Hi Welcome. Wow your little fellow is 12 years old wow. Good for y’all. Well usually it is recommended to feed timothy pellets. Oxbow has them so does Nupreem. Those are the names on the feed bags. You may find them at your petstore. Or call around. And yes gradually phase them in. You are right about them having delicate digestive systems. The hay please feed right away. The timothy is best. You can try meadow and such for variety but avoid the alfalfa everyday. As a treat now n then is fine. OH and you said his poops are soft and squishy not round and solid like br4. It could be his diet. The feed with things in it are not good for them. like the one with seeds and such  Too many calories. The hay helps prevent hairballs and keep their system working good.

On houserabbit.org they have a diet/feed section and also good vegies and toxic stuff also.  And on this site the front page has some stuff about diet too. Just click on it and away you go.

Awe your bun sounds great. No hormonal issues like spraying and such thats great.

wow! a 12 yr old bunny, that’s amazing! he sounds wonderful. I’ve been through the teenage thing with 3 of my buns and I swear whenever I adopt any more they will be older ones, wheeew. I’m too old for teenagers, even four footed ones.

Can’t wait to see photos of your guy, welcome!

Kathy

The following links are from  the House Rabbit Society’s website; http://www.rabbit.org, in the CARE section.

You might just want to start reading up on care of Elder rabbits.

welcome here! his diet is certainly not ideal, but you must be doing something right… 12 years old is typically at the top of their lifespan.

i’d also suggest you be so careful changing his diet. you might want to start by picking out the cereal bits and seeds and giving him the straight pellets. i think that even if you don’t change his dry food at this point, you coud start adding in some very basic veggies like romaine, parsley, other dark green leafy veggies and definitely hay. add one at a time and let him eat it for a few days to a week to make sure it does not upset his system.

i don’t have any experience with rabbits your age, but i think keeping a close eye on him his very important. as you know, squishy poops are not a good thing. you can partially tell a bunny’s health by the condition of their poop. i’m not sure how much is improper diet, and how much is just old age. if possible, can you try and contact an exotic vet that has experience with rabbits? i think it’s great that your cat vet takes a look at him, but she might have very little experience with what she is looking at. rabbits are very different from other pets.

i do want to address what you said about feeling like a bad bunny mom. i believe that could not be further from the truth. you sound like an excellent bunny mom. you have provided him with stable care and love his entire life. many people would have “grown bored” with him after a few years (it’s a common misconception that buns only live to be 4 or so.) but you have kept at it, and by showing that you are willing to research the best diet, that shows how much you love your “little old man bunny”! many of us came from a point of knowing nothing and we have improved upon that. i made every mistake with my first bunny, after learning more, i corrected myself… but he certainly did not live to be 12!!!

please keep us posted on what you do. i am really interested to hear what changes you make and how it affects him. and if you have any pics you’d like to share, we would love to see them!

I do want to add, after re-reading my post, that I agree that you are an Excellent bunny mom!!! These articles are not because you need them, but to prepare you for common ailments and conditions that may happen to a bunny with advanced age. Things like arthritis, dental changes, stuff like that. It’s more of a “what to watch for and what to do” link. They seem to think vets need to see an older bun more often, but keeping mindful of changes like soft poops or a change in his weight or mobility may be an early sign of something that should be addressed. Spockie only lived to be 8, and we’re pretty sure his loss of mobility in one back leg was arthritis or bursitis, but with a little daily pain killer (a tylenol-like dose for bunnies) he was more comfortable and mobile.

Pictures, please!

Don’t feel like a bad bunny mom at all!! And Welcome to the site!!

I’m gonna say that timothy hay (and lots of it) is VERY important, and should actually help make his poops round and dry again. At his age, you can add alfalfa hay as well (it’s higher in calcium and calories) so that should help keep weight on him and be good for his bones. You could feed a handful a day as a treat-I’m sure he’ll love it!

12 years old – that’s great! At least your vet knows about timothy hay so that is good.

If you tell us where you are located perhaps we can help you find a vet in your area.

You sound like a great bunny mom too.

Wow a 12 y.o. Dwarf!!!  That’s fantastic.  I would agree about the slow change to the diet & stick w/ some stable easy digestible veggies like you do w/ a baby bunny.  I’m wondering if just some tweaks, like you said are most appropriate.  Obviously you have been doing something right, after all he sounds like a happy healthy old man bunny.  It’s hard to want to make many changes when you have been so successful, so I’m wondering if it’s not broke, than don’t worry about fixing it too much