what to expect for bunnies first vet visit?

[paige]

he’s almost a year old in august! so he’s done with his baby days and i wanna take him to the vet to make sure he’s healthy and growin up good. so we just goin for a little check up! but the thing is, will i be responsible for restraining my rabbit during this? i can take him in a crate and everything but during the actual visit, i feel like he’s going to be really scared and keep trying to run away from the vet. i can possibly bring my sister so she can help. is that what i should do or does the vet have special equipment or have an assistant do it? i sort of don’t want to cuz he might scratch me and then when i bring him home, what if he’s scared of me for a day or so? thanks for ur time!

[Bam]

Hopefully you’ll see a rabbit-savvy vet and go to a clinic has dealt with bunnies before, so they know just how skittish a bunny-patient can be. It’s good if you can hold the bunny if he’s scared – a lot of bunnies if not most are scared at the vets. Bringing your sister is a good idea.

As for the check up: I think they will listen to his heart and lungs, inspect his incisors (the front teeth), perhaps feel him all over, look so his eyes are clear (no boogers or discharge), perhaps they’ll weigh him. And they’ll probably ask you if you’ve any concerns or if you’ve noticed anything that seems off etc. They might ask you about his diet and tell you he should eat lots of hay (which he should, but all rabbit-owners don’t know that).

Most buns are pretty disapproving of their hoomin after a vet visit and he might not want to “talk to you” for a couple of hours or even a day. As long as he’s eating and pooping, that will go away and he’ll start to trust you again. If you have some extra yummy treats, you can bribe him with those.

[paige]

well i live in a small town that has a lot of farming and rabbits are just popular pets here. there’s only one rabbit vet in town and he had 5 stars on his ratings so hopefully it’ll go really smooth thanks for ur reply

[Azerane]

If you’re concerned about restraint then that’s what the vet nurses are there for, they are experienced in handling animals. All you need to do is tell the vet that you’re not comfortable restraining your rabbit and ask them for someone else to do so if the vet can’t do it himself while examining.

[paige]

really?? thanks…the appt is on wednesday and im nervous cuz my rabbit is not the kind that likes being held or pet around the waist, and so holding him would involve grabbing him around the waist which would be like…no. he’s not having it. idk how it’s gonna go, but im gonna feel bad if the vet can’t do anything cuz he’s running away the whole time!

[LittlePuffyTail]

The vet will know how to handle him. Good luck!

[Author]

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