Bedding ?

[Beanie_Bunn]

Hi

Bean is my 8 month old Netherland Dwarf, who has a hutch but free roams in the room the hutch is in and in the rest of the house when my boyfriend and I are home.

We are currently using wood shavings as her bedding (along with straw in her “bedroom” (as we call it) which is the dark area of her hutch as I was told she would be cold without it) however she is being spayed next week the vet has instructed me to use a dust free bedding so I am considering switching to fleece blankets but I have some concerns.

Should I still give her straw in her bedroom so she doesnt get cold or do I put another fleece on top of the bottom fleece for her to move and make a bed with?
Is it any specific fleece I can give her, do I have to worry about dyes etc..?
Also I put wood shavings into of her litter as this helped her potty train, should I still do that after the spay? Or try and move her to just the pellets now?

I’ve been having a Google since I’ve posted this and have found out that some rabbit owners use vetfleece, has anyone had any experience with it? Do your rabbits rip and eat it? Is it safe if they eat it?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

[Bam]

Is Bean housed outdoors? If she is, she does need some type of bedding in her bedroom. I think fleece is better than straw right after a spay, but the best thing would be if she could be kept indoors for a week or even two weeks after the spay.
If she is housed indoors, she won’t freeze without straw, but she might still like some fleece to dig in and burrow in. Choose cheap fleece blankets, she will make holes in them. I have IKEAs cheapest fleece blankets, but any type is fine. If she ingests a little bit of fleece it’s ok, but if you see her actually eat it, you shouldn’t let her have fleece. As for colors I don’t think it matters. I mostly have white and light blue. I know some red fabric dyes can be toxic, so maybe stay away from bright red just to be extra-extra safe.

As for the litter, plain pelleted litter is better because shavings can stick to a wound. You can put some torn up newspaper on top of the pellets to make it softer for her.

[Beanie_Bunn]

Thanks for the reply!

Bean is indoors, she has a hutch indoors of which I leave the bottom open so she can hop in and out as she pleases

I bought some cheap ones from b&m and washed them, I’m going to cut them and put them in today. I’ll take the wood shavings our from her litter tray – she does have wooden pellets underneath but I was super nervous about her eating them initially.

I have started the “shavings free transition” lol and she now has carpet on the bottom floor which she seems to really like – fingers crossed she doesn’t pee on it

Thanks again for the advice ! x

[Bam]

Most buns don’t eat wood stove pellets, but there is of course always the odd bun that does what no other bun does, so it’s best to keep an eye at first.

Veterinary fleece is really excellent, missed that part of your first post. My Bam has vet beds in his beds and on top of his cardboard house.

As for getting cold: A newly spayed girl bun can get cold when she comes home from the vet, especially if she comes home the same day (some vets keep spayed buns overnight). So its good to have a hot water bottle or hand warmers on hand. Some buns like to snuggle up to a heat source that’s wrapped in a blanket/towel post op. But the most important thing after a spay is to get the bun to start eating.

[Beanie_Bunn]

Hi Bam,

Slight move off topic, Bean has been spayed she’s really tired and grumpy bless her and has been sleeping since she’s got home.

When do I raise the not eating alarm?

I have tried everything – all her favourite foods, we’ve tried the critical care she didn’t eat any of it, she just isn’t my fan atm. The only thing that has slightly worked was I put a tiny bit of banana around her mouth and she licked it off, but she hasn’t done it again.

I don’t want to bug her but I also don’t want to go to bed knowing she hasn’t ate or drank (I’ve still got a little while till we go to sleep),

Any advice is appreciated,
Thanks

[Sirius&Luna]

How long has it been since she’s eaten? Has she pooped? Did the vet send you home with any painkillers for her? Do her ears feel warm?

It is important that she starts eating again within the first 8-12 hours after the spay. If it’s been longer than that and she hasn’t eaten, you should try and force feed her some critical care. You can try mixing some apple juice or banana mush into it to make it more tasty.

[Beanie_Bunn]

She has been pooping quite normally and has been drinking very small amounts.

She has ate the tiniest bit of spinach and a small basil leaf this morning but that’s about it.

She seems a lot more active – we got given an anti inflammatory which also acts as a painkiller after surgery and I have tried to give her some of it but she hasn’t been too keen, it has literally been dabbing a tiny amount in her lips and she’ll lick it off.

I have tried banana mush, I haven’t tried apple though! I can give it a go..

Would you recommend wrapping her up like a bunny burrito ? I’m a bit cautious of her spay area and she’s not the best when handled..

Her ears don’t feel warm and she’s fine being stroked but she’s getting annoyed with me shoving a syringe near her mouth (I understand though I would get mad if my mother kept trying to get me to eat after surgery)

We got her back at about 5pm, she first pooped at about 7pm, ate her tiny amount at about 7am and it’s now 9am.. probably going to give the vets a ring, I’m taking her back Monday anyway but I’d rather air on the side of caution and overreact than anything!

Thanks

Update
I burrito’d her in her blanket and she was good about it, I managed to get 2ml of medicine into her (it was supposed to be 10ml but I’ll take what I can get at this point) I’m hoping that will make her feel a bit better and then I’m going to reburrito give her some critical care in about an hour – don’t want to make her any more annoyed that I have already she’s such a grumpy bunny ?

[Sirius&Luna]

It’s really important to get the medicine into her, even if it feels cruel. If she has the painkillers, she’ll likely feel much better and start eating by herself. Burrito her and try to poke the syringe in through the side of her mouth. If you have another person it’s easier!

If all she’s eaten is a spinach leaf then I do think you need to get some critical care into her ASAP

[Beanie_Bunn]

Thanks for your reply!

I have managed to give her some critical care, not loads about a full teaspoon. I am going to give her some more in a bit, giving her a little break – she doesn’t seem a fan of the burrito! Our vet recommended doing it little and often so that’s the plan..

She has also had a small bit of hay and even more spinach, so we are taking baby positive steps I’m giving her some more medicine soon as well.

Bless her,
I’ll let you know how feed #2 goes!

[Beanie_Bunn]

Slight update,

She’s eating Pellets! She has had more of her medicine and appears to be getting towards her old self I wouldn’t say she has fully regained her appetite but she’s definitely improving!

Thanks for all the advice!

[Author]

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