What happened to Toby???!!!

[mschoonover11]

So this week I’ve been very very busy. I’m in the process of switching schools and other things have just popped up. These things keep me away from home longer and don’t allow me to spend as much time with Toby. Last night I got home very late but I still let him out for like 30 mins. He was acting a bit different and was really destructive. Instead of running like he usually does, he decided to chew a dent into my wall and was acting grumpy in general. Today, I don’t have much going on so I went to check on him about an hour ago. His cage was more messy than usual. I left it perfectly clean before he went to bed and it was totally messed up. Hay and poop scattered everywhere, water tipped on the ground. (It was bad!) 

What really concerned me was his behavior this morning. I always bring his veggies down to him when I go check on him in the morning and he always is excited to eat them. Well today, I gave them to him and he sniffed them and then went and sat down on his mat. I tried hand feeding him a tiny piece of romaine(his fav lettuce) and he chinned it. I got scared so I then gave him an oxbow digestive support tablet and he ate it which was a good sign. Every day once he finishes his veggies, I put him in his play pen for play time while I study. He’s always super happy to come out of his condo but today, I couldn’t get him out. He seemed like he didn’t want to. I gently picked him up and put him in the x pen. There’s a little doggy mat in the pen and he ran straight to it and kinda went into a crouched/siting down position. Then he started furiously digging on the mat. He then started hopping around in the pen and then went and sat down again. Then, he started biting the x pen and it looked like he was trying to shake it. Is this maybe hormonal issues? Maybe his hormones are slightly developing? I just decided to back upstairs to let him chill out. I will check on him a bit later. Can someone please tell me what this odd behavior is?

[Wick & Fable]

Him rejecting veggies is a bit worrisome, as well as unwillingness to really move around. Hormones could be an explanation, but hormonal behavior also can overlap with feelings of frustration about pain or something else. I would advise a vet visit just in case to see if something could be bothering him, such as his teeth.

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.

[Deleted User]

Toby was neutered how long ago? If it’s been 2 months or more the hormone should have dissipated by now. I agree with Wick though that a vet visit is a good idea. Cause as you’ve mentioned before it could be teeth problems making him not like the hay and now this. I’d really take him in before anything gets worse.

[Luna]

I agree with Wick and A&B. With the hay rejections, and now not wanting veggies, it is probably a dental issue. If he has molar spurs, those can be cutting the inside of his mouth, making him not want to eat and feeling/acting grumpy due to pain.

[CloverBunny]

I agree with the others that you should take him in and get him checked out. Clover does get upset when we don’t let her out to the point of being destructive and thumping her feet at us but I can safely say shes never turned down food. You might be able to take a quick peek at his front teeth, but I doubt he’s be willing to let you check out his molars. I had a guinea pig that was having difficulty eating once and it turned out she somehow managed to wedge food down over her teeth. Good luck with Toby bun. Hope he feels better soon.

[LBJ10]

He chewed a hole in the wall? Did he eat the drywall/sheetrock? I know from experience that it gives bunnies a tummy-ache. Leopold had a thing for the walls at one time. He just would not leave them alone. He ended up with gas and a tummy-ache.

[mschoonover11]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

All of you are so right about the vet visit. Trust me. I’ve tried asking my parents but they always give a short answer like “Maybe next month or something.” I will find a way to convince them somehow and I know they’ll eventually allow it. I’m sure that at the beginning of May he will be able to go.

This happened to him last Friday. Now it’s Monday and he’s doing great. Saturday and Sunday he was also behaving completely normal. But today, he ran a lot and binkied many times.

I just have no clue what that weird behavior on Friday could have been. I’m sure that the vet would be able to tell me. I don’t know if it was pain or hormonal issues. For those of you asking when he was neutered, he was neutered on January 23rd of this year.

I also checked his teeth and they look fine. What are healthy bunny teeth supposed to look like? I don’t think his are overgrown or anything.

@LBJ10, he didn’t exactly chew a hole into the wall. He chewed a small dent into it. The wall is painted white and he chewed a dent to where you could see the wood. He has done this more than twice so I think he’s addicted to walls lol. I will keep an eye on him from now on to make sure he won’t chew on the wall. I don’t want him to have tummy trouble.

With that said, even though he’s acting fine now, it doesn’t mean I’m going to forget about what happened Friday. It seemed very abnormal to me that he turned down veggies. He loves them! It most likely was pain. He was neutered more than 2 months ago so it probably wasn’t that. Hopefully my parents will let me go to the vet

[mschoonover11]

Also, he’s happily eating hay veggies and pellets. He’s also pooping completely normal. Until my parents allow the vet visit, by the information I just gave, do you guys think it was hormonal or dental issues? With what happened on Friday, it could have totally been dental issues, but now he’s eating and pooping normally and is acting like his bubbly/hyper little self again. Rabbits are soooo confusing!!!

[Wick & Fable]

Is he shedding right now? Wick has had about 3 days (separate occasions, not consecutively) on record since I’ve had him where he’s clearly very un-enthused and in discomfort, and once he passes a furry strand poo, he feels better. It doesn’t happen commonly at all since after it happened the first time, I am very paranoid about grooming him every day.

Health rabbit incisors (the front 4 teeth you see) should be straight both vertically (standing) and horizontally (the biting part). The top two should go over the bottom two. If it’s reversed, you have an underbite (Wick has this). The two pairs (bottom and top) should line up together at resting state; if they do not, you have a crooked jaw, either temporarily to compensate for dental discomfort or permanently due to genes (Wick is permanent crooked jaw due to genes). The gums should look healthy and not swollen.

There’s no way for an owner, at home, to check the back teeth (molars), so make sure your vet does this. They will use an otoscope (what doctors use to look at human ears), and they’ll sort of shove it in the rabbit’s mouth, and the rabbit will chew on it a bit while the vet looks inside the mouth.

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.

[mschoonover11]

Posted By Wick on 4/16/2018 11:44 AM

Is he shedding right now? Wick has had about 3 days (separate occasions, not consecutively) on record since I’ve had him where he’s clearly very un-enthused and in discomfort, and once he passes a furry strand poo, he feels better. It doesn’t happen commonly at all since after it happened the first time, I am very paranoid about grooming him every day.

Health rabbit incisors (the front 4 teeth you see) should be straight both vertically (standing) and horizontally (the biting part). The top two should go over the bottom two. If it’s reversed, you have an underbite (Wick has this). The two pairs (bottom and top) should line up together at resting state; if they do not, you have a crooked jaw, either temporarily to compensate for dental discomfort or permanently due to genes (Wick is permanent crooked jaw due to genes). The gums should look healthy and not swollen.

There’s no way for an owner, at home, to check the back teeth (molars), so make sure your vet does this. They will use an otoscope (what doctors use to look at human ears), and they’ll sort of shove it in the rabbit’s mouth, and the rabbit will chew on it a bit while the vet looks inside the mouth.

Thanks so much Wick!

I can’t tell if he’s shedding right now. About 2 weeks ago he was shedding like crazy. I was planning onrushing him today. Something that looks a little odd on his coat is a thin chunk of fur sticking out. Toby has a beautiful coat except for that one piece. I’ve tried brushing that chunk of fur but no hair will come out. What can this be?

As far as his teeth, he has a tiny bit of overbite. Its not as bad as some bunnies I’ve seen at the shelter. His two top teeth aren’t perfectly straight and vertical. The stick out a bit. It’s hard to explain… 

[Wick & Fable]

A vet will be able to assess whether any deviations from “perfect teeth” are actually worrisome. Wick’s teeth look terrible on all accounts, but he deals with it pretty well, with exception that he needs grindings every 5 weeks.

Different levels of fur will appear as a rabbit sheds, and that’s usually when people see the thin vs. thick layers. They usually stretch along the body, and these are called molt lines— the delineation between new fur (above the line) and old fur (below the line; longer). The molt line typically gets lower and lower, as the fur begins to release. You can groom a molt line on Tuesday and nothing will come off, but then revisit on Wednesday and you get a big chunk. So checking every day is important to prevent your rabbit from eating too much fur while grooming.

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.

[sarahthegemini]

Your parents need to start taking things seriously. This is getting ridiculous now :-/ It’s disgusting to think they have such little regard for this poor rabbit’s wellbeing.

If it’s because they’re being cheap, try telling them that treating for stasis will cost a hell of a lot more so it’s in their best interest that a vet checks him over BEFORE that happens.

[Deleted User]

His neuter was too long ago for it to be hormones. A hormonal issue would’ve been within the first month to six weeks after neuter. They don’t have hormones surging around after their surguries. I definitely think a vet visit needs to happen asap. He really should’ve had a vet visit within the first week or two of you bringing him home to give him a once over. But now that he has an overbite a vet visit is more than needed. Like Sarah said with GI stasis, it’s not fun and it’s not cheap. Bombur has had stasis twice (both times it was caused by something I couldn’t prevent), but one of the visits was $2500, and I am still paying on it 6 months later.

[Luna]

While I do agree that a dental check-up is in order, I think in regards to Friday maybe gas could also have been a contributor? Gas can cause a bun to refuse food. When I suspect Luna has gas, I give her 1ml of unflavored baby gas drops (simethicone) every hour for the first 3 hours. After the first 3 hours, you can then give 1ml once every 3 hours (though with Luna if she doesn’t improve within the first 3 hours I know it’s time to run to the emergency vet!).

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Luna on 4/16/2018 6:08 PM

While I do agree that a dental check-up is in order, I think in regards to Friday maybe gas could also have been a contributor? Gas can cause a bun to refuse food. When I suspect Luna has gas, I give her 1ml of unflavored baby gas drops (simethicone) every hour for the first 3 hours. After the first 3 hours, you can then give 1ml once every 3 hours (though with Luna if she doesn’t improve within the first 3 hours I know it’s time to run to the emergency vet!).

The gas episode could be stemmed from dental trouble though, if Toby isn’t eating enough hay it’s going to cause all sorts of gi issues.

[Luna]

Posted By sarahthegemini on 4/17/2018 9:01 AM

Posted By Luna on 4/16/2018 6:08 PM

While I do agree that a dental check-up is in order, I think in regards to Friday maybe gas could also have been a contributor? Gas can cause a bun to refuse food. When I suspect Luna has gas, I give her 1ml of unflavored baby gas drops (simethicone) every hour for the first 3 hours. After the first 3 hours, you can then give 1ml once every 3 hours (though with Luna if she doesn’t improve within the first 3 hours I know it’s time to run to the emergency vet!).

The gas episode could be stemmed from dental trouble though, if Toby isn’t eating enough hay it’s going to cause all sorts of gi issues.

Absolutely, I agree STG . I just meant that gas would exacerbate GI issues ontop of any already existing dental issues.

[mschoonover11]

ok guys. definitely taking him to the vet. good news, my mom said we can call the vet today and see how much they charge for a visit. i do have baby gas drops at home from his neuter so when should I give those to him? how can I determine whether he has gas or not?

[Bam]

Noone can tell for sure if a bun has gas without an x-ray. But baby gas drops (simethicone) are not absorbed by the body and can be given on suspicion of gas according to Medirabbit. You can give 1-0,5 ml every hour for three hours. It often helps after the first dose. Sometimes you can even get to hear the bunny fart =D

[Author]

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