Possibly depressed rabbit

[Daajzia]

Hi there I’m new here and I have a lion head rabbit that we named The Flying Dutchmen or Dutch for short. He’s all white with two bright blue eyes. I rescued him from a dog fighing situation, he was being used as cage bait. So from the start he’s been a handful in his own right. He’s got a aggressive status at the vet and will claw the daylights out of you if you’re trying to handle him for nail trims. He’s figured out that his back feet can fit behind his ears – he’ll spread his toes and goes to town. Dutch is around 3 1/2 to 4 years old. I was able to bond him with my female jersey wooly after her brother died and about two months ago Libra ( the wooly ) died. They were together for about two years but Libra was what we called his nanny rabbit. She cleaned him, fussed at him when he acted up, they snuggled together and never went anywhere without eachother. Loosing her was a massive blow to our family and I know it hit him hard. While Dutch still eats his pellets he went for a while ( up until about three days ago ) wouldn’t even touch hays or grasses, (  I even bought grass for him, only for him to bury it ) he would just fuss with them and move them around the cage. He’s still not eating them but I catch him every now and again eating at least one piece.  I finally got him to eat some baby carrots and today he ate two strawberries. He won’t even play with toys.

However I noticed today that he had some slight yellowing around his nose. It wasn’t a lot and if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s white I wouldn’t have seen it. He needs to go in for a general check up once I find a vet here. We’d like to get him another friend but I’d like to figure out what’s going on with him first before I bring another one into the house. I’m hoping that I find SOMETHING that he will enjoy again..

 

I’m at a loss of what to do for him, he had such a crappy start to life I’d hate for something to happen to him now.

[MoveDiagonally]

Thank you for rescuing Dutch. His background is truly a horrific one and I’m glad he found an understanding loving home. I’m very sorry for your family’s loss of Libra.

I’ve never had a bunny that lost a bond mate but I know there are people here that have, hopefully they can give you some insight on the bunny grieving process. I have read that sometimes grief can mask another illness so I think a vet check is a good idea especially if he’s not really eating.

Depending on where you live the HRS has a list of bunny vets that may help you find one near you:
http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

Is the hay any different? A different type or new batch? You could try Oxbow botanical hay or some orchard and see if that entices him at all. If he’s not eating his usual veggies maybe try some extra fragrant herbs like mint or cilantro.

[Daajzia]

I haven’t tried giving him mint before that’s a good idea! I can’t find the Oxbow bot or the meadow mix ( I think that’s what it’s called ) but everything else I’ve tried. I’m up to my butt in hays and grasses. Lol So I’m fully prepared for a another rabbit ( at least in the hay part ). So I think I’ll be ordering it offline and try that. He’s eating carrots and strawberries so I don’t think his teeth are hurting him — but I’m having those checked out when we go into the vet. Thanks for the tips!

[Ella K.]

Considering his background, I’m not surprised by his behavior. To me, he doesn’t sound depressed, just scared. Bunnies hold grudges. What I did to acclimate Bean ( who was born into a hoarding/over-breeding situation ) was exclusively feed him from my hand. He associated me with food ( his favorite thing ), and he kind of warmed up to me. For a while, I didn’t hold him at all, because it was a very scary experience for him. Also, every time I came into his room, I would offer a pellet/veggie as a treat, so he would know I didn’t mean harm.

Its so nice that you rescued him!

[Ella K.]

Also, with the nose yellowing- I can’t say what it is, but you should get him to a vet as soon as possible.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Poor little bunny. What an awful thing to do to a bunny. So glad you saved him.

It’s normal for bunnies to grieve for their lost mates. Have you tried offering him a stuffed friend? Sometimes bunnies enjoy this. Just be sure to monitor closely that he is not chewing it.

As for the discharge, it could be a number of things. I hope you are able to find a vet and have him looked at soon.

[Daajzia]

Sorry to take so long to write back my computer decided it was time for a vacation! ( what a pain! )

Thank you so much for all your wonderful tip and suggestions! I haven’t tried a stuffed friend yet, would any stuffed animal work or is there a certain kind that people are buying?

Also great news he seems to have gotten more of his munchies back. Dutch oddly enough will eat from my hand but is very cautious about taking it from other people.

He’s currently blowing his coat and getting a brush on him is out of the question, I’ve seen those U brush post for cats, has anyone ever tried one for their rabbits before?

[PeachyCream]

Wow this is a very inspirational story.. I get really upset when people talk about abusing animals in any sense and dog fighting is awful for the dogs and the bait Anyways I’m new to caring for rabbits but from what I was told it depends on the type of fur he has… If he has shorter hair, use a bristle brush or comb and for longer haired rabbits one should use slicker or wire brushes… Apparently you can also use a spray bottle full of water to help brush through the fur and use a soft bristle brush if you’re going to brush the tummy since it’s the rabbit’s most sensitive area… That’s what I’ve been told anyways

[raenesci]

Great choice rescuing Dutch! I had a bunny once who lost his home- mate, and my current bunny Oreo seemed so depressed after i bought her and she left her brothers and sisters…being a college student in a tiny apartment, 2 bunnies was a bad idea, so I went with toys. With both bunnies, the toys almost instantly caused a change in their mood and they were much more active and playful.

Oreo’s favorites are.. a fruit wood chew from petsmart, and her ‘barrel roller’ toy also from petsmart. Each are only a few dollars and she LOVES them! I hear her playing every night and I can finally get some sleep knowin she’s happy. So my suggestion is to try some toys, even if you get a 2nd bun, it’ll give both of them the enrichment they need

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