First Time Owner pls help ;’c

[Sir Knight]

So I just recently went to a flea market without any intention of getting a bunny however as I passed the pet store I see baby (quite small but with full fur) bunnies all huddles together ina  confined cage and I can’t help but at least just get one (due to budget reasons) and the bunny i got I named him Sir Knight, He’s full on black. 

–However he was quite active yesterday and today I see him eating here and there but now he’s all huddled in a corner and I’m quite worried as it is my first time owning a bunny and my paranoia is reaching new heights. Idk if there’s anything wrong with him, I see a couple of poop pellets here and there though. 

[Sindri]

I would find a vet that treats rabbits and have a checkup. Its always a good idea to take them in when you first get them. If he is eating and peeing normally then he is most likely fine. Make sure it has plenty of fresh water, hay and pellets. It probably needs to get use to its new surroundings. I would read and learn as much as you can about rabbit care if you do not know much about rabbits.
Best of luck and let us know how its doing!

[Bam]

As sindriona says, if he eats and poop nice round poops, he’s ok. He may be perplexed by his new home and that’s why he just sits now. It could also mean tummy trouble. If he doesn’t eat and/or poop it’s serious and a vet will be needed. If he gets diarrhea he will also need a vet.
Hay and pellets and water is what he should eat.

[Bam]

Tried to edit, didn’t work from my phone. Anyways, would you say he’s lethargic? can you lift him up and very gently feel so his tummy is soft and squishy?

Please keep us updated. We will try and help you as best as we can but we are not vets.

[Dee]

I would clean up so his poops so you can see if he’s doing any new ones- I always do that when one of my bunnies isnt seeming right. He should have alfalfa hay and plain alfalfa pellets, but if he arrived with any food I would switch him over gradually to his new diet by mixing more in each day. Also, be sure he knows how to drink out of his water bowl/bottle- if he’s used to one or the other he might not know how to get his water. If rabbits stop drinking they will stop eating too.

And I agree with taking the little one to the vet ASAP! There is a list of rabbit savvy vets on this site- many vets know nothing about rabbits so be sure to ask if you just find a vet from the internet or wherever that is not recommended by other bunny parents. Also, a local rabbit shelter might be able to tell you of a good vet and point you to good sources for hay/pellets. Good pellet brands are Oxbow and Sweet Meadow Farm- they should be alfalfa based and plain pellets,no corn or seeds mixed in. His litter for his litter box should be either shredded newspaper , Yesterdays News, Feline Pine- pine pellets are fine but not pine or cedar shaving!- hardwood pellets from wood stoves with noaccelerants, or my favorite, CareFresh , which is expensive but very soft and absorbent.

I hope your little one is OK and just scared- rabbits are prey animals and most are easily frightened. I would keep handling to a minimum, except of course to check his belly as suggested and for taking him to the vet. You did a good thing getting him, since many rabbits sold in flea markets are kept under horrible conditions and sold to uncaring people. Bunnies are a big commitment and should be kept inside as they are very sensitive, smart and social pets. They do require careful observation since they hide their illnesses. You’re already learning about the observation part ☺. Hope to see you post again soon!

[Bam]

A vet is of course the best thing, but I was thinking you have Sunday now so my advice is more about what to do until Vets open on Monday morning. Sorry if My posts were confusing. A new bunny and a little one from a flea market especially, should always be seen by a vet for a checkup.

[Eepster]

Does he have a stuffed animal he can cuddle with?

[Sir Knight]

I’m terribly sorry about not responding at all and I greatly appreciate all the help Thank you guys so much , I forgot to subscribe to my own thread for notifs.

Update:
He is alright now I suppose he was just stressed out and whenever i let him out of the cage to run around a little bit, he sometimes scare me because he woudl randomly jump really fast as if he would have a seizure and then be fine ;( it worries me a bit, idk if it’s a binky because its too fast to see T^T

He eats and poops normally I updated my intro thread as the current pictures of him

Again I really apologize for not responding But he’s okay now and due to my location here in Florida there’s not much any vets in my town so it’ll be quite a while till we go to PetSmart for items and idk if PetSmart has a bunny vet

[Sir Knight]

also what does it mean if his stomach is soft and squishy? (i haven’t checked yet)

[Bam]

I’m so glad he’s fine!

Bunny bellies should always be soft and squishy. Sometimes if a bunny has a tummy-problem, the belly will feel a bit distended, which is a sign of sth being not right, f ex that there’s gas or that the contents of the intestines are not being pushed through the system as it should.

This would of course be difficult to tell if you’ve never felt a bunny tummy before and unfortunately even many vets don’t know that a healthy bunny tummy should be a lot softer than f ex the tummy of a dog. A good thing to do is to get a feel of what his tummy is like when he’s doing fine so you have a baseline for future reference.

Young bunnies do the craziest leaps and jumps and can turn 180 degrees in mid air. They can do full flops, which looks like a seizure followed by unconsciousness. It’s all normal and signs of a happy bunny. They can run like mad from one end of a room to another, again and again, that’s the bunny 500s and that’s normal and healthy too =)

[emm_renn]

Glad to hear your bunny is alright. When I take my rabbit to vet appointments or travel with her she won’t poop for what seems like hours. It’s just nerves getting to them. But I would take your rabbit to a vet to make sure he or she is healthy.

[Sir Knight]

@bam thank you!, and ty for the information as well I felt his tummy and it seems as what you would call normal though I’ll have to find some banny savvy vets around here as they’re quite rare in my area

@emm_renn
– thank you haha, yeah he was jumping around everywhere and when i let him out for a little bit he wouldn’t stop scurrying everywhere (had to clean droppings afterwards). And yeah I’m planning to as well, idk if petsmart themselves have a rabbit vet

[Sir Knight]

I’m planning to go to PetSmart to grab a flea comb and do flea comb treatment for now and if I see more serious sines of scratching I will contact a vet as it’s quite hard to find one here, most vets are only for dogs and cats in here sadly ;(

-also how much scratching is normal? he doesn’t scratch all the time but when he seems to be grooming (licks his paws) he then scratches his ear

[Eepster]

There are definitely exotics vets in FL. The Nat Geo Wild channel even has a TV show about one.

[MissGabbster]

I don’t know where you are in Florida, but the HRS has a quite a few vet recommendations.

http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

[Sir Knight]

ty for the link ^-^ Found one close to where I am. Will definitely get him checked.

[Author]

Messages