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Hi Dana/Barn,

Having written for a little bit as Kotton is recovering and needs a lot of nudging and little stimulation throughout the day to get her to eat. We took Cisapride off for a day and she didn’t eat much. So we are back on twice a day (morning and evening) with Simethicone, and twice daily two teaspoons of dry critical care mixed with…[Read more]

Hello and thank you so much for your replies!  So we were able to get into the vet yesterday and they said he did feel kind of gassy and they detected some discomfort on one side. So they said we could try and treat the symptoms 1st and if that doesn’t work we would do some x rays. They gave him some fluids, critical care which I’ve had zero luck…[Read more]

I’m really sorry for what you are going through. 🙁  It’s never an easy decision to make. I have a 13 year old bun so I’m thinking about these things constantly. 🙁

I’ve talked about this before with a friend who was a vet tech, and the things the vets went off of were eating, drinking, and eliminating. If one of those things ceases and stops…[Read more]

I have been giving some oats, but only a pinch so probably not enough, I didn’t want to overdo it, maybe max 1 tablespoon a day? I think I’m going to have to separate her from Apollo sometimes so I can give her more.

How is your bun doing today?

I will look for the reference, but my memory is that meloxicam is metabolized in less than 12 hours in rabbits.  If the bun is feeling poorly, it shouldn’t make them not want to eat.

If your bun is still not back to normal today, I would contact a vet. There is also the consideration that it’s friday, so going into…[Read more]

That sounds like a great plan of action! And I agree, it can be so alarming when they suddenly fight. Also keep in mind that Molly had been recovering from her spay before, so her hormonal fluctuations were likely influencing how they interacted with each other.

And yes bunny bonding is so different from with other animals, it can really be…[Read more]

Hmmm, what about supplementing with some oat groats? That is the go-to at the rescue I volunteered at when a bun comes in very underweight. Supplementing with critical care is also often recommended, but that probably has more protein as well.

I also know that black oil sunflower seeds are given to buns but not sure about protein content.

Ok, I have additional information and questions.

Firstly I have managed to find a couple of references to too much protein being bad for adult rabbits: “while protein is an important part of their diet, too much can overwork their kidneys, so it is important to ensure you are providing the right amount.” and “During this time, excess protein can…[Read more]

Right, well it seems you really have tried a lot. Though if you do have access to fresh grass, I’d definitely recommend that. In terms of the water intake on wet pellets, I suppose with the way I do mine with 3tsp of water, that’s equivalent to 15ml. Mine end up wet and mushy, not in a liquid state. You could try to get her used to them by slowly…[Read more]

Thanks for the response.

So, I’ve tried wet pellets (hates them). I tried adding pumpkin + banana (doesn’t interest her). I have also tried wet hay (not interested). I have tried EVERYTHING.

I never even considered the fact that the hay that she is eating is dehydrating.

At best I’m getting about 30-40ml of water in her a day. She sleeps all…[Read more]

End of life decisions are always hard. I have a couple of thoughts, the first is about continuing on if you can alter her diet. Switch out her hay for fresh grass (wet it down before feeding) and feed pellets soaked in water, in addition to her veggies that she’s currently getting. That way almost all her fluid intake can be from food, the hay…[Read more]

In my personal experience, Meloxicam has either been prescribed as 1 dose per day or 2 doses per day, so my assumption from this is that it lasts several hours. That being said, based on the GI distress from the previous day and what you’ve reported, I personally find it unlikely that solely Meloxicam’s presence in your rabbit’s system would keep…[Read more]

Thank you so much for your input, Glenn and Dana!

@Glenn: thank you, we’ll try to keep food away from them once we find an appropriate neutral space! ^_^ They do well in the pre-bonding pen: they’re often mirroring eachother’s behaviour and they eat and sit together.

@Dana: your comment about not fighting in a shared space made my day! It gives…[Read more]

Oh those dwarf personalities! Such a joy during bonding! 😆

So a couple things jump out to me!

First is that you haven’t done side swaps, from what I read. Even though they know each other well, they have staked their territories in the house, and know each other as neighbors for the most part. I would start swapping who is in which cage…[Read more]

Awww no sorry you’re having troubles!

It sounds like you were making some good progress.

I have successfully bonded 2 pairs of buns with lots od useful help and info from this forum. So theres a couple of things that I’d say might help.

a- I would give them more time in the pre-bonding stage, generally a minimum of 2 weeks is recommended up to…[Read more]

If the area is sticky, a very light dusting of corn starch will dry a moist area and you can very, very gently remove the stuck cecals and poos with your hand. It can help with some discoloration, but you really want to wipe off any excess so your bunny doesn’t ingest it. It won’t hurt him to eat a little, and sometimes it helps dry the areas…[Read more]