New Bunny Help – U/D

[Minty]

 Hi everyone! I just got my new bunny today and have a few questions. He’s 7 months old and not neutered (yet!) I made an appointment for him from a week today. Is this too soon? Should I wait longer for him to settle in? I am also switching him over to new pellets and I’m worried the stress of a move plus new food that he will be too stressed for the surgery. Also, the vet keeps bunnies over night after surgery. Is this normal? Should I make sure I’m not doing anything the day after his surgery so I can keep an eye on him? Or can I go to work and leave him alone at home? Sorry for all the questions, this is my first bunny and I have done tons of research but am still unsure of a couple things! Thanks in advance for any help!!  

[Monkeybun]

A week from now is definitely not too soon. You can use the recovery time to get him to know you better

I’d wait to switch pellets until after the surgery, that way you can tell if he has a reaction to the surgery or the food, and not have to guess which if something happens.

Alot of vets keep them overnight, its perfectly normal Just make sure its a rabbit vet. The key thing to ask to see if they are rabbit savvy is How long should you fast your bunny before surgery. If the vet says anything other than You don’t need to fast him, find another vet

Congrats on your new friend, and welcome to BB

[Minty]

Thanks for the info, Monkeybun! The problem about the pellets is that the girl I got him from only gave me a small bag of his current food for transition, and she gets her food from a feed store that they sell in huge bags. I wouldn’t want to buy a huge bag of his current pellets, and I don’t have enough to last him until after the surgery. (I am transitioning him to Oxbow pellets.)

I was referred to this vet by a rabbit rescue and have heard lots of good things about her so I feel good about going to her. They told me not to fast him but to take away his pellets in the morning and just give him fresh hay. Is that okay?

[Monkeybun]

Not sure why they’d tell you that.. hmm. Did they say why to take away the pellets?

[Beka27]

He should be able to eat like normal up until the surgery. But I’m not a vet, so I don’t know what her reasoning may be for only providing hay, just for more fiber maybe? But I think as long as he has access to some food at all times…

[Minty]

I’m not sure, I didn’t ask them why to take away the pellets… Maybe I will give them a call tomorrow and find out

[Beka27]

When I took my girl in for her spay, I actually woke up super early that morning to feed her veggies a couple hours earlier than normal… I just wanted to make sure she had as much time as possible to eat… You definitely don’t want them to have an empty stomach. Let us know what the vet says as far as why she wants pellets taken away. I believe pellets take a longer time to digest than hay (hours longer), so I’m wondering if it’s something related to length of digestion.

[Minty]

I will give them a call tomorrow and let you know what they say. I think I might reschedule the appointment for a day where I can be around to keep an eye on him after I pick him up. Do you think this is a good idea?

[Monkeybun]

Yeah thats a good idea. Its good to stay with them the first bit so you can make sure they eat and drink within a certain timeframe after.

[Minty]

Thanks for all the help you guys! He is settling in pretty well in just the few short hours I’ve had him home. He seems curious and is nibbling on hay and pellets, and drinking too. When I open the cage he hops right up and doesn’t mind if I reach in to give him some pets. He’s still a little nervous but very sweet! Fingers crossed that the surgery goes okay. I’ll probably be on here asking some questions about post-op care… I’ll also be uploading pics shortly

[RabbitPam]

I actually think it’s good to get it done sooner, rather than waiting until he settles in. As you’re seeing, that’s not taking long at all, and it’s not that much compounded stress for them. Staying overnight at the vets is good, in that they can watch him for any signs of problems. Sammy stayed overnight, and their only problem was that she came out of the anesthesia so quickly and was her hungry, feisty self within hours, so she was a handful! But I was relieved they were watching her.

Maybe the vet doesn’t like those pellets either, and knowing you want to switch, he may be ready for a new, healthier kind when he is over the surgery. Usually they dont’ eat their pellets again for a day or even several, so I would load up on the veggies and hay and get an appointment to be available the day he comes home. Unless the vet only does surgery on certain days, in which case I’d say go ahead and get it over with.

[Minty]

 The pellets he was eating are 18% protein!  I thought it was a very high percentage for a 7month old bun. He also hasn’t pooped or peed since I brought him home yesterday, but I did hear him nibbling on hay through the night. Should I be worried?

[Minty]

I called the vet and rescheduled the surgery. I also asked about the pellet thing. The woman I talked to today said there’s no need to fast or take away the pellets, so maybe the girl that was working yesterday just didn’t know what she was talking about? Anyways, they told me to pack enough food for him to last until the next day. Another question… I don’t think he has been getting many greens up to this point. Is it safe to start introducing them? If so, how much and what kind? Also, still no sign of poo or pee in the cage…

[Monkeybun]

Wait to start the greens til after he’s recovered from surgery if he hasn’t had any yet. And if theres no sign of him going potty, call the vet. My Moose is at the vet right now because he hasn’t gone potty. Buns can hide being sick, but if they haven’t gone potty in 24 hours or so, its bad. Definitely call!

[Minty]

I’ve noticed him eating lots of ‘cecals’… Do you think maybe he’s just eating all his poo? He was pooping fine when I picked him up yesterday. (He pooped and peed on the table the girl was showing him to me on.) So maybe it’s just nerves? He seems pretty happy, he flopped right in front of me just now and let me pet him on the head and ears. I’m off to work today, so if there still isn’t any sign of him going potty when I get home I guess I will have to call the vet… yikes!

[Minty]

So, I am starting to get worried. I picked Sully up at 4:30pm yesterday afternoon. At that time he was pooping and peeing normally. I’ve brought him home and left him in his cage with tons of timothy, his usual pellets, and a full water bottle. I have seen him take a couple pellets, nibble hay, and drink a little, but there are no poops to be seen. At this point, it’s been more than 12 hours. Do rabbits ever ‘hold it’? As I posted above, I do see him eating his cecals. Ahh, new bunny stress. Any advice? Is a vet check up in order?

[Sarita]

You know, I would give him a little more time – he’s still adjusting and so are you. Have you checked around his box as well to see if there are any stray poops there.

[Elrohwen]

I would also give him some more time. My bun will only use his litterbox once in a 12 hour period and sometimes not at all. He also only eats at specific times of the day, so if it’s naptime, he’s not interested in eating. Your bun probably just isn’t interested in eating right now.

Just let your bun settle in and keep up with the pain meds and he should come around.

[Minty]

I’ve checked around his litter box, under hay/newspaper, etc. and still no poops. I’ll wait and hopefully he’ll be passing something by tonight. Thanks for the reassurance

[MarkBun]

Maryann has, on a couple of occasions, held it in for two days before letting loose. I don’t think she was in any discomfort, just that she wanted to worry the heck out of me.

[Minty]

I found the answer to the missing poop mystery… He’s been eating all of his poop, not just the cecals. What the heck? Is this normal? I saw him hop across his cage, poop, and then hop back and eat it! I thought rabbits only ate cecals and not their regular poo? Is it possible he is drinking his urine as well? He drank about 4 inches of water from his water bottle and hasn’t peed…. 

[jerseygirl]

I tend to think they do this when looking for fibre. My Doe sometimes does it. A member here has a time when her doe was completely cleaning out her litter box of them! It’s not really harmful but you do need to address why he’s looking for fibre (if that is the case.) You said he’s just nibbled at his tim hay. Is he not eating enough or not a fan of timothy hay? Perhaps it’s his teeth. If he has teeth problems he might avoid hay and gain fibre through the reingested fecals.

[Minty]

I’m not really sure of his usual habits as I just got him yesterday! However, I think he’s just been nibbling because he’s a bit nervous after the move. He was pooping normally at his old owner’s house and not eating it. So maybe this is just a temporary/stress related thing?

[jerseygirl]

Could be. All the same, I’d get the vet to check for molar spurs when he’s in for the neuter. Did he get lots of hay at his former home? He appears to be a holland lop – is that right? Oh, and a belated “Welcome” by the way!

[TARM]

Maybe, if you just got him yesterday, he’s not used to having hay and good food being available and got into the habit of eating poo because his diet was lacking.

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