Rabbit care

[Brenna]

This is more for me to get a piece of mind. I was wondering how often others have had to take their rabbits to the vet. Roger has been three times. Once for his neutering surgery, once for complications after surgery, and the third time for GI stasis. Chloe has been to the vet twice. Once for spaying and now for a respiratory infection. I feel that I’m doing something wrong, I’m afraid my rabbits getting sick is because of something I’m doing wrong. I try to provide the best quality of life for my babies. Is there something wrong on my part and if so is there any advice you have to offer? Anything to give my babies a healthier and happier life.

[DanaNM]

I’ve had variable experiences with my buns. Some have had lots of medical issues, and some have had none, and my care is pretty much the same for all of them (with accommodations for known medical problems!). I have gone through the same emotions you have, as I had two buns in a row with lots of medical issues, but I simultaneously had one that had zero problems, so I knew it couldn’t be something I was doing terribly wrong.

I think some bunnies are more prone to problems, so it probably isn’t anything you are doing! What you describe doesn’t sound like a lot of vet visits at all, especially given that most of the vet visits you list are related to spay/neuter (which is the hallmark of a good owner)!

But just for the sake of being thorough, can you describe what their diet and general care is like?

. . . 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.  

[Wick & Fable]

The reasons you list for going to the vet are quite legitimate and I feel many owners go for those reasons, especially as a young rabbit is growing up.

If you want a take away, don’t let it be “what am I doing wrong?” It should be what may have caused the GI stasis and what can I do to prevent it in the future. The other vet visits are largely out of your control, so taking them to the vet was a positive sign of ownership, not negative.

Wick’s 1.25 years old and has been to the vet 19 times, so trust me when I say number of vet appts do not always correlate with quality of care.

If you find yourself going constantly for reasons you learn are preventable, learn from them and keep adapting care. As of now, it seems like you’re doing a fine job caring for your rabbits by getting them fixed and treated.

For further validation/education, can you tell the BB community their current diet, living space/free roam space size and time out, how often you interact with them, and how their hay appetite is? There are so many aspects to rabbit care, so getting opinions that you’re doing something right, wrong, or could do something better is a great discussion to have.

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.

[Brenna]

Roger and Chloe are free roam house rabbits. They don’t have full access to the house because I live with my parents and they have cats, but they are able to run around and get what I feel is adequate exercise. They get a variety of greens two times a day (breakfast and dinner), lots of Timothy hay and water. I’ve stopped feeding them pellets because I’ve heard they aren’t really necessary in a rabbits diet. I clean their litter pans every 3-4 days, and a whole clean up of the room they are in every 6-7 days (depending on how destructive they are). I feel I spend quite a bit of time with Roger and Chloe. Anytime I’m reading, doing homework, or just hanging out I’ll sit in the floor with them and talk to them. I switch out their toys every couple of days to make sure they don’t get bored with them.

Roger’s GI stasis was caused by a hair ball the vet told me, so now I try and brush both rabbits daily. When I went to the vet for Chloe’s respiratory problems the vet told me these things just happen. Chloe still has an appetite and is still rambunctious as ever which I think is a good sign.

[sarahthegemini]

Don’t beat yourself up about it – some buns are more prone to things than others. Doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong

[Muchelle]

Not reading anything wrong! Just maybe try to clean throughly more often just to see if they may be sensitive to dust. Mine sneezes if I slack off, so my schedule is floor wiping every day, litter change every 3-4 days according to how much he poops, enclosure deep clean every time I change the litter. I usually first swipe the eclosure and then go in with a cloth wetted in a mix of lukewarm water and white vinegar, then dry off with another cloth and put back all the stuff.

This also helps removing all stray hairs they may shed even out of molt time, which is very good if your Roger had a fur ball problem, in addition to the brushing that is very good and also can be an excellent bonding moment if they like it

[Deleted User]

It sounds like Roger and Chloe are very well taken care of! As Muchelle suggested, the only thing you can really improve on is being more thorough in grooming and cleaning. I vacuum every few days and clean the ceiling fans too, just to make sure that there’s not a ton of extra dust floating around. My apartment building was built in the 70s and while I try to be as clean as I can, there’s just a lot of dust due to the nature of it being an old building!

[Brenna]

Yeah I should probably start dusting my entire room and clean up more often. Thank you all for the wonderful advice and making me feel better. It’s greatly appreciated!

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