        • Kbana
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                            This seems to be his “home base” when he is upstairs. He scrambles back to it whenever he gets spooked or we get too close. If we let him come to us though and hop around then he is fine.

                             <img src="data:

                             


                          • Bam
                            Moderator
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                              Since he seems interested in exploring when he’s upstairs, I’d consider it worth it to pick him up to take him upstairs. They do get used to being handled esp if the result of the handling is sth nice. Like getting to be upstairs with you. When I take Bam to visit my mum he’s not overjoyed when I catch him and put him in the carrier, but once we’ve arrived at my mum’s house he binkies (he’s nLnot a bunny that binkies a lot otherwise) and really seems to enjoy himself.
                              Plus bunnies love to be with their families, so I would think it’d be a pity not to bring him upstairs with you.


                            • Kbana
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                                Do you think he’ll become less scared of us? He is NEVER scared of us downstairs and binkies when he sees us. Up here it is clear he is mad at us and wants nothing to do with us and is super skittish. But he eats, drinks, explores and really likes to flop in his “spot.” Think he is just scared since he isn’t used to being up here yet? I just want him to be happy.


                              • LBJ10
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                                  He might be skittish because he is unfamiliar with the surroundings. Downstairs, he knows what and where everything is.


                                • Kbana
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                                    That is what I’m hoping LB. He was upstairs from 11 this morning until 10 tonight. Most of the time he stuck to the fireplace or playpen but at times he would venture out. I wanted to take a nap today on the couch but didn’t want him out when was asleep just in case and he was NOT happy I closed the play pen door on him. He eventually gave up when he realized that chewing on the bars wasn’t going to get him anywhere. Hopefully if I just keep at it he will get used to being up here with us and be comfy in both places. I wish I could just keep him up here full time but hubby won’t have it. oh well. At least he likes it when he comes up and visits! Which is an improvement! Thanks guys for all your advice!!

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                                Forum BEHAVIOR Breathing