Friend Very Stressed About Her Rabbit (PLEASE HELP!)

[Star]

Hello! I really need advice, my friend is very stressed about her rabbit. She really cares for him and wants him to be happy but her parents don’t really know how to take care of an animal. Her grandmother keeps feeding her rabbit a lot of carrots even thought she told her grandmother countless times to not feed her so many carrots. Her rabbit had diarrhea and a poopy bum and we really want to clean it but her rabbit is very scared of water. Her rabbit also won’t eat hay and we know how important hay is to a rabbit. Her rabbit also doesn’t play with any toys to wear down his teeth. I suggested going to the vet for a checkup but her parents are very ignorant and not willing to spend money on that. Her rabbit also stays in a cage (4 by 2 ft) outside the whole time because her parents doesn’t want to move the furniture. Now he doesn’t even have a hidey hole anymore because it broke and her parents don’t want to buy another one.I know you will say that why did she get a rabbit in the first place but her parents gave her the rabbit without her opinion. I suggested giving the rabbit away to a better owner but she doesn’t know who to give him to. Please help my friend is very stressed

[Asriel and Bombur]

It’s great that you’re asking for help, but there’s not much we can really do if the parents want to be irresponsible with the life of a living being. Are their any shelters in your area you can bring the bunny to? Can you make an ad on Craigslist and have the cost of the bunny’s neuter be the price for the bunny? To be completely honest, if this bunny can’t be rehomed I’d send an anonymous tip and report animal abuse.

True diarrhea is deadly in a bunny, and requires vet care immediately. Bunnies should never be bathed, but to keep things sanitary you can wipe with a wet cloth, but never use soap. Hay should be the majority of a bunny diet, and carrots are really only a treat and the size of a thumbnail every other day or so. That’s sad that that poor bun doesn’t get any exercise or proper diet.

[sarahthegemini]

If her parents are that irresponsible and cheap, then she should give her rabbit to a no kill shelter. That rabbit sounds like it has a miserable life. Quite frankly, I’m disgusted with her parents. How can adults think that is acceptable? Ugh, it makes me sick. It’s nice that you want to help but there is nothing you can do. They aren’t even prepared to provide a hidey home (which could just be a cardboard box!) And they don’t want to move furniture so he can be brought inside? Honestly the more I think about this, the angrier I am. They should be reported for animal abuse.

[Wick & Fable]

It can be difficult looking from the outside in and suggesting the best route of action. At this point, I see two options, and both require your friend to really take initiative and be brave for the rabbit’s sake.

As suggested above, your friend can contact rabbit rescues and no kill shelters and discuss taking the rabbit. Whether via internet or a phone, people are there to respond so that would be an appropriate route.

Another option is your friend sits down and has a serious, clear discussion with her parents. As someone who used to have a rabbit when I was a child, I understand the intimidation of getting question-ative and rejected glances from a parent when asking for materials, but your friend is the voice for the rabbit. The worse thing that can happen when pushing harder is them still saying no, in most circumstances. If your friend truly wants to change the situation, your friend needs to feel brave in standing up and being firm. Again, this is tricky and doesn’t always work for people with their parents because families are different. In which case, defer to the option above.

Best wishes to you all.

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.

[Bam]

I have nothing to add, I just want to say that a bunny butt can be cleaned without using water. You use corn- or potato starch that you massage into the poopy clumps so the moisture is absorbed. Then you brush/comb out the poopy starch. Bad clumps can be cut out, but take care not to cut too close to the skin. If you and your friend do this together it’s way easier than if one person does it on their own.

This would obviously just give the bun some temporary relief, but it could feel nice for him to have a clean butt nonetheless. 

[mimimomo]

I agree with everyone saying that this is an awful situation for a bunny to be stuck in and shame on your friend’s parents for creating it. Still, I think it’s great that your friend (and you!) care enough to recognize the problems and want to help. If her parents don’t come around soon, I do think the bunny would be better off elsewhere (shelter or another home), but in the meantime here are a few suggestions for “bandaids” to improve the bunny’s life a little bit:

DIET: Besides carrots, what does the bunny eat? If pellets, make sure he’s getting high quality pellets. Timothy-based pellets are especially important for bunnies that don’t eat a lot of hay for whatever reason. Also, maybe grandma could try feeding him something like lettuce or veggies instead of carrots? It’s just as fun to watch a bunny gobble down big pieces of greens/herbs. And as far as hay, keep trying! See if your friend can get ahold of different kinds of hay (timothy, orchard, oat, etc) in case the bunny finds one he likes. Even grass is better than no hay! Try reducing the amount of pellets to see if he’s more receptive to hay when he’s a little hungry.

LIVING SPACE: Like Sarah said, a cardboard box with a small opening makes a great hidey hole. It’s easy and cheap to make, and even your friend’s parents couldn’t complain. The cage itself is definitely too small to live in – could your friend bring the bunny into the house to play in her room every day? In fact, what about just putting the cage in her room? That way her parents wouldn’t have to move their furniture. If the cage is too big, the bunny could just live in her bedroom with no cage as long as it’s bunny proofed (he’d have to be litter trained). Or at the very least, could your friend buy an x-pen or similar kind of fence to let the bunny run around outside (supervised) for a little while each day? X-pens can be easily moved so your friend could put it away when not in use so it’s not an eyesore. Does the cage have a wire floor? If so, put something hard on the bottom (a sheet of wood, some tiles, a piece of plastic – whatever) to protect his feet.

GROOMING: Bam had a great suggestion about using cornstarch to clean the bunny’s butt, plus baby wipes (or a wet washcloth) can work well especially if the poop is still wet. Trim out what you can (carefully!). Make sure to clean the cage as often as possible so the bunny is never sitting in poop/urine. Hopefully the consistency of his poop will improve if his diet gets a little better… Brush him regularly to keep his fur from getting matted, especially near his butt because dirty fur mats easily. Has she ever tried trimming his nails?

I don’t know much about your friend’s situation so those are all the ideas I have for now. I’m not sure what the climate is like where you live, but be aware that bunnies have a low tolerance for heat and can’t always survive outdoors year-round. Is your friend old enough to save up money and/or drive to the vet herself? I do think a vet visit is important, particularly with the diarrhea and no-hay diet – he might not be eating hay because his mouth hurts and his teeth are probably overgrown and in need of clipping.

Good luck! Your friend sounds like a caring person and I’m sure that in the future when she’s independent, she would make an excellent bunny mom if she chooses.

[Star]

Thank you so so much for replying everyone. I have ordered 4 different types of hay for her rabbit and she seems to be eating a little bit hay now. The poopy bum situation seemed to have been cleared. I’ll try my best to ask my mom of I can take care of her rabbit in my room but that doesn’t seem likely. Of course her rabbit eats other vegetables. She tried to save up to the vet but she cannot drive yet. She also lives in a 2 roomed apartment with 5 people so she doesnt have her own room. As I mentioned her parents have raised rabbit many more years than her but only for food and no research so it is very hard to convince her parents to change. Rehoming and shelter will be my last option if nothing changes in a month. Thank you so much for words of advice everyone !!! ?

[mimimomo]

I’m glad to hear she’s eating a little hay now and that the poopy butt has improved! I don’t really have any other suggestions, but I want to say that I’m impressed with you for working so hard to help. It can be really challenging to get other people to change their minds about how they should care for their pets, and doubly so when you’re a kid trying to change adults’ minds.

Good luck!!

[borya91]

Hey I also wanted to suggest something to you. First off I think it’s really nice you are trying to help your friend and her rabbit

You said her parents don’t want to spend money on a vet visit – but I wonder if maybe they think it’s more expensive then it really is. I wonder if they knew say, that the bun could get a check up for $50, maybe that’s a more reasonable amount they’d be wiling to spend. Or does your friend have a willingness/ability to pay for it? Maybe they have a wild idea of how expensive a vet visit is. One thing maybe you could do is call rabbit vets in your area and ask about how much it would be for a checkup? Here is a list the house rabbit puts out of rabbit friendly vets around the united states (i don’t know if you are in the us or not ) https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/ i know some vets around me, most the ones i called a regular checkup was around $60-$70 and i live in a pretty expensive area

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