Elder Bun Care

[OliverBun]

Hi all.

I’ve posted on here a few times before when my rabbit had health issues. He is a roughly 9 yr old dwarf bun. We just moved last weekend. He seemed to take the move very well. However, I have a few questions that are unrelated to each other.

1) His diet seems to have changed the past few days. He has not been finishing his meals. Prior to this, he would come buzzing in to his cage whenever I fed him and dig right in to his pellets then his veggies. Now, he could take it or leave it. Over the course of the day/evening, he does finish most of it, but his diet is definitely not what it used to be. In addition, he seems just more lethargic. He’s still pooping normally, and when the dog is around (who he loves) he still hops around like crazy, so I don’t think he’s going through GI stasis or anything. But, my question still remains. Should I be concerned? 

2) When I got him, I knew nothing about rabbits. So, he has not been neutered. I have had no problems with him due to that. However, we recently moved in with my fiance and his Black Lab. My rabbit looooooves the dog. He follows him around buzzing and spraying. I really want him to be with the family, but I don’t want to live in a litter box. Is neutering him at this age safe? He does snore when he sleeps, and the vet is not sure if that’s a respiratory problem, or just him.

Any advice on either question would be great. Thanks! 

[Sarita]

1. Have you had the vet check his teeth lately – many times older rabbits develop dental problems due to bone density deterioration…otherwise I probably would not be too concerned.

2. I’ve heard of rabbits this age being neutered (with bloodwork done) however, I’m not certain that at his age even with neutering it will change this behavior. Is it a litter box issue? Is he leaving fecal pellets about?

[OliverBun]

1) Yes, his teeth have been checked. I’ll try not to worry too much about it then. Thanks!

2) It is a litter issue. If he’s away from the dog, he’s great. But if I let him roam around the house freely with the dog, it’s like he forgets he has a little box and just goes to the bathroom wherever he is in addition to spraying. We currently have a set up where the rabbit is not allowed in the living room, but can roam through the kitchen and bedroom (we only have 3 rooms), but I don’t like that, because then my bun is left alone a lot. If neutering wouldn’t help, is there anything that would?

[Sarita]

I think the dog is causing him to mark his territory and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to get rid of the dog :~) At his age I really don’t think that if you neuter him this territorial instinct would stop.

[jerseygirl]

I agree with Sarita. It does sound like territorial marking in the new place. The good thing is this sometimes lessens over time.

All this running around after the dog would tire him out. Could that be why he seems more lethargic? Maybe he’s over doing it and feeling it in his body later. And that affecting the appetite somewhat. Was he this active before the move?

[OliverBun]

The move seems to have stressed him a bit. His appetite is slowly getting back to normal. Tonight when I got home from school I offered him a handful of veggies, and he actually ate half right away instead of turning his nose up at it.

He currently has no access to the dog unless supervised, and then it’s in very short bursts. His lethargy is not related to chasing the dog around. At our old apartment, he had free run of the place, and he chased the dog constantly and rarely got tired Also, there territory thing started at our old place and has followed us to the new place, so I don’t think it’s going to stop. They used to nap all cuddled together for most of the day. It was adorable.

The reason he’s cut off from the dog is that our last place basically became the rabbits litter box, and we don’t want that in this new place. I think the lethargy is from boredom, or depression from being away from his friend. I was at class all night, and my fiance was in the living room with the dog all night. When I got home, my bun was still hanging in the same place he was when I left. He just seems to have no interest in hoping around by himself. Whenever I’m home I hang out with him, so he gets some exercise, but not as much as with the dog.

So that’s why I’m trying to find a way to stop his peeing everywhere if he’s allowed by the dog. Honestly, I could deal with the poop. It’s the urine that’s so awful. Any suggestions for how to get him to stop this would be greatly appreciated. I feel so bad cutting him off from the main hang-out room, and I’m not such a huge fan of sitting on the floor in the bedroom all the time 

[OliverBun]

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

You could definitely neuter, with a good vet and bloodwork prior (that shows if he’s able to process the anesthetic)
But he had a move, and new roommates-not just the dog but your fiance too. That’s lots to process. Honestly I would just keep a super close eye, and try to keep things quiet and normal as much as possible. Restrict to a small area as well as this will help with litter habits. You can work up to ‘out time’ -did your rabbit ever meet the dog prior to the move?
You can also swap towels or toys so your rabbit and the dog get used to each others scents without interacting-it’s a nice work up to actually being around each other.

[jerseygirl]

Doing the bloodwork step would be worthwhile regardless. Something I’m strongly considering doing for my 7-going-on-8 buck.

For him, I just want to get an idea if there is anything going on with his adrenals or kidneys.
He is desexed but been acting more like an intact buck in last year or so.
I’ve had similar questions to yourself. Is it health or is it behaviour…

[Sarita]

I agree about getting bloodwork done at his age as well.

[JackRabbit]

I know nothing about older bunnies, but if he’s fine unless the dog is around and he loves the dog, is it possible that he, um, *loves* the dog and in his old age has forgotten the whole humping concept and has resorted to this instead?

[OliverBun]

Thank you for all these responses!

• I don’t think this behavior will just stop on it’s own. He’s been living with the dog for a little over a year now and nothing has changed
• He has has had blood work done as well as had his teeth checked and x-rays all within the last 6 months. He’s in fabulous condition according to the vet.
• I do think he *loves* the dog. He used to constantly try to hump him, but I’ve more or less been able to redirect that behavior to a teddy bear. It’s kind of confusing to me. Why is he trying to hump the dog and chasing him around, but then marking his territory? It seems like he’d want to share his territory with his special friend. Am I wrong about that?
• I will try letting the dog sleep with my bun’s bear and maybe some other toys to get his scent on them. Then I’ll give them to the rabbit. Hopefully that will help. He currently already sleeps with his face buried in the dog’s pad, since the dog sleeps right next to the bun’s cage at night.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I will try anything. I want my animals to be able to be together! I will let you know if the dog scent trick works, too.

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