Hypnotising rabbit for health reasons

[Humphrey]

Hi, so I have a sick rabbit at this moment. I have been going to the vet and he is currently on antibiotics for an infects. One of his symptoms give him a really dirty bottom. I have been giving him butt baths as hes does decently well with them as long as he has a treat while being given one. And yes I know baths are not good for rabbits but this is a health concern and part of the cause to his infection. I ask about Hypnotising because the bottom of his tail is still very dirty and matted even after multiple baths and I am unable to cut it myself.I would like to avoid spending more money at the vet than I already have and if possible would like to do it myself. He is not a fan of being turned on his belly and he is my first rabbit I have ever had. He is a rescue that I found in the middle of the rode 4 months ago and was unable to locate an owner. He does enjoy being help in your lap however, he is nuetered and estimated to be about 1 year old. He is a hotot mix weighing about 3.2 lbs but should be around 4lbs so we are working on weight gain as well. He takes critical care food at this time with alpha alpha hay and a mixture of adult and baby bunny pellets. I have discussee this diet with my vet and we are trying our best to figure out exactly what is going on with him at this moment. For now he is acting normal and eating normal. With the exception of a dirty bottom and the weightloss. We are watching for any signs of GI stasis at this moment and he is currently being kept indoors for health reasons but mostly stays out in our chicken coop with his own hutch inside the coop and is a really well behaved bunny. I would just like to know your opinions on Hypnotising him for just this time while he is unwell. I do not plan on doing this as a regular thing and honestly not a fan of the idea myself but I really would like to avoid spending another 100+ dollars on him at the vet again for something i could possibly do myself. Thank you in advance for any assistants.

[DanaNM]

Hi there, sorry your bun is poorly. I’m glad to hear you’ve moved him inside

Are you referring to “trancing”? I actually am a bit more concerned with you trying to trim the fur yourself. Rabbit skin is very delicate, and an accidental cut to that area could be very bad. You should really discuss this with your vet, and they can do a sanitary shave if they think it’s necessary.

Regarding the “hypotising”, this is also called the immobility response (putting a rabbit on its back). There is currently a huge campaign from the RWAF (& others) to raise awareness of this as studies have shown that it can be incredibly stressful to a rabbit, potentially dangerous and is largely unnecessary.

However, Frances Harcourt Brown believes that the definition tonic immobility (Aka trancing) is different from an immobility response. Depending on the manner in which it is done (a gentle, experienced manner vs ‘scruffing’ or grabbing the rabbit) will affect the stress level of the rabbit, and it is a technique that Frances uses, for example when taking an ultrasound or x-ray without sedation, or to clip a rabbit’s fur when it is unable to clean itself and at risk of flystrike. (https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/media/bin/Members/philk/rabbit-cpd/nursing-course/course-notes/5-clipping-up-taking-radiographs-and-blood-samples.pdf) A forum leader here saw a video of her eliciting an immobility response in a rabbit in order to take an x-ray. This was done in a very gentle manner, gently weighting the bunny down with a small ‘sand bag’ so it could not move and it did not seem unduly stressed. She also said that the blood glucose level of rabbits treated in this way were not overly high, and showed us that rabbits on their back will still eat.

My personal view is that it is not something that should be done for fun or as a general way of handling a rabbit. However, sedating a rabbit to take an x-ray/ultrasound also has risks, and preventing flystrike in a limited mobility bunny is also very important for the bunny’s health. So, I can accept it has a role where both owner and vet agree there is a medical benefit in using this technique in a certain situation on a particular bunny. However, I also believe that there is a lot of animal cruelty and neglect, and so there is also a place for a campaign to raise awareness that it is not an acceptable procedure in ‘normal’ circumstances.

Again though, I do think you should discuss this with your vet due to the delicate nature of the area.

. . . 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.  

[Humphrey]

Hi, thank you for responding and providing so much information. I will of course discuss this with my vet and I do not wish to stress him out. I would just like to avoid having him go and get it done by my vet if possible since it is costly and he hates being put under anesthesia. I’ve already had to have him go under once for testing and he came back very unhappy and stressed. Along with it being incredibly stressful for me personally. If you or anyone else has some better way of clipping the fur in that area please do share. I’m honestly up for anything that is helpful to him. I’m only 18 and I pay all his vet bills with no help from my parents unless diar a emergency. So if I could do it myself that would save a lot for me. But if all else fails I’m still willing to take him in and get it done.

[DanaNM]

You’re welcome!

I don’t expect the vet would need to use anesthesia for that type of procedure, I think they would just have the benefit of having lots of hands and the right knowledge would be enough. Your vet might even be able to advise you as to how to do it at home if you call to discuss with them.

. . . 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.  

[FlemishDad]

The antitrancing campaign seems way overdone. As far as I could tell, there has been one death for undoubtedly many many millions of rabbit trancings. Yes, it elevates the heart rate a little but so does binkying and a thousand other things. My highly reputable vet tranced my rabbit yesterday to work on his neck. He tried to get away as soon as he was untranced, as you would expect, and was a little jumpy for, oh, about 30 seconds.

If you need to trance your rabbit to keep poop off his butt I say it’s the right thing to do. It’s better than leaving it untreated and better than some unpleasant restraining.

[Asriel and Bombur]

To be honest, I think only a qualified vet should be trancing, if at all. Aside from the danger of increased heart rate and the fact that they are essentially playing dead, if a bunny is still on their back and comes out of a trance they can be severely injured and disabled. They can kick while in that position which can potentially break their back or even leg. So no, I don’t think it’s overdone. I think it’s done just enough.

[DanaNM]

Hi Humphrey,

I remembered seeing this video on how to clean a rabbit’s scent glands:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_x9dbSUdomg

I imagine the same way of holding the bun could be used for cleaning stuck on poops and matted fur.

. . . 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.  

[Humphrey]

Hi guys, so I was finally able to figure out how to clean his bottom besides a bath. A treat and him staying on the floor is all he needed to stay still and let me do my thing. He’s doing so much better also. He’s gained most his weight back and his bottom has been staying much cleaner. As for the mat at his tail, I’m slowly making progress with it. So its looking like I can avoid the vet visit since his meds have done they’re job and he no more has goopy bottom! Thank you all for your help. And it was all done without him being hypnotised or any discomfort

[DanaNM]

That’s wonderful! Glad he’s doing better and you found a method that is less stressful for him.

. . . 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.  

[LittlePuffyTail]

Glad to hear it.

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