My new buddy and well issues.

[Zack Rayne]

Ok so I recently contacted the closest breeder I could, so i could get a new buddy. She told me that she had 1 baby dwarf left and that more would be available at the end of december. I really didnt want to wait that long so I asked her to send me pics of the one she had, he seemed really nice from what she told me so I said that I would take him. I contacted her the next day and was informed that her girls had sold him by mistake. I was sad but stuff happens.

She said that she goes to shows and could find me one though so I agreed. A few days later she sent me pics of a very tiny black dwarf bunny. She asked a bunch of questions to the other breeder and checked him out to make sure he was healthy. Then got him for me. She held him for 2 weeks till I got back into town, (im a pro wrestler and have to go on the road every once in awhile).

I checked in with the breeder every few days and then picked him up yesterday morning. I was really tired from my trip so my wife drove us home  2 hours from the breeders. The bunny hopped around my body for a bit on the ride home then curled up under my chin and fell asleep with me. After getting him home I put him in his new home to get used to it and just observed for awhile. Ive heard they dont eat drink or poop for a little bit till they get used to the new place and not as scared. So i waited.

10 hours passed and no poop, no drink no eat. So i called the breeder to make sure it hadnt been going on longer. She said that he did all of the above right before I picked him up. I knew i had to get water in him at the very least so i got an eye dropper and managed to get him to drink a pretty decent ammount. He calmed way down once he drank. It is now morning and about 20 hours since i picked him up. He still is not drinking on his own, has not pooped and will only east tiny little slivers of hay (he seems to be rediculously picky about the pieces he eats).

I called vets all over and the breeder and am getting nowhere. Should I be worried? Can I do anything else?

He hasnt figured out his water bottle so i gave him a little bowl too, and went and purchased little carrots just to try and get some moisture in him and try to get him to poop (i know carrots arent  what i should give him but I just want to get somthing in him).

If i let him out of his enclosure he hops around and investigates and comes over to snuggle with me, hes very trusting and very effectionate so im not willing to give up on him. I know its early to be freaking out but I just dont want to let somthing go and find out I could have helped him.

Thanks in advance.

 

EDIT: you can see the cage I built by going to http://www.flickr.com/solutioncustoms

[Sarita]

Hi Zack, very nice cage!

Do you know how old your new rabbit is?

It can take them time to adjust but if it were me, I would go ahead and make a vet appointment to have the vet do a physical examination to make sure everything is okay with him.

[Zack Rayne]

He is 3 months old.

[Sarita]

Have you tried giving him pellets? What about veggies?

[Sarita]

Also, try giving him a water bowl instead of bottle.

[Zack Rayne]

I have tryed thinly cut carrots, and have placed the bowl in his cage. I am going to pick up some pellets in about an hour when my wife tags in on “watch the bunny duty”. To be honest im less concerned with the eating and more concerned with the fact that he has not pooped or peed in 24 hours. The only way im not seeing his waste is if its in the littel box i put in there for him to hide in but he sleeps in there so i doubt thats where he is doing his business.

[Sarita]

Well if there is nothing going in there won’t be anything coming out.

Try the pellets – most likely those are the only thing he’s familiar with at this point. What type of hay are you trying?

[MissKris&Koji]

Actually, they will go in their sleeping boxes. Especially young like that, he may not be litter trained yet, or may just like that corner. What kind of box is it? I have a cardboard box, so I close one end and cut off the flaps so he has a covered spot but open bottomed. I just lift it up and sweep out any stray poops in there when I do cage cleaning, and even my litter trained bun will still have a few loose poops.

As for the pee, I doubt he’d be laying in it…. but if the box is big enough he may be peeing in there. Also I noticed my rabbit only really pees at the same time every day, despite drinking considerable water. Meanwhile he poops all day. I would be more concerned to see no poops than no pee.

*edit* It also occurs to me, maybe you have tried this – did you ask what he was eating before? I know another forum poster said they got a rabbit from a family who was feeding it bread and milk, you would think someone selling at a show would know to feed pellets, veggies, and hay, but I guess you never know. Also the breeder who held him should be able to tell you what she gave him that he ate, I’d try to give him the same to avoid confusion and get him to eat something. Hopefully when you guys get the pellets, they will smell familiar and he’ll bite.

[Zack Rayne]

The breeder fed him Timothy Hay, but said she put a little bit of alphalfa hay mixed in. She did not give him pellets but im gonna let him have some anyway cause Ive heard that having a litttle is good for them.  Beyond that im just giving him the hay and i have a few carrot strips in there right now hoping he bites.

Hes pretty active so i dont think hes like very sick, I have noticed though that he is pretty clingy, (not that its a bad thing) but when hes awake hes as close to me as he can possibly get. *crossing fingers on the pellet thing*

 

 

[Sarita]

Please keep us updated. At his age he could have unlimited pellets.

[LoveChaCha]

Aw, poor baby bunny.

Yes, I higly recommend some alfalfa based pellets for the little one. Hopefully that will get the bunny to eat.

Make sure to set up an appointment with a vet very soon.

I got my bunny from a breeder at 8 weeks old, and scheduled an appointment for her the following month.

[Zack Rayne]

UPDATE!

 

He finally pooped and peed. I cleaned it up and stuck as much as I could in his litter area so maybe the smell would help scent it, i also moved the tray to the newly chosen waste area. I also saw him eating a little hay but he hasnt touched the pellets yet. Though I caught him drinking out of the water bottle so he obviously is figuring that out.

His stool seems very soft though and it smelled pretty darn bad. He also managed to get it all over himself LOL so I had to clean him up. Oh boy advertures in parenthood. My bunny as a kid was a freaking machine, I never had to baby him at all, he ate like a maniac ran around like he had somthing burning him from the inside and once got out and got lost in the snow in my front yard for 3 days and came back to me while I was shoveling snow one day. He was un-screw-with-able.

LOL my new buddy is alot more affectionate but boy oh boy hes making me think that I never want children, Ive only had him for over a day now and hes already worried me sick.

How much hay should I expect him to intake in a day? Maybe I can just put that much in and see what kind of progress hes making? Any suggestions?

[Beka27]

They should always have access to hay, so give him whatever you think he could eat in a day, and then some extra. Do you have a hay rack or something? Hay in the litterbox tends to help train them also.

[Sarita]

It would be a good idea to get a check up soon and have a fecal test done to check for coccidia.

[Zack Rayne]

Yeah i have some in a rack and then some laying on the ground near it, Ill go ahead and put some in his letter box too. Will his poop get less watery once he adjusts? My bunny as a kid always just left balls laying around.

[Beka27]

Watery poop can be a sign of coccidia. Looks like Sarita mentioned that in the post right after me. A vet check and fecal test would be a good idea. It’s not uncommon in rabbits from petstores/breeders.

[Sarita]

I would suggest a fecal test to make sure he does not have coccidia – runny stools could be a sign of this.

[FunnyBunnyLove]

A pro wrestler eh? Would we know you if we saw you? I only latched onto that bit of information because my now almost-13-year-old son watches it religiously. He likes Jeff Hardy. Are you in that same league or anything?

welcome and congrats on the new bunny! We like pictures around here

[RabbitPam]

I know you said you called around to several vets already, but I would urge you to take him to one as soon as possible. Go to an exotics vet who will have more experience with rabbits. Even if he was in the peak of health it’s smart to get a baseline exam by a new vet to establish yourself with a vet and make sure all is fine. Since he is symptomatic, I think it’s imperative he be checked right away.

He sounds sweet. I would also try soaking lettuce (something gentle like green or red leaf) in a lot of water which will provide him with water from eating the greens. I’m wondering if his teeth are OK also. He may eat soft lettuce more readily than hard pellets or carrots if there’s a bit of a problem there.

Pictures, please.

[BinkyBunny]

awe…he sounds so sweet and I know you really care about this little one and you are doing a good job watching out for him, giving him a WONDERFUL home, and researching (like coming here) to find out the best way to give this guy a chance. I have to ditto that it would be best to get a vet check-up. IF the stinky poops are signs of coccidia (Very common in young bunnies) it is easy for a vet to treat.

It is important though to find a rabbit savvy vet (rabbits are actually considered exotic due to some unique medical aspects of rabbits—so many exotic vets will know how to treat them). Do you have a rabbit-savvy vet? IF not, check out this link on how to find one. http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html

[Zack Rayne]

Not good update I think. I check on him to give him more water with the dropper just in case and he had pooped a little again. It was less runny this time but then I found somthing that scared me. It was a clear gel? So i wanted to make sure he didnt have any more poo on him, so i dampened a cotton ball and whiped his butt, and when I looked at the ball it was completly covered in a completly clear thick gel substance. I quickly looked online to see if it was documented and the things I read were not good at all as im sure you all already know. I quickly began recalling all the vets to see if sombody would take pitty on my bud. They all quickly changed there toons from “wait till morning” to “can you bring him in”.

Unfortunatly the only two vets in town that apparently know anything about bunnies are on vacation till next week, and the next closest is over two hours away and is charging $175 just for comming into the office at the late hour. Im really afraid that dragging him 2.5 hours away if hes as sick as I fear might be the final nail in the coffin.

After pleeding with a receptionist for a few minutes she finally put me in contact with a women who was a farm animal vet that has treated alot of bunnies. She was very very far away about 3.5 hours but stayed on the phone with me and helped me to examine and relay info to her. She told me what I already knew which was that I needed to make sure he was getting water and some kind of food in him. I was able to give him a little more from the dropper but he quickly began refusing it all together. She then sent me outside and I walked around in my yard till I found the clover that was in the pic she sent me. I picked a handful of it and went inside.

Dax quickly devoured them,(ill admit I cried a little cause i thought maybe we found somthing he would eat). She then instructed me to wait an hour and attempt to give him more. So I did but his love of the clover has seemed to wear off a bit. He sniffs it some but has only eaten one leaf of it since 10:30 pm eastern time.

He hasnt shot out any clear stuff in hours which im hoping is good, but he hasnt pooped anymore and isnt really taking anything in. Ive prayed and tryed really hard but asside from staying up tonight and trying every hour or so I dont know what else I can do till a vet becomes available. I hope hes gonna be ok, im gonna be heart broken if he doesnt make it.

He is still very aware and moving about and still doesnt seem to be in any discomfort, he will let me do about anything to him. Im beside myself.

[BinkyBunny]

I’m so sorry. I know this is very hard. You are very caring and this little guy is lucky to have you even though I know you feel helpless at the moment.

Though I don’t know for sure what is going on, the clear coating you may be seeing may be just the “cecal” poos. Cecal poos normally happen at night (though they can happen during the day time too) and they normally are formed in like a grape like cluster and have a clear coating. Does that sound like what you saw. IF so that could be normal. Rabbits will normally re ingest those. (gross..I know)

Here is another past thread with people who had the same scare as you https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/ta…fault.aspx  Maybe some of it will sound familiar.  One of them did have a bunny who was having digestive problems who also had more clear substance and she explained the treatment she got for her bunny which may help you reference with a vet.  

[bunnymum16]

i hope your bunny gets better.like Sarita said,have your bunny checked.ask the vet to do a fecal test too.my bunny pooped jelly like stuff too and it was coccidia.healing vibes to your baby bunny

[Beka27]

Vibes for your bunny! Please keep us updated on how he does.

[Zack Rayne]

UPDATE: I stayed up all night with him and no poops, finally found an exotic vet that would take my calls, drove an hour to him and he is keeping the bunny for 24 hours and giving him an IV to get him rehydrated. He doesnt think he has a blockage of any kind, but doesnt know whats wrong with him yet, they will attempt to get a poop sample ASAP but all i can do now is wait and pray.

[Sarita]

Vibes for your bunny. Please keep us updated.

[Beka27]

(((Healing vibes!))) Thank goodness he has you looking out for him!

[BinkyBunny]

I hope everything is okay. Keep us updated.

[RabbitPam]

I’m so glad he’s with a vet now. Please let us know the latest report.
Hugs to you,
{{{{{{{{{{{Healing vibes}}}}}}}}}}}

[Zack Rayne]

OK well he has been with the vet since 9am yesterday and they have been making him eat and drink by hand. They are telling me that he still seems fine and that he is running around and checking things out and doesnt show signs of being sick. They checked the clear gell poop stuff for anything that could be making him sick and it came back completely clear, so its not a parasite.

They just keep saying that they have never seen anyting like this before. I called around to make sure I wasnt dealing with Doctors that just said they knew bunnies and everyone I talked to said that the vet in question has done rabbits for 30 years and knows what she is doing.

They started him on a antibiotic (for what I have no idea). They want to keep him over night again, which I have no choice but to let them seeing as how unless he starts eating bunny foods and pooping correctly he will surely die in my care. Im very upset. Right now it just feels like im putting off the inevitable. Does anyone know a good bunny vet in there area that might consult with mine? I just want to try everything I can. I cant find a vet that has seen what is happening with Dax before.

 

[Queensbun]

My vet is Dr. Jennifer Saver at Catnip and Carrots in NY. I’ve only been there once but they have a very good reputation if you want to try them.

Otherwise have you checked the HRS list of vets for someone local? http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

VIBES to your bun!

[KatnipCrzy]

The poo that you describe as clear gel- to me that suggests mucus- which could be caused by GI inflammation. And having the bunny syringe fed food and water is appropriate treatment. And I would think the antibiotic would be to help any infection, inflammation, etc that might have caused this condition to start. It depends on which medication they are using- as to what exactly they are trying to treat. But in the case of a negative stool sample- and the bunny being ill- I find it perfectly reasonable to initiate antibiotic treatment even without knowing the exact cause of the gel poo. In many cases- diah in pets does not have an exact cause determined- and the side effects are treated and as long as it does not reoccur that is not a problem. It is only when it is chronic and starts when treatment stops that an exact diagnosis might need to be made. And usually exact diagnoses are costly to determine and can involve invasive procedures like endoscopy and biopsies.
I am not a vet and you do need to follow your gut feelings about your pets and their vet care. I recommend that if you do not exactly understand what is being treated and how or why they are doing something- it might just be a lack of communication/explaining on the vets part and you can call and ask to talk to the vet and just explain you are scared, concerned and you just want to understand what and why they are doing to treat your bunny and that will help you cope with the process.

[Zack Rayne]

Good? Update?

Well they suggested I come get him today, which I did. They said that his poop still wasnt quite normal but that it was improving and that he was drinking a ton and peeing and stuff. They had him eating grass but said he wouldnt touch his hay or pellets. I went and got him, the bill came to $163 which is a little high than what they told me but its fine if it means he is ok.

They gave me a bottle of purple stuff that I have to give him every 12 hours for a week, but good news is that The second I put him in a box with hay in it to bring him home he started munching away. He is picking at his hay every once in awhile now and i keep tricking him by wrapping a piece of long grass around a bundle of hay and he eats them both. Now im just waiting for him to take his first poop at home.

*crosses fingers*

[MissKris&Koji]

That does sound like an improvement! I guess whatever antibiotics they have him on are helping. And $163 is not too bad considering they kept him in their care so long and did labwork, I know the lab stuff like fecal tests can run the bill up pretty quick. I guess the difficulty in figuring out the problem since Dax’s situation was unusual was what made it be more than the estimate. But, I once had a pneumatic rat at an exotic vet, only there for an hour for an exam, injection, and went home with a week of antibiotics – totalled over $230 just for that. Unfortunately exotic pet visits can be really pricey. Hopefully he’ll be healthy for a while after this, though, I’m sure none of us want regular bills in the hundreds.

That little bunny is lucky to have gotten you for a parent. He sounds so sweet too. I want to see some photos!

[Sarita]

$163.00 is not at all bad – that’s very good in fact. In any case, continued vibes to your little bunny.

Is the medicine baytril or bactrim (SMZ)?

My fingers are crossed as well.

[bunnymum16]

let us know how it goes.im lucky i have a good bunny vet.i had her checked and they did a fecal test,they also kept her for the night and gave some meds and it only came up to $85.

i hope your bunny gets better.

[Zack Rayne]

Ill get you guys pics soon. Im trying to litter train him lol He has apparently forgot. They usually pic a corner dont they? Cause he doesnt at all lol he just poops all over the place. Also he has made a complete food 180 now the only thing he will even look at is timothy hay lol.

He has me on my toes for sure.

[jerseygirl]

It’s so good to hear Dax has had a turn around. Hopefully now you can start to enjoy him rather then worry about him! Might be an idea to let the lady you got him from know of all the troubles.

As he is young, littertraining can take some time, though some bunnies pick it up quick. It’s pretty typical he’s pooping all over & young bunnies poop a ton. They also poop randomly when eating hay. Try suspending his hay rack over the litterbox. That might help keep some of it contained.  Check out the sites litter training tips. https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO…fault.aspx

[Zack Rayne]

Here you go guys.

[LoveChaCha]

HES SUCH A CUTIE ZACK!!!!

I’m glad he is doing so much better!!

The price of what you paid is actually very normal.

About the litter habits, yes, bunnies tend to go in one corner. I suggest putting his stray poops into a litter box that he pees in and he will get the idea My bunny’s litter box is in a certain place and she will always go in it.. but there are days when she has stray poops in her x-pen area.

(Wellness vibes to baby)

[Beka27]

He is so cute!!!!!!! What a sweetie!

I’m so happy he seems to be feeling better!

[Zack Rayne]

Dear God, Dax is a pooping machine. There is no rhyme or reason to where he poopies, Im chalking it up to him being a baby, i hope he picks a spot soon lol his whole cage is filled with poops, even the top floor is not immune from his inestinal wrath.

If he wasnt so cute he would be getting a talking to.

[Sarita]

I’m glad he’s better and he is so pretty. He’s lucky to have someone like you who cares so much for him.

[Author]

Messages