Scared for bunny health and trust

[Philippe.P]

Hi everyone, first I’ll let you know that english is not my mother tongue so I might make mistake.

It feels so weird to even write here since I’ve read so many of you post.

I very recently adopted a wonderful holland lop who’s 6-7 months old.

The last lady who had him said that it was not going well with her other rabbit and that she didn’t had the time to socialize them together.

She also told me he was really sweet, didn’t care being picked up, love to sit on her lap and watch TV after like a week.

My bunny arrived at my place 6-7 days ago. He’s currently free roam in the living room and seem to be a very happy bunny. Lots and lots of zoomies, binkies, he also always does the thing were he falls on the side to sleep, closes his eyes a lot, well a lot of behavior that I learned were supposed to mean that he’s happy. He also sometimes lick me, he’s not scared around me, he’s getting used to me petting him, but sometimes he just back offs but not in a stressful way.

Ok I’m coming to the point. First, his teeth. I cannot find a way to look at them witouth him running away. I ear him grind his teeth quite often, well almost all the time when he sleeps and I pet him or sometimes when I don’t and I don’t want to confuse that with purring.

Secondly, since he doesn’t fully trust me yet and the last owner never brushed him, I’m trying to get him used to being brushed. There’s currently lots of hair in his poop and I want to avoid GIS. When I feed him in the morning, or after when he’s sleepy, I try to pet him and brush him at the same time…. His there something more to do ? …

Thrid, his nails. Since he’s not yet ready to be picked up, I cannot realy clip his nails and worry for them to be too long and uncomfortable. I could bring him to the vet but don’t want to stress him with car again after only 6 days. Is it urgent ? Or can I wait a few weeks to gain his trust to be picked up ?

Finally, I’m trying to get him used to be picked up. The lady before me had him calm in her arm when I came to get him after like 2 weeks of ownership… I mean am I making something  wrong ? I sit in his spaces avoiding him 1-2 hours a day working or studying. I touch his nose with mine to signify I want to groom and and when he bend over to let me pet him I do. I train him his name with treats (mostly romain lettuce or pellets in the morning, its not really treat but like he loves it so haha). I also trained him the past 2 days to come on my lap to get his lettuce and pellets. When he his on my lap I pet his bottom and belly to get him used to my hands there but picking him up really don’t seem to be an option

The last owner tells me to just try, but from what I’ve learned I should continue to get his trust, not push him to much so he associate me with trust and safety ( and treats haha). I don’t know, if she pushed him and it worked maybe I should try ? But at the same time I’m thinking I should go more slowly and get him to trust his environnement, me and my roomate and then maybe it’ll be more easy and less stressful after …

For some things like the vaccum, I just exposed it to him, he didn’t like it for 1-2 days and then became really curious and went to smell the broom or vaccum. I’m thinking maybe I should push him for picking him up so he realise it’s like with is last mom, but at the same time I don’t want to ruin his relationship with me… It is so hard, I’d love someone to reassure me or maybe give me advice…

Thank you so much for taking the time, I really appreciate it <3

[Bam]

Hi and very welcome to Binky Bunny!

Your bun sounds like a wonderful and happy little guy!

I’ll try to answer your questions, but I’m sure others here will want to help too and share their methods and approaches :

“First, his teeth. I cannot find a way to look at them witouth him running away. I ear him grind his teeth quite often, well almost all the time when he sleeps and I pet him or sometimes when I don’t and I don’t want to confuse that with purring.”

Nobody can see a bun’s inner teeth (pre-molars and molars) without an otoscope. This is due to the anatomy of the rabbit skull.

If he grinds his teeth in his sleep and when you pet him, it’s tooth-purring. Young rabbits do that a lot. A rabbit in pain can tooth-click, but it’s never the only sign of discomfort. There are always other signs as well – the rabbit refuses food, sits all bunched up and won’t move, or hides away from sight, often in some weird place where it doesn’t normally go.

That a bun doesnt willingly sit in your lap after 2 weeks definitely doesn’t mean you’re doing sth wrong. Many buns don’t willingly sit in laps their whole lives. Some deign to sit in your lap when they’ve reached middle age. And those that do sit in laps generally hate being restrained when sitting in a person’s lap. Rabbits also pretty much invariable like to choose themselves when they want to sit in your lap. It’s awesome that he lets you touch his belly.

“There’s currently lots of hair in his poop and I want to avoid GIS. When I feed him in the morning, or after when he’s sleepy, I try to pet him and brush him at the same time…. His there something more to do ? …”

You obviously cant wait years to brush him and clip his nails.

It’s important that you remove loose hair since he is molting. If there are loose tufts, you can pull them off with your fingers while he’s eating. If he’s normal-haired (i e not a lionhead or angora), you can also ruffle his fur with your fingers and then lint roll him to catch most of the fur that’s come loose. Rabbits often don’t mind being lint rolled. I’ve only used sticky-paper lint rolling, but there are also reusable lint brushes for removal of pet hairs from clothes, and I think some of our members use that on their buns.

If that isn’t enough, you will need to pick him up. Try to make the experience as un-stressful as you can. The scent of fresh greens is believed to have a soothing effect on rabbits, so you could stock up on some parsley or other herb and place them near the place where you’re planning on sitting him. Try to catch him without chasing him. If he gets scared and hides, wait until a better time. For brushing, you can sit him in your lap (cover your lap with a towel so he can sit comfortably) or on a table – cover the table with a blanket or towel so he doesn’t slip, rabbits hate slippy surfaces.

A small slicker brush often works well, or a hairbuster comb. Arm yourself with some small treats (it’s great if he considers pellets a treat!) and/or the fresh herbs so you can offer him a treat now and then while he is being brushed. Also don’t forget to offer sth yummy once you’re done and he’s back on the floor. A small piece of apple, for example.

Nails can be difficult to clip on your own. It can be better to get help, although it’s not that super difficult tbh. Here’s a nice HowCast video on how to do it yourself: https://www.howcast.com/videos/514678-how-to-trim-your-rabbits-nails-pet-rabbits

If the nails arent super-long, you could wait until you feel he’s ready to go for a mani-pedi. I cut my bun’s nail myself, but she has the best nails – very light in color so I can see the quick clearly.

As for the vacuum – my vacuum actually seems to attract rabbits =D So just take really good care so he doesn’t chew through the cord while you’re vacuuming. I’ve had buns that tried to. That could be very, very bad.

His first owner were able to handle him more freely because he was a baby. Baby buns are completely defenseless and just trust everybody.

 

 

 

[Philippe.P]

Gosh thank you so much for that answer.

It really reassures me that I’m not doing too bad.

As for picking him up, I don’t seem to be able to do it even with proper technique. He kicks everywhere and freak out, but maybe my technique ain’t that good…

Secondly, I’ve only had him for 6 days so it hasn’t even been 2 weeks and I’ve changed the living room quite a lot in this time which I guess can make it pretty stressfull for him. I’m guessing he’ll accomodate and latter on I’ll give him access to the whole appartment.

As for his owner, they were the second or third if you count the breeder. They only had him for two weeks I think from 6 months old to 6 months and a half. I’m guessing maybe they were picking him up and holding him on them, but it doesn’t mean et was fully relaxed and happy. Maybe they didn’t do the right thing after all but could pick him up with a faster heart rate and stress all around ..

And yes, I think he’s molting, I’m doing my best to brush him from time to time but its hard. I’ve tried one reusable lint roller and it wasn’t a big success. I’ll try a sticky one.

Another question for you, my rabbit seem to be a bit blind, I mean I don’t know, I’m not use to his behavior maybe you could light me up.

Sometimes he’ll just turn his back and sit looking a the wall, when I show him treats, it has to be pretty close to him to notice, he won’t notice it if it’s like 2m away. Also he closes his eyes a lot, when he washes himself, when I pet him, a most of the time when he sleep and I’ve heard it’s not common.

 

I’m trying my best not to loose his trust so he associate me with safe and positive vibe, and I’m scared that picking up for nail trimming or brushing would affect how he feels about me. I’m guessing treats at the end like apple could change his mind a bit, but do rabbit forgive fast those kind of things ?

 

[Bam]

When a rabbit is in a new environment, it tends to take care not to make a fuss. Making a fuss can draw the attention of predators. That’s in part why vet techs and professional groomers can cut the nails of pets with such apparent ease. So it’s highly likely that your bun sat in that former owner’s knee just because he thought it safer to sit still.

Rabbits don’t see things that are right in front of them very well, and they have a completely blind spot right in from of their nose. This is due to how the rabbit’s eyes are placed. Rabbits have an extremely wide field of vision and they notice moving objects very well. (This is very good if you need to be on the lookout for predators all the time). For things like food, they rely on their smell. It looks pretty silly when they can’t seem to find a treat thats right in front of them on the floor right away, but it’s because they use their sense of smell and their whiskers, not their eye sight.

Young buns often sleep with their eyes closed, or close their eyes when they are very relaxed. Some buns rarely sleep with their eyes closed.

Rabbits do forgive being picked up, but some rabbits hate it more than others. This video contains a few things to keep in mind when lifting up and restraining a rabbit: https://youtu.be/KD9jQtzLBbc –. The most important thing is to support the hind legs so the bun can’t kick out.

It’s very difficult not to say completely impossible to get a good technique without practice. And all buns are different. Some accept nail clipping and grooming when they can be on the floor or very near the floor, some do better if you put them on a table.

[DanaNM]

Bam covered everything really well! Just wanted to share that some people have luck in picking the bun up using the litter box (they just pick the litter box up while the bun is in it, and move them to the table for groroming). Or they train them to go into their carrier using treats (usually feeding the bun his pellets in it every day works very well).

Of my 4 buns, 2 of them HATE being picked up, one tolerates it but I can tell she doesn’t like it, and the other one doesn’t mind really at all.

Here’s my technique for picking up a bun that hates to be picked up: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12iIW-I7CAJIK7Zah6jN0470eQkOlaqr3/view?usp=sharing

In general, I only pick up my rabbits for nail trims or when they need a deep grooming. I give them a treat afterward and they forgive me pretty quickly. 🙂

If you bun is very food motivated, you may be able to do some training to desensitize the bun to the brush and nail clippers. With one of my buns I can often clip his front nails without picking him up, I just sneak a nail while I’m petting him, and don’t do them all at once.

 

. . . 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.  

[Bladesmith]

You’re doing fine!  All things with bunnies takes time.  And treats. So many treats.  He sounds like an active, healthy, and happy bunny, so you got that down.  Everything else will take time.  As far as the grooming and teeth issues, there’s only one cure for that.  Take him to the vet.  Let THEM be the bad guys, they’re used to it.  You get to be the good mommy he let’s him out of his carrier and give him treats and love afterwards.

My Loki hated being picked up when I first got him, and for the 2 years he was growing up.  Now, I’ve been concentrating on picking him up for a second every day just for a couple seconds, to say nice things to him and give him kisses.  Slowly, he’s gotten better about it, to the point when about half the time now he’ll turn his head and give me a bunny smooch first!  Course he wants down right after, but I’ll take it.

So once you’ve gotten him to the vet for a starter check and clean up, start sitting on the floor with him, offering treats (I use plain Cheerios), then pets.  Slowly, over time, just run your hands all over him, so he can get used to being touched in the usual bunny no no places.  When he’s tolerating that pretty well, you can start doing the combing.  I spent a crapload of money buying various combs and brushes to get undercoat out, but the thing that’s worked best for me was an old small flea comb.  Really strips out undercoat, and the smallish mats that develop on the tail and feets of a big honkin’ rabbit who spends a lot of time loafing.

 

Well done!

[Philippe.P]

Thank you so much for all your replies.

I decided I’ll build trust first, and then train him to tolerate being picked up.

Tell me if I’m wrong, but I’ll give my advice to those who are in a similar situation.

For grooming, I basically lure him on a pillow or anything hard really and lift him up on an elevated surface, their he’s scared and don’t run away. He hates it, but at least I can get the job done. When he goes back on the floor, I get the feet flicking, but a piece of apple often helps. For the nails, I’ve seen a nice video on youtube showing how to “Burrito” your bunny in a towel so he can’t fight. I’ll try that soon.

As for the bonding part, I just cannot wait for him to come to me, come on my lap to get petted and stuff. Today I just had one of the best thing, as a game I decided to imitate him, following him in the living room and everything, then he turned around and licked my face for a good 45 seconds, and he did it again a bit later on, gosh I was happy haha !

Kinda scared cause you see people saying it took them 2 years for their bunny to love being pet, I just don’t know if I’m doing the right thing… He was so much more cuddly with his last family (That’s what the mom said).

But like you said, when I have to listen Youtube wideos, study and read a book I often go in the living room. He’s really curious and sniff aroune me and it’s often really hard not to pet him. He also checks if I have treats (I give less pellets and salad in the morning so I can give it to him as treats.), and when I don’t he’s suddently less interested, what a bad bunny haha !But he sniff around, sometimes I avoid him, sometimes when he nudges I try to see if it’s an invitation to being pet, and when he’s calm/sleeping, I give him a big pet session which he seem to like according to the teeth puring.

Honestly I’m trying my best, it’s only been 8 days so we’ll see, I hope he likes me one day <3

[Philippe.P]

I had one or two other question.

It’s a new one and he’s currently free roam in the living room. I don’t want to change too much things since everytime I do, it seems to take him time to adjust. How long does it normally take for a rabbit to trust a new home ? He seem so scared of every corner in the room and I’m like man, you’ve been here a week and don’t know its safe haha !

Secondly, he seem to be afraid of hard floor. As soon as there’s hard floor, he sniffes it, and the go on carpet and stuff. I know he dosen’t like it for binkies or zoomies, but my whole appartement is almost ceramic, and it’ll be hard to free roaming if he’s scared.

Finally, I have two health question for you. He’s doing like eye booger on one eye, and he seem to have less fur on some part of his back. For the fur, I’ve seen that since he’s loosing lots of hair right now, don’t know what the name of that period his haha, people say it can happen during that time. As for the booger, I really don’t know, sources aren’t clear. I guess when I do make his nail cur, I’ll just get him a checkup at the vet, I think it will reassure me for lots of little concern.

Thank you all

[DanaNM]

That’s so cute he licked your face!

My best advice for bonding with bunnies is to “play hard to get”. Since they are prey animals, being watched all the time makes them feel like they could be in danger. Hang out on the floor with him and just let him come to you and explore (and ignore him when he does). It sounds like you are doing all the right things and that he likes you a lot already! Even my most affectionate bunnies have times when they want to be petted, and times when they are “busy” doing other things!

Sometimes having full free roam can be scary for a bunny. It usually helps them feel more safe to have a pen, cage, or condo that is their “home base” where all of their stuff is (a hide, litter box, water, etc.). At first he may even feel safer if he’s locked in the pen overnight or for part of the day. Adding hides and tunnels around the room will also help him feel safer and more confident.

Most buns hate slippery floors, so adding rugs around will help him feel more confident exploring. Woven cotton rugs are pretty popular with buns because they are easy to wash and inexpensive.

It sounds like he is molting, which is normal. Some buns have very dramatic molts where they loose a ton of fur very quickly. It’s important to groom regularly during that time (I usually do 2 deep groomings a week for my bun that doesn’t like being brushed when she’s molting heavily, but I do a bit every day for the others).

As for the eye, is there any redness? Does it seem like a lot of discharge? he could have gotten a bit of dust in his eye that will resolve on it’s own, but if it gets very red or starts getting worse it may need vet attention.

. . . 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.  

[Philippe.P]

Wow, I definitely played it hard to get recently and it really help, or was it time, or both!

I’ve gotten numerous kisses recently, he licks my face for a whole minute multiple time a day .

I think we really start to bond !

As for his eyes, it’s been constant lately, no redness no nothing.

I’ve managed to clip his nail with the burrito technique.

today I groomed him for a whole 45 minutes, at first his teeth were clicking because of the stress, I hate it… Then he became more calm or just like “Alright do it imma just wait”, not even feet flicking when I brought him down! Since he had the towel on his head, I don’t know if he knew I picked him up.

Can you guys look at the pictures I put, I don’t know if it’s normal fur condition when a bunny sheds …

[DanaNM]

That’s great! Sounds like great progress.

I’m not seeing pictures though. The forum is having some issues with pictures, but if you add them to your profile (as though you are going to change your profile photo), they will stay in your media library. Then in the post you click the “Add Media” button and you should be able to insert them.

. . . 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.  

[Bam]

It really sounds like you are doin great with him! He wouldn’t have licked your face otherwise.

Rabbits as a rule hate any kind of floor that they can’t get a “grip” on. This can be used to your advantage if there are places you don’t want him to go, but it can’t be relied on 100%.

Shedding/molting can look very different in different stages and in different rabbits. As long as the skin looks and feels smooth, without any excess of dandruff-like skin flakes, it’s normal. We’d really love to see pictures of him though, now we’ve heard so much about him =D

ETA: Here’s an example of how a bun’s face can look during a molt:

She’s normally gorgeous, and she’ll be gorgeous again when the new fur grows out 😀

 

[DanaNM]

LOL I love when bunnies get this V during molting. They look even grumpier than normal!

. . . 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.  

[Philippe.P]

It’s me again BAM and Dana!

Some news…

Maui was not doing so good, him normally being curious and playful was scared and he was getting away from me..

I went to the vet since I tought he had mites. He’s licking way too much, he’s over grooming, he’s eating basically all his fur around his sides so it isn’t normal.

The vet said that even though she has not see mites in his fur, that it might very well be mites or parasites so he’s been treated for it. He also had an otitis in the right ear which I have to treat everyday … I have put him medicine in the ear.

I don’t know about the fur yet, but 2 days after the vet Maui seem to groom a bit less and he’s definitely becoming playful again. You’d love to see the video I took yesterday. I was doing binky and he was answering with a binky, I later put my head down and he liked me for a whole minute !

 

For those who are wondering if your bunny is doing fine, mine had the habits to flop and lay down in his pen area and sleep their, since the illness, he was always behind the couch, stopped flopping and was way less responsive, that could be a key.

Speaking of the otitis, I have to immobilize him to do it. The best tricks I found was putting him on an elevated surface. To do it since he doesn’t like to be picked up, I baited him on a pillow and lift if up, but two days in the process he already knows that the pillow is not the correcte idea…

The only idea I had left was throwing a light blanket on him and lift him up, but it’s a lot of stress for him…

I’m trying to either find à way to pick him up without him fighting (Him trying to support his lower part and hold him tight but he fights a lot), or immobilize him on the floor but it also looks hard…

 

would you have ideas ?

I would love to out picture but it says I cannot put media …

[Bam]

I’m sorry Maui has an ear infection! You have to give the medicines even if it’s stressful for him.  He will forgive you once this thing is over. Restraining him on the floor is difficult too, but at least he can’t jump off from a height. Did you get pain medicine (meloxicam, sold under many brand names)as well as ear drops? Ear infections can be very painful.

Very good observation, if a rabbit hides away it should be looked into, rabbits hide when they feel sick or are in pain.

 

[Philippe.P]

Yes…

I don’t see much progress after 4 days…

He shakes his head more than ever, still is over grooming himself, shy and stressed like never…

I know he’ll become social and cuddly again, but it just suck that after 2 weeks of work, he’s not more afraid of me than ever. He hates his ear treatment so much…

Sometimes I don’t get bunnies, like he licks my face every day but won’t let me touch him. Maybe he likes me but when I put my hand he’s scared I’ll pick him up.. I’ll stop picking him up once the otitis is solved …

I hate it right now :'(

[Philippe.P]

Would it be a good idea after all treatments have been done to reduce his pen size (He’s free roam in the living room) so he trusts his environnement again and so I can sit next to the cage and in the cage reading a book witouth touching him and witouth him running away in his hiding spots ?

He does not come to me since he’s been I’ll, neither does he flop in his pen area…

I dont know if lowering his pen size would make him angry or helm me gain his trust and him be less scared .. You toughts guys ?

 

[Cinnamon Bun]

Aaaaww, don’t worry – you’re doing good! Your bun sounds really content and happy. I’ve had my bun for 2 months and he still hates being picked up. It isn’t due to my techniques or anything, he just hates being held. My previous bun also hated to be held around 3-4 months old but she was okay with it later on and didn’t struggle. I’m so sorry Maui is sick… sending love and healing vibes!

(´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

[Bam]

My experience is that a rabbit that’s been treated for a medical problem forgives you once the ordeal is over. Even if the bun really, really hates being held and getting meds, it’s like giving meds creates a bond between the owner and the bun when the bun is well again. I don’t think you need to worry about your relationship during this time.

Do you have pain medicine for him? A rabbit in pain will hide, rabbits are very sensitive to pain. Meloxicam is a suitable pain medication for rabbits, it’s an NSAID (non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug). If your vet didn’t give you a prescription for pain medicine, I’d call them and ask for one.

 

[Philippe.P]

Thank you all so much for your answers, really touches my hearth and Maui’s!

Some news, I’ve restrained some areas in the living room, he was always hiding behind the couch so I blocked it with NIC grids so he hides in his hidey  house instead and learn to trust his environnement.

He was really mad at first and almost destroyed his own to go behind the couch haha ! He was going around the living room and coming back like he was trying to wake up from a nightmare …

I don’t have pain killer but I could ask my vet !

As for my technique for picking him up, I was trying at first as I saw many place to pet him and in one move slide my hand under his but and pick him up, but I think he needs more training and so do I for that… Once we were pretty high already and he almost jump few days ago so I holded him firmly and heard a crack… I’m so scared I broke something but he’s eating and binky and run still …

Since then I’ve change technique and come from both side, pick him firmly off the ground and quickly bring my strong arm under him… More stressful for him cause it looks like a animal, but more secure as I don’t have the time to make him use to be picked up the other way …

Finally yesterday is was hard, he licks me a lot, not sure if it’s the illness or affection. Either way, I found that when I’m on the ground and he licks me, he likes being pet at the same time so I did it for like 20 minutes yesterday haha !

being sit on the floor and laying down also seems to make a difference. I tought being sit was ok, but I think he feels more safe when I’m really at his level ..

 

Well see, I’ll let myself some time, but he seems to be a loving and happy rabbit so I’m few weeks / months, I’m sure he’ll appreciate all the effort I do and we’ll have a nice relationship.

 

[Bam]

The more secure way to lift him is better. It’s always better, there is (as you know) a big risk that he hurts himself if he jumps out or kicks back or if you have to hold him too hard.

I can imagine he was cross when you blocked off access to the couch! He will forget about it though.

Here are your pictures:

He looks very relaxed and content! His molting pattern looks perfectly normal to me. Has he stopped pulling out fur?

Have you noticed any imporovement with his ears?

 

 

[Philippe.P]

For his mooting pattern, I’ve only sent you pictures of when he was not ill. As you can see he was flopping was much, even doing it next to me, it’ll comeback though… His fur looks nothings like that now as he has two like 3 inches bald spot on each side from over grooming and scratching. I think it’s becoming better, I saw that the skin was dry yesterday so I’m hoping he’ll stop and let the new skin grow healthy.

For his ear, the vet didn’t really show me. She told me his right ear was inflamed so I’m just putting the drop in them, I’m trying to see if everything looks normal but don’t want to take too much time since it’s so stressful for him.

I opened the living room two days ago. No more restriction. My roommate got scared when he woke up and went to get coffee and was surprised with Maui in the kitchen haha ! He’s still really exploring, necking things and finding his way, I bought two big carpets so he feels more secure in the kitchen and dining room tiles.

It’s so cute to see him around in the apartment haha !

[Bam]

It is just the best to see a wabbit hop around in your home 😀 It’s great that he is hopping around and exploring!

Overgrooming and excessive scratching can be a way to try and deal with pain anywhere in the body, so if he keeps that up, I’d definitely ask the vet for a painkiller.

Ear infections can be stubborn, is he still shaking his head and scratching his ears a lot? I don’t think you can see anything in his ears yourself, it’s probably in a place where you  need an otoscope to see anything.

[Philippe.P]

Hi some new from Maui, and I’d definetly need you knowledge here.

Well 400$ later and 2 visits to the vet and Maui is still itching and has many problems.

Not gonna lie to you, my next option is the worst one cause I’m out of resources.

I feel like I’m getting scammed by my vet who has a lot of nice reviews on google.

First she prescribed me anti-mites when Maui didn’t have mites on the microscope. Now almost 4 weeks later, the fur is a little bit better but he still itches a lot, has fur loss and dry skin.

Also he developped something in his eyes wich I think is uveitis. He has a prescribed medicine for 6 weeks, another one for 28 days, and eye drop for I think 12 days.

It seems like she’s never sure of what it could be so she prescibes me 2-3 medecine and hopes for the best.

But right now I’m running out of money, and resources. I don’t know what could still cause him to itch.

Maybe it’s only the dry skin, we he often shakes his head like something bites him.

He’s taken 1 dose of revolution, will take his second one soon, and he’s currently being treated for his eyes.

But his fur worries me a lot, and I stop him from grooming there whenever I see himm….

 

HELP :'(

[Bam]

I’m sorry Maui still isn’t well.

It doesn’t sound like your vet is trying to scam you. Rabbits are difficult to diagnose and treat. Some ailments, f ex airway infections, need treatment for quite a bit of time. Middle ear infections are extremely difficult to treat with antibiotics, because  the antibiotic has trouble reaching the site of the infection. Vet care is expensive. You seem to have a vet that is trying to help you without running a lot of expensive tests. Testing is expensive and some things are very difficult to test for.

“First she prescribed me anti-mites when Maui didn’t have mites on the microscope. Now almost 4 weeks later, the fur is a little bit better but he still itches a lot, has fur loss and dry skin.” 

-Mites can be difficult to catch so you can see them in a microscope. A good vet treats with Revolution if the clinical presentation points to mites. Mites are common in rabbits.

“Also he developped something in his eyes wich I think is uveitis. He has a prescribed medicine for 6 weeks, another one for 28 days, and eye drop for I think 12 days.”

If he has one med for 28 days, it’s probably a med that contains fenbendazole which means your vet is suspecting e cuniculi, which is an intracellular parasite that many rabbits catch in their mother’s womb. Uveitis is a common sign of e cuniculi, but there can be other causes, i e a bacterial infection. E cuniculi is difficult to test for, you can get false negatives. The best treatment is fenbendazole.

What med is he on for 6 weeks?

Does he get any pain meds?

 

[Ellen]

I wanted to give advice on the brushing, nail clipping, and teeth! I suggest finding a rabbit savvy vet nearby you and schedule a wellness check if you are concerned about his teeth and ask them to also show you how to clip his nails! Some vets will help with the nails for free or sometimes you can go to a bunny shelter to get help! As for grooming, the best way i
I have found to do this is to put your bun on a counter (if you can’t pick them up put them in a carrier and lift the carrier) and brush them that way, sometimes giving food to distract them helps. Bunnies never really get used to being picked up so don’t try too hard to train him on that 🙂 It’s a really scary experience so I suggest picking him up only when necessary! A lot of these things like clipping nails and brushing get easier once you build a relationship with your bunny and they begin to trust you more, in the meantime try to find help from a professional!

[Author]

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