Update on Sandy

[dude.the.rabbit]

The good news is Sandy is doing well and actually gained weight this past week. I have been feeding her Critical Care with some pineapple juice added in and she loves it. I am starting to slowly cut back on it to get her to eat more hay and get that digestive system back to where it was. She misses Dude terribly (so do I) but she snuggles now with a stuffed rabbit we gave her that looks alot like him. She still isn’t eating as well as before and mostly just sits and stares into space. I’ve tried to connect with her but all attempts to gain her confidence have failed. It’s going to be a long road. I realized yesterday that Sandy is deaf! For the first time ever, she had her back turned away from me and was cleaning herself. I came up behind her to give her a treat and called her name. Then, after making as much loud noises as I could, I realized she couldn’t hear me. I moved my hand to the side of her face where she could see it and she just about jumped out of her skin! I think losing Dude is even harder on her than most bunnies since she must have relied heavily on him to hear for her. He would always come when you called him and she would follow. Not sure how this will all work out but I’m going to spend time with her and hope she begins to like me.

[litheandgraphic]

So glad to hear she seems to at least be stable and is taking the Critical Care and pineapple juice. Interesting about her being deaf – I suppose it’s good you know that now! Are you thinking about possibly getting another bunny to bond Sandy with?

[JackRabbit]

My boy Moshi is deaf, and he does rely on Marlee to “hear” for him. It is harder with a bunny who is deaf because they are constantly being startled. If you haven’t already, get a vet check to make sure there isn’t an ear infection brewing or wax buildup that is affecting her hearing. If all is ok and she still can’t hear, start working on finding other ways to communicate . . . Even during the day, I always turn the light on and say hello before entering the bunny room so that Moshi is alerted and Marlee knows its me and doesn’t freak out. If Moshi is doing something he shouldn’t be doing, I gently nudge him away and point him toward something else, same with going back to the bunny room. Since he relies on Marlee, I can often use verbal commands with her and Moshi will follow her. We’re lucky in that Moshi is a pretty easy going bunny to begin with. It takes a bit of improvising but is definitely doable and should significantly help with bonding with her.

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