Bunny Baths, Proper Care, and Insurance

[EmeraldDove]

 ** LENGTHY POST**

I was wondering how many of you guys bath your buns, and if its something I should even consider. Obviously, if they have poopy butt or something, it needs cleaned up, but in general, does anyone bathe their buns?

I recently (yesterday) got two buns from a woman who got them for her daughter, who turned out to be allergic I guess. These poor buns were in such bad shape. They looked healthy physically, but they seemed kinda dirty (cages were also dirty) and the ones nails were so long. Painfully long. Like inch and a half long. So I snapped up these two buns super quick, and I took them home. I took their cages apart and scrubbed them down with a little bit of vinegar and water, and I cut the nails on the one that had them super long. The other bun had long nails as well, but NOTHING compared to the first. I need to trim them today, since he looked pretty stressed yesterday. I figured it was a lot of change at once and his were short enough that I wasn’t concerned.

I went to the store and I bought them toys and litter boxes to start training them. 

I already had one rabbit, so I mixed a few pellets of her food with their food to start weaning them onto hers. The food that the woman sent with them was full of nuts and seeds. I got no hay, so I am assuming that it wasn’t a staple in their diets, so I gave them some to start getting their guts use to it. The woman said they ate veggies well, so they both got some greens last night as well, since I feed my bunny them every day.

I am hoping that in a few months, I can get the two I “rescued” onto the diet of my first so that they get healthy.

So my to-do list still includes

Call the vet and set up an appointment. They can help me with numbers one and two. 

1. Finding out the Genders- They said they were males, but on a quick check, they appear to both be females to me. This does not carry weight- its not like Ive been caring for buns for years and years, and I’m not sexing rabbits everyday. This is okay, I would have still taken them if they were females.

2. I doubt they are spayed/neutered. So that needs to happen. The woman told me they are ages 3 and 2, so I need to get that done ASAP, unless the vet says otherwise. RIP my wallet paying for spays though. I’m hoping for males. I am looking for alternatives though- such as hoping my vet allows a payment plan (they have a student discount!), or hoping that there is some kind of Bun event where I can pay half price or whatever for a voucher for a spay, like some shelters do for dogs and cats. I’m not hopeful though. I am so happy that I started saving up some money in a savings account specifically for my current bun, if she would happen to have an emergency.

 

SO….I am sorry this is long. There is just so much information.

1. What do you guys think about giving the buns a bath? I can always wipe them down with a damp cloth, or take them to “the bunny people” (link below).

2. After gender is determined 100%, does anyone know of a way to lower the cost of a spay? I.E will a shelter or other animal place help me?  I can pay for it, but its gonna take a good chunk of my bun account. It cost around $350 to get my first female bun spayed back in May. 

**NationWide does an exotic pet insurance, so does anyone have experience with this? I doubt that they will help me with a neutering/spay because its something that can be budgeted for.

3. How often do you guys take your buns in for checkups? Just curious.

 **Information**

The two buns I rescued are in a separate room from my current bun. I have another room that I plan on using in a few months when I get this all sorted out and everyone is fixed. It will be neutral space

The two buns that I rescued have their own cages, but they have been side by side their entire lives. So far, I have seen ZERO aggression between the two. I am aware that can change though. 

I am taking everything slow. Food changes slow. Settling in slow…etc. I know it will take months maybe to completely change diets..etc. I also know that after everyone is fixed, it will take several months to (hopefully) make a bonded trio.

 **Links**

The bunny people. A rabbit rescue. They also do grooming and nail services for a small fee. 

thebunnypeople.org

 

My rabbit savvy vet- Did my first rabbits spaying and will be where I make an appointment for these two.

ahdcvets.com

 

 

Thanks for reading everyone! If you need more information, please ask! I promise that I’m not bun incompetent! 

Edit Already:  Im from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania if that helps. Also my buns are more- aloof. They hate being picked up like most buns, and at least one of the three so far will NOT let me look at her butt – for anything. The vet did a cleaning of the gland for me for that bun.  Ive tried making bunny burritos and everything- shes not having anything to do with it.

Same with teeth- no way is she letting me push her lips back. As long as im not trying to cut her nails, check her teeth, or check for poopy butt, shes loving and will hop up in my lap to be pet and loved.

 

[Wick & Fable]

Thank you for all the information. And thank you for giving these buns a better home.

Outside butt baths for rabbits who require it due to health maladies, you should not bathe the rabbits ever. Rabbits groom quite often, so if they are happy and healthy, they will groom themselves clean. If you want to help with some nastier spots temporarily, a warm, damp cloth for spot treatment could be done, but generally keep it for the bun, or eventually the fur will grow out itself.

Spaying and neutering costs will vary based on where you are and the vet office. Rescues do sometimes have partnerships with providers and have low-cost options as a result. You can also inquire about payment plans. The Nationwide insurance, to my understanding because I considered it, is not something which will cover that kind of expense. It covers unexpected emergencies.

You do not have to do a slow transition into hay. I recommend just going all out now since they most likely got none. Limit pellets and veggies, and start getting them accustomed to hay-only feeding hours.

For check ups, I personally cannot give experienced advice because Wick goes in about once a month for his teeth or ringworm. Hypothetically if he didn’t, I would do it once per 6 months, and then transition to once per year when he’s fully grown and steady.

I would take a look at their hocks to see if there are painful looking sores. Long nails, improper diet, and dirty cages can be large, contributing factors to sore hocks. That is something the exotic vet would check for as well. I would recommend when going for their check up to bring samples of their poop if you can afford a quick fece test for any potential parasites or worms.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[EmeraldDove]

Thank You!

In my anxious rush to get them on a better path, It completely slipped my mind that I could also bring poo to the vet. I will definitely do that for them.

I think that the vet’s website mentioned a payment plan, so if they turn out to be females, I will probably do that. Since males are usually cheaper, Ill probably just pay it straight. As of right now though, Im planning as if they are females. If I end up spending less it will be a win, if not, oh well, its what I signed up for.

 As an update since I posted this this morning, I have a vet appointment for them both in 6 days.

[Harley&Thumper]

I believe the York County SPCA offers low cost spays but I could be wrong. It’s about a half hour south of Harrisburg on I83 exit 24(?).

[EmeraldDove]

Hello,

Its been a few weeks but I wanted to give an update just in case anyone is following this thread/ having similar problems. 

So both of my new “adopted” bunnies are female. That’s just my luck xD 

They have since gone to see the vet, and they both got good health checks. The one, Josie, got a probiotic because her stool was soft. This has worked wonders. Their toenails are also all clipped and pretty. 

The last major task I talked about completing was getting them spayed for a “low cost” price. A member mentioned the York ycspca. I checked into this, and they do no spay or neuter rabbits at their clinic. I then crossed them off the list, and contacted the bunny people that I mentioned and linked in my above post. They referred me to the “Gettysburg Animal Hospital,” and told me specifically what doctor to ask to be scheduled with. 

I gave them a call, and I can get both rabbits spayed for around $105 each, and of course, the cost of the painkillers and probiotics afterwards. The only problem with this is that the appointment is in November, approximately 2 ish months away (when I made the appointment.) Its only about an hour drive from where I live, which is manageable. 

Another problem that arose was the fact that they didnt have a good diet or much hay at their old house. Consequently, the vet mentioned that I might want to get their molars trimmed while they are already under for the spaying. Ill have to call Gettysburg Animal Hospital and ask if they will do this. At the moment, its not part of their appointment. 

For the time being, I am making the best of this situation. Their cages are close together so they can see each other, but not touch. They were set up like that in their last home, so I am keeping it the same. They fight, so they get separate time outside of their cages. I wont allow them to be out together until they get fixed and healed, and I can start the whole long process of bonding a trio- Blah Blah, Y’all know the drill. 

Thank You to everyone who has helped!  I hope this will be able to help others as well!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Seems like things are going good. $105 would def be a good price for a spay here but vet costs differ so greatly. And a great idea to do their molars, if they need trimming, at the same time. 2 for 1 deal. Until you can start actual bonding (you’ll need to wait at least a month after their spay) you can do some pre-bonding work like swapping litterboxes.

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