Stormy is very… Licky.

[Lis]

Stormy is very licky today. He’s not licking a particular object, he’s licking the air. Other than that, he’s completely normal – doing binkies, digging at the carpet, terrorizing the dog, coming to me for grooms, etc. I’ve never seen him do this before. Aside from when he’s cleaning himself, this is the first time I’ve seen him lick anything.

Should I be worried?

[Juli]

i dont think there is anything wrong but u should check with the vet

[Elrohwen]

Some bunnies are just licky. It could point to a dietary imbalance – what do you feed him?

[MimzMum]

Could he have snorked something up his nose and is trying to lick it out?

[Balefulregards]

Is he in a molt? I notice mine get like that – but almost always when they are shedding…

[Lis]

He’s not molting.
He likes to play in my dirty laundry, which is what he was doing the first time I caught him doing it. But I don’t wear scents or anything that would bug him (I’m allergic). So unless he got pollen or something off of them, I don’t think he inhaled anything. Or maybe dog hair.
We feed him a orchard grass/timothy mix, free choice of pellets (but he hardly touches them – a quarter cup lasts 2 days with him), and as many dandelion greens as he wants, seeing how I can just pick them out of the yard/neighbors’ yards/common area (he inhales these things). I’ve also noticed that the mineral block he’s hardly touched for a year is finally starting to disappear.

I did get a peek at his teeth today, and they’re definitely too long, so a vet visit is in order (I managed to get my mother to agree to that, but not to neutering him). Could that be the cause?

[jerseygirl]

It could…Was he popping his head up when he was doing the licking action? My vet says the front teeth are a good indicator if there is something amiss with the back teeth. If Stormy is developing spurs there, something could have become hooked on it and he was trying to clear it off (with the back of the tongue…?). Definately good to get his teeth checked out if your seeing his incisors are looking suspect.

[Lis]

I didn’t see any spurs, just noticed that his teeth are super long. I can’t get them checked until the 7th at earliest (my mother is putting my exams before the rabbit’s health, which is not making me a happy camper).

[BinkyBunny]

You wouldn’t be able to see spurs — as they are way back in the molars and vet needs a special scope to see them.

The vet you are going to – do you trust and do you know if the vet is rabbit-savvy and will spay/neuter? You may want to call the vet first to see if he or she is pro neuter/spay. If so, I would recommend that when the vet checks your bunny’s teeth that you ask questions about spay/neutering while your mom is there with you.

[Lis]

Both vets I am looking at are on the HRS list. The one in Purceville does spays/neuters for the local HRS chapter, and they have the inexpensive neuters. The other one has been recommended to me for rabbits by my dog’s vet and my friend who is a vet tech.

[Author]

Messages