I want to take my rabbit to the vet

[Stefan 'Geb']

Hello!
So, my rabbit has chewed a lot of my carpets and I think its a hormonal issue and I’ve decided to take him to to vet, but dont know how to prepare him.
My rabbit, Ace, doesnt like to be picked up and I barely manage to grab a hold of him and when I do, he gets really scared and thus cant really travel with him.
One other option is that I take him with his cage. After that, when I arrive at the vet for his neutering, what anesthetic should I opt for?

[vanessa]

How old is your rabbit?
I actually have looked up the preferred anesthesia for rabbits – but – I’v leave that choice for the vet. Is there any reason you think you will be asked to choose an anesthesia? I’m curious why you ask that question.
Carpet chewing might continue through the rest of his life… Two of my bunnies (neutered and spayed) will chew carpet and they are 3 and 4 years old. Rabbits are chewers and diggers by nature. You might have to restrict his access to your carpet. Mine chew at the corners, so I put plywood on the corners to cover the carpet. No amount of toys and habitat enrichment has stopped these two detructo-bunnies of mine.
How long of a drive is it to the vet? The more you travel with him, the more he will get used to it. This destructo pair of mine are also difficult to catch. I trap them in a carrier. It takes a while – like maybe 15 minutes to get them caught. If you are in the same boat – go slow, don’t chase, try to be smart about how you catch him, to limit his stress. Eventually – he will get used to it.
Sometimes we need to take our bunnies to the vet – whether they like it or not. So it is something important to get them used to.

[ThorBunny]

You should have a pet carrier to transport your rabbit. I use this carrier for my ~5lb rabbit: It would probably work for a slightly larger one too.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-19-Inch-Two-Door-Top-Load-Kennel/dp/B00OP6SMCI/ref=sr_1_7?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1494357501&sr=1-7&keywords=small+pet+carrier

In general, I’d recommend hardtop carrier since they cannot chew through this as quickly as cloth, and it provides a sturdy footing for them while they are being carried. You can put a towel or some cloth in the bottom so the rabbit doesn’t slide around and there is something absorbent in case he pees. My rabbit also hates to be picked up, what I do is leave the pet carrier out a few days for her to get used to it. Then I tempt her in there with a treat (small bit of fruit or tasty vegetable) and close the door. She is very curious, so it is pretty easy to trick her once

For the vet: make sure you take him to a vet that routinely does rabbit neuters. If they are experienced they should know about anesthetics that are best, but here is a list of approved ones from medirabbit: http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Anesthesia/Safe_Anesthesia.htm. My rabbit has never gone in for surgery so perhaps someone else has a specific recommendation?

[sarahthegemini]

I’m curious about the anaesthesia question too. I can’t imagine a vet asking the owner’s preference.

Like Vanessa, I have to trap mine to get them in their carrier. Actually no, that’s a lie. Buttercup will go in if there’s food and if we don’t act too suspicious lol Peanut on the other hand…We have to lure him into the corner and put a pen around him then slowly reduce the pen size with the carrier in it and guide him/push his bottom to get him in. He panics at being confined bless him but it’s the easiest and least stressful way.

[Stefan 'Geb']

Ace is a 5 month old dwarf rabbit.
The issue is not that he chews the carpet, because thats usual.
I think its a hormonal issue because he chewed way more of it than usual, literally chewed a hole in my carpet through which I can see and which is about 4cm in diameter.
And by what type of aenesthetic I meant if injectable or inhalatory aenesthesic.
Im frightened that when he feels the sting, he will freak out and the needle might cause damage.
And if inhalatory, the same story

[BanditCamp]

Since you have a dwarf this is something my vet reccomends. A carrier with a top access to not make the rabbit feel trapped in case they have to reach inside. I use a large version for my havana bandit. I use a dog bed with a pee pad on top in case he has an accident and I bring one of his fleece blankets he knows.

Carrier pet link carries by petsmart usually.

https://www.chewy.com/petmate-two-door-top-load-pet-kennel/dp/53617?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Petmate&utm_term=&gclid=CI3EqKm_5dMCFU5tfgod-wAFLg&gclsrc=aw.ds

[The Harshes]

We put our buns in a cat carrier. We lay a big blanket on the bottom so that they don’t slide around. Ours don’t like being picked up unless they are sick so we tend to tempt them in with a banana chip. I normally take their favorite food to the vet to try and tempt them out with once they are there. The vets are pretty good with picking them up. I normally find that the change in people and surroundings means they are more amicable to being picked up. I’ve also trained them to stand on their back legs for a treat like a dog so that I could see their scars from their neutering without having to upset them. Can you do anything like that?

[vanessa]

I wouldn’t worry about the needle. It is standard practice to give the rabbit a pre-analgesic, something to numb the rabbit/ make them unaware of what’s going on, so that it is easier to give them the inhaled anesthetic which brings about the proper level of anesthesia. It’s a two-pronged approach. The experience of being driven to a vets office will probably be more scary than the 2 second needle injection. Also – when rabbits are nervous, like will be at the vets office, they typically “freeze up” and sit really really still. I’v seen my bunnies get needles, and they never freaked out. They do try to wriggle away when the vet has the Otto scope checking out their teeth…

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Stefan ‘Geb’ on 5/10/2017 8:11 AM

Ace is a 5 month old dwarf rabbit.
The issue is not that he chews the carpet, because thats usual.
I think its a hormonal issue because he chewed way more of it than usual, literally chewed a hole in my carpet through which I can see and which is about 4cm in diameter.
And by what type of aenesthetic I meant if injectable or inhalatory aenesthesic.
Im frightened that when he feels the sting, he will freak out and the needle might cause damage.
And if inhalatory, the same story

I don’t think an injection is that big a deal, I mean both of mine didn’t bat an eyelid when they were vaccinated and microchipped. Poor little Buttercup has had lots of injections and she’s been well behaved each time. Vets aren’t stupid. They know what they are doing – they’re not going to cause damage with the needle and they’ll have experience with wriggly little furries! 

Again, the chewing isn’t hormonal. To me it just sounds like a very determined little bun.

[Wick & Fable]

Wick has been stuck by me over a dozen times for medical treatment and he’s fine. Wick’s vet using a mini gas mask for the one procedure he had though (so cute). The vet did this for Wick’s dental procedure. If you have an experienced exotic vet, he/she should know the best anesthetic to use; you shouldn’t need to ask for a particular kind, unless you know your rabbit has reactions to some. If you vet is wondering what’s safe for rabbits, I question his/her competency for doing the procedure.

To make him more comfortable in whatever carrier you choose, rub a towel on him or grab something that has his scent (something he usually sits on/may have accidentally peed on) and place that in the carrier. It makes carriers another territorial safe-zone, rather than an unknown tunnel.

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.

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