Hello, this is my first time posting anything. I have a large lopped eared rabbit named Oswald who i adopted almost 4 years ago. At the time i was told he was three, so now im guessing he’s close to 7. So, i have several questions that I’m hopping some people can shead light on, this is my first experience with a rabbit, so I have no idea what is normal.
First of all, when i adopted Ossie from the local vet, they had gotten him from a shelter and the vet said when he came in he had no fur on his back from maltreatment. He’s got lots and lots of soft fur now, but sometimes i wonder if those early years of maltreatment have had a permanent effect on his health in the future? Has anyone had any experience with previously maltreated bunnies, did it shorten or effect their lifespan from other non-maltreated rabbits?
Also, I’ve noticed that over the last 6 months to a year, a definite decrease in activity. He’s always always been a mellow guy, super chill (the vet said uncharacteristically chill for a rabbit) but definitely curious and loved getting time out of his cage to hope around and find corners to hide. Now when i open his cage, he’ll still seem psyched about it, but only jumps out and then jumps right back in(very annoying when im trying to clean his cage..haha) if i pick him up and move him to a different location he seems happy to be there, but doesn’t put in much effort at all with exploration. More like he just wants to sleep and be petted. I know he’s getting old, but does this sound normal?
He DID have a horrible incident last month when he tragically fell down the stairs in my apartment, he is normally only downstairs and he never goes up and down the stairs, on the rare occassion i had him upstairs and i stupidly put him down and he made a beeline for the stairs and i wasn’t able to stop him (i think he was trying to get back to the safety of his cage downstairs, he’s not so familiar with upstairs & we had unfamiliar guests over) anyways, totally my fault and no more upstairs for him. After the fall, i was very concerned for him, but he still seems to be alert and with it, he reacts to sounds and looks in their direction, he gets excited for food and treats and def seems with it. BUT, his lack of moving about was not helped, and if anything it might have gotten worse. If he needs to move, he will, but he doesn’t seem to want to.
This makes me sad, but is this normal for a bunny his age with his background, or do i need to be concerned that something worse is going on?
Thanks so much, sorry for the epic list of concerns/questions….but any feedback at all would be appreciated. Thanks from me and Ossie.
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