Bun gone wild.

[Jenii Rose]

Hello,

I’m sure a lot of what I’m about to say has been mentioned in previous posts, but there’s a few things I wanted to address altogether and felt it wiser to just make a whole new post. I apologise in advance for my somewhat unnecessarily long post.

I have a mini lop, Theo, who celebrated his first birthday a few days ago. Previously we lived in a rented house and Theo was only let out his cage when I was around to supervise (which was a lot of the time), but since moving, he now has his own room and has been given completely free roam. The room is spacious with lots of levels and a windowsill for him to lie across and he seemed pretty content with his new space, however over the past week he’s been displaying quite destructive behaviour – he’s knocking things off shelves, sneaking under cabinets, chewing well hidden wires, throwing his food bowl around, and he just won’t seem to sit still with me. He’ll climb all over me and start chewing/tugging on my hair. Theo has already gone through the dreaded puberty – I’ve endured the humping, spraying and moody thumping. After his castration I litter trained him again, and he’s been so good ever since – but along with his recent destructive behaviour, he’s now pooing all over the place – in piles, and little droplets here and there. I cleaned out his litter tray in case it was his way of telling me it’s too full, only to discover he then wee’d on my cushion and one of the sheets lay on top of a surface for him. This behaviour is very unlike him, he’s usually a very relaxed, loving little guy, who loves nothing more than to lie next to me watching a film and shower me with licks. Has anyone else experienced a similar shift in behaviour unrelated to puberty?

To give you a bit of a backstory, Theo was diagnosed with Pasturella (snuffles) just 2 weeks after I bought him, and was on a course of medication for a month, but has been happy and healthy up until recently. Two weeks ago he started to get the snuffles again, and along with this had began shaking his head vigorously and scratching the backs and insides of his ears. I took him to the vets, and they gave him treatment for ear mites, despite there being no sign of ear mites? Needless to say it did nothing. I then got a repeat prescription of his medication (baytril) and he has been on that for the past 2 weeks to prevent any build up of bacteria inside him or spreading. Unfortunately Theo now dislikes being picked up, because he associates it with him medication, so I’ve started to mix it in with his food instead. Could it be a reaction to the medication that’s sending him crazy? Or do you think it may be something more severe and linked to his health as a whole?

Theo is very jerky recently, restless, and startles easily. He still loves food and is constantly eating, but he isn’t as quick to wolf down his nuggets like he used to.

I should also add that since moving we’ve had to change vets, and after the whole ear mites thing, I’m reluctant to pay to get any sort of help or advice from them – they just seem to not know the first thing about bunnies. The vet wouldn’t even let Theo sit on the table, she just gave him a quick check and shoved him back in his cage…. Horrible.

Anyway, I’m struggling to understand this complete shift in behaviour, and any advice or words of wisdom would be much appreciated!!

[Deleted User]

I wish there was something I could say to help, but I would be interested to know how you get on as my boy Red has snuffles (2 weeks on Baytrill now and he’s not fully better) – Just out of intrest, did he fully recover with the Baytril?
Red has been on it 2 weeks now and his nose did dry up but he was still having sneezing fits (albeit not as often), the last few days (whilst still on Baytril) he’s got a damp nose again, still sounds snotty occasionally & still sneezes… i’m worried that he may not actually be swallowing the meds

[Odette]

Jenii Rose, is there another vet available? The ear shaking sounds like an ear infection from the snuffles. That would possibly explain the behavioral changes too. Ear infections in rabbits are difficult.

My rabbit before Odette had snuffles when she was around 2 years old. It was terrifying, but she recovered and never had another issue with snuffles in her eight years. I wish both Theo and Red a return to their happy, healthy selves.

[Jenii Rose]

AxGizmo,

The initial dose of Baytril Theo was on didn’t do much, so they upped the dosage and that seemed to do the trick. He still has the odd sneezing fit, but there’s no discharge and he’s in good health otherwise, so no real cause for concern. Does Red get sore eyes too? I found when Theo was at his worse he’d get very sore, red eyes, mainly due to him rubbing his face and spreading the discharge from his nose to his eyes. I was pretty disheartened when Theo was first diagnosed because I thought he was going to spend the rest of his life on medication, but actually, aside from that initial episode, he’s been full of life and seems in great health – you wouldn’t be able to tell he was ill. The only sad part about it is that he can never have a companion due to him being contagious – I think his behaviour would improve if he had a little play mate.
If there hasn’t been much of an improvement in Red after 2 weeks I would go back to your vets and ask for a higher dosage – you should see an improvement within 6 days usually, so 2 weeks is a long time for him to remain ill whilst on baytril. I hope Red gets better soon, there is light at the end of the tunnel, I promise!

Odette,

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately I’m quite limited in terms of Vets because I’ve moved back to my family home in the country, and can’t currently drive so can only really get him to the vets within walking distance. I will try to arrange to get a lift to a better vets soon because I agree his behaviour could stem from a potential infection in his ear. When I took him to the vets I explained that I thought his ear problem might be related to his Pasturella and that the bacteria may have spread to his ears, but the vet simply dismissed it by saying “if he’s not showing any serious signs of the snuffles right now, ie nasal discharge, then it won’t be that. It’s most likely ear mites”. She didn’t even check the inside of his ears properly with special equipment which is the main reason why I took him there – she just had a look in his ear the same way I had been and sent me on my way with ear mite medication.

Just out of interest, did Odette ever spend time with any other bunnies after he was diagnosed with snuffles?
I’m considering looking for other bunnies near by with Pasturella, just so Theo can have a little friend besides me (as much as I enjoy being groomed and having my hair ripped out my head whilst I watch tv, haha)

[Odette]

Jenii Rose, I hear you about the vet. I have been there. I know its stressful.

You mentioned Theo’s red eyes. That discharge is what backs up and causes the ear infection. Kind of like how we can get ear infections from a sinus infection, except ear infections in bunnies are much more dangerous. If Theo is dizzy or disoriented from an ear infection that would easily explain the bun gone wild behavior.

My bunny, Manon, who lived eight years was the bunny who had snuffles. I didn’t get Odette until several years after Manon passed away. But, snuffles is highly contagious. I know you’re cautioned to quarantine bunnies with snuffles, so I wouldn’t personally bring another rabbit in on Theo just yet. Plus that bunny could give Theo something else while Theo’s immune system is down. I don’t know if pastuerella survives in the bunny in some level (I think so?), but Manon never exhibited any signs again. Even when her immune system was down in older age, she did not get sick. I think there are milder forms and Manon must have had a lesser case because she was well within about ten days. So, I would let Theo get well before bringing another bunny in. He’s had a lot of excitement with the move and snuffles, he probably isn’t really in a good place to adjust to a new friend just yet. He is young and neutered, so I’m sure a little more time won’t affect bonding.

Also, I know about the hair ripping! I once fell asleep on a floor pillow while playing with Manon. I woke up and she had chewed off a big swatch of my hair! I had to go get my long hair bobbed because she took it from the crown! My hairstylist had a good laugh and told me my bunny gave a pretty even cut. Odette is only 16 weeks old, so I don’t know if she’s a hair chewer yet. Probably

[Jenii Rose]

Thank you for such a detailed and informative response. You’re right, it wouldn’t be the right time for Theo to have a companion – I feel a lot better knowing he’s not being deprived, it’s the right thing to do.
I can’t believe you managed to lose a chunk of your hair. I’ve taken note and will never again fall asleep around Theo, haha.

To give you an update, I found a brilliant vets in the next village and they’ve confirmed Theo has an ear infection – his inner ears are really inflamed, sore and full of gunk. The vet took a look at it under a microscope and luckily there’s no sign of live ear mites, but they’ve given me some medication and he should be fine in no time.

I think his erratic and disruptive behaviour may be due him being in a lot of pain so let’s hope that gets better soon too.

Thanks again for all your advice and help. It’s much appreciated!

[Odette]

I am glad you found a fantastic vet. I know that’s a huge relief.

Thank you for the update! I was worried Theo had an ear infection. Give Theo a gentle pet and tell him I hope he feels well again very soon.

[Author]

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