Hello!!

Aww, he sounds like a really loveable guy!

Hmm well a lot of rabbit’s don’t like being picked up…. how do you approach him? If you grab him from above, their prey instincts kick in and they tend to panic. They’re only recently domesticated animals so they still have a lot of their wild instincts! Whenever I have to pick up my bun, i come in low from the side and put my hand beside his face and let him know I’m there. I also tend to scoop them up where their feet are instead of by their mid section since bunnies feel more comfortable when they feel something under their feet. Also, he may still need some time to learn to completely trust you… I know my bunny is more comfortable and relax when I try to pick him up then a friend who visits my house infrequently. Just be patient and move slowly! If he’s only 10 weeks old, he’s still young and growing used to people!

For the wheezing, I’d definitely have a vet check that out…I can’t say for certain.

Don’t worry too much, baby bunnies are supposed to be introduced to hay and pellets around 7 weeks, so if he’s only 10 weeks old, it might still take some time for him to adjust. But you’ll want to eventually take him off alfalfa… it’s high in calcium and protein which is good when they’re babies but not so good when they’re adults. When he’s around 7 months, you can try mixing types of hay to get him to get him to try other types and hopefully he’ll find something he likes! I know some hays aren’t for everybunny, mine hates timothy hay but loves orchard grass hay for example.

If he’s still under a year old, you can give him unlimited hay and unlimited pellets but after 1 year you have to start limiting the amount he eats. Bags of adult rabbit food will have the amount you should feed them daily written on the bag corresponding to their weight. At 3 months you can start introducing small amounts of green veggies to his diet. If you’re worried about him not peeing enough, ask your vet!

I’m so happy your bunny found his way into your family !!!

I’ve heard bunnies hate having their feet touched so I’m not sure that will help with the touching/approaching part. As for the picking up part, I’ve got one bun who will tolerate it, so I try not to abuse that and will only sit on the floor and place him on my lap for nail cuttings etc. My other bun hates to be picked up and I’ve found that if I need to cut her nails or anything, picking her up and placing her on the sofa helps her remain more still, I think it’s because she isn’t sure of where she will land if she jumps so stays quite still. I’ve noticed this when she’s at the vet too, the fact she is on the high desk she just allows herself to be picked up. So maybe trying this will help.

In regards to the hay eating. I’ve seen a lot on here that they should have unlimited pellets at a young age but I never did that with mine and they are both healthy and a good weight. They just get a small handful of pellets in the morning, their veg selection and then unlimited hay in the day. I occasionally give a few (approx 6) pellets as an evening treat and then a little more veg. You know they won’t go hungry because the hay is always there. My main priority is ensuring they have plenty of hay as it does have so many benefits. I’m sure lots of people have different opinions on this but this is just my personal experience. I think I’ve said on here before that it’s like weaning babies off milk and onto solid foods. If you try to feed them solids right after a full belly of milk they won’t want to eat it and they’re always going to want to have the milk because it’s like their comfort. your bun is only a baby and new veggies should be introduced slowly in this case but I don’t see why you couldn’t reduce pellets now. Because he is so young and you might be hesitant to reduce the amount of pellets so drastically just try giving him a small portion in the morning and again at night. Then he will have a full day and a full night for grazing on his hay.

I hope this helps. Your bunny looks and sounds absolutely lovely too

Did you transition him onto the Oxbow pellets slowly? If not, they could definitely be the culprit! It sounds like he has gas. Do you have any baby gas drops on hand (simethicone)?

Posted By JuJooGuppy on 8/24/2017 5:30 AM

We are trying to make the transition as slow as possible, but unfortunately the sellers only provided a tiny amount of his original pellets and didnt offer the brand / type… we thought they had, or we woulda pushed the issue. So, trying to make due, and unfortunately think it upset our Bug.

The really loud gurggling passed at least last I checked (I personally had to go to work, the fiance is watchin him. Nothing like stressing about him all night lol.).. we smelled a little stink so really think he had some gas issues. He was sprawling out a bit more by the time i left, still hadnt poo’d much yet but seemed a bit better. Will have to see whats going on when I get home, I plan to pick up simethicone on my way home to have on hand. If he stops poo’ing completely ill be taking him in immediately of course.

Im curious, if a bun is dropping quite a bit of ceco’s but minimal (or perhaps none of) fecal pellets, is that still considered early GI stasis, or is it still “safe” though obviously not proper? He’s still dropping fecal pellets when I was there, just few and far between. Last night there was a LOT of extra ceco though, so yeah really just think he has an upset tummy. I feel horrible bout it… glad he is eating timothy hay like crazy though, should help calm his belly down.

The Oxbow young bunny pellets that are alfalfa based… if they continue to upset his tummy, should we just go with a more adult pellet thats timothy based? I don’t want to keep switching his pellets, very limited on his originals and im afraid of causing further distress for the little guy… we are trying hard to help him back along.

You could start giving him a tiny amount of pellets and gradually increase as opposed to mixing the new with the old. A tip for next time

I would personally consider no fecals (regardless of whether there are cecals) an emergency. In fact the first time Buttercup had stasis, she overproduced cecals and stopped normal poops. It’s a good sign that your little love bug is eating plenty and at least pooping a little but if he continues to poop so little I’d go to a vet. If he’s eating tons and not pooping much,  could there be a blockage?

I would definitely go for timothy pellets if the alfalfa ones are too rich for him. But if you do switch, as I said just give a teensy amount and increase every few days if no tummy trouble.