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PumpkinPirate posted:This is adorable! Her ears are so long and she's so fuzzy! And look at her giant (fuzzy) paws. 
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Jul 7, 2009 16:51
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Has anyone ever had to give eye drops to a rabbit? Murphy is generally good about medication, but he hates to be held. We have to give him some eye drops 3-4 times a day for probably the rest of his existence if what he has is nerve damage that is preventing him from blinking. Just when things were already bad with the pets and vet bills, something else pops up! I think we need a support group for goons with aging pets :/
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Jul 7, 2009 22:57
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I bought a 23 square wire shelving kit from Target - I did get 5x5 grids, but I'm pretty sure my guy is too big to fit through now (now I'm really wondering if this guy really is a mini lop, because he is growing so fast). My question now is should I go with a flat 3x2 or a 2x2x2? Space isn't an object now, and I can always cut the ties and reassemble it I suppose.
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Jul 8, 2009 05:04
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Thirst Mutilator posted:I bought a 23 square wire shelving kit from Target - I did get 5x5 grids, but I'm pretty sure my guy is too big to fit through now (now I'm really wondering if this guy really is a mini lop, because he is growing so fast). My question now is should I go with a flat 3x2 or a 2x2x2? Space isn't an object now, and I can always cut the ties and reassemble it I suppose. If he's too big to fit through a 5x5, then 3x2 should be the minimum dimensions.
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Jul 8, 2009 07:12
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Cmdr. Shepard posted:If he's too big to fit through a 5x5, then 3x2 should be the minimum dimensions. Cool - I'm planning on adding to it as he grows. For now I just want to get him out of the one he's in. Edit: Well he managed to fit through the 5x5, but I've put that one wall grid against the wall, so it's not a problem anymore. Now I'm wondering what to do for his floor - a rug? Cardboard? Sheet of plastic? Any (preferably cheap) suggestions? Thirst Mutilator fucked around with this message at 10:09 on Jul 8, 2009 |
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Jul 8, 2009 07:28
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Windy posted:I think we need a support group for goons with aging pets :/ God, welcome to my life. My youngest animals are 4/5 years old; the majority are over 8. It really is like running a nursing home now. One of the easiest ways to give eyedrops to a bun who doesn't want to be picked up, is to just corral him on the floor. Kneel over him with him facing forward in the same direction, and press him to the ground like you're petting him. Your legs prevent him from going backwards, your hands prevent him from going forward. Then just drop away (if you're doing this alone, insert lots of wiggling and escaping and re-situating). Thirst Mutilator, coroplast is the cheapest solution, if you can find it. It's usually $10 for a 4'x8' sheet. Check out the finder here, or google "wholesale sign supply near YourCity", then just call and ask for 4'x8' sheets of coroplast. You want the white 4 milimeter, that's the cheapest. Some places will even give you a damaged sheet (the one at the top of the pallet is usually scarred by the binding) for free. Take some rope and a friend when you go pick it up, and with a little effort you can roll it up like a poster into a roll 4' long and about 18" wide, which easily fits into the back of my tiny corolla. 
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Jul 8, 2009 14:51
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Well, it turns out that administering eye drops isn't so horrible. Ear drops on the other hand... They're a gift from the devil as far as Murphy is concerned.
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Jul 8, 2009 17:20
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Windy posted:Well, it turns out that administering eye drops isn't so horrible. Ear drops on the other hand... They're a gift from the devil as far as Murphy is concerned. Ear drops are a pain in the rear end on EVERY animal, including humans.
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Jul 8, 2009 17:49
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Oh definitely. My cats take ear drops better than my rabbit though. He's flinging his head around so rapidly that his lop ears look like an airplane propeller. It's cute and sad all at once.
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Jul 8, 2009 21:27
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I know they are not house bunnies, but I caught these two guys hanging around enjoying the sun today. I work right down the street from a beach in a really nice residential neighborhood - so I tend to go take pictures if I take a break. Click here for the full 800x832 image.
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Jul 8, 2009 21:29
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Been considering changing how my 3x2x1 cage is build recently - in particular, removing the floor grids and using them to build the walls taller with no roof - to make it easier to sweep and clean up. I'll pick up coroplast and use it as the bottom of the cage, so that nothing escapes from inside. Is this a good idea?
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Jul 9, 2009 19:29
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Thirst Mutilator posted:Been considering changing how my 3x2x1 cage is build recently - in particular, removing the floor grids and using them to build the walls taller with no roof - to make it easier to sweep and clean up. I'll pick up coroplast and use it as the bottom of the cage, so that nothing escapes from inside. Is this a good idea? Definitely! As long as you don't have a very tall hidy-house inside, he probably* won't leap over the open top. All my cages are open top, 2 grids tall, and nobody has ever escaped. *With the exception of a 3 lb dwarf who ONE TIME, leapt over the 28" wall onto a 3' countertop! If you do need to cover the top, you can even just use an old sheet and some clothespins or binder clips.
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Jul 9, 2009 20:12
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Bonding question. Pepper and Camille have been doing VERY well on tub dates. Grooming, snuggling, whole nine yards. All the stuff that you want to see, right? So today, I let them out to play in the living room. The living room is their usual play area. I let one bunny out to play, then the other, and I alternate who goes first, so while it's not exactly neutral, I'm not sure that one bunny owns it over the other. They were doing okay, until they both decided that they wanted to lay under my butterfly chair. Its a favorite spot of theirs. A fight broke out. I don't think there was any biting, but there was plenty of dramatic chasing and boxing going on. It all happened so fast that I couldn't tell you exactly what happened. I separated them and forced Pepper into her cage (it happened to be the fastest way I could put a barrier between them, I wasn't really picking one bun over the other), then checked everybody over. No one's got any battle wounds, but there's fur tufts all over my living room. In terms of bonding, how screwed are we? I'm going to lay off any bonding activity tomorrow just to give everyone a break from each other, but I'm worried that they're going to be mad at each other for a while. Today, while Pepper was in her cage, Camille would come to sniff her. Pepper would sniff back, but then Camille would run off. Camille stopped being quiiite so skittish over Pepper. When Pepper was out and Camille was in her cage, they got to smelling each other, then grooming and eating a bit of hay with the other in eyesight. I'm thinking that's a good sign? Or no? I have no idea how quick rabbits forgive. Also, anyone else dealing with a rabbit blowing their coat? I'm brushing an entire rabbit worth of fur off Pepper daily. I think she's got a small bald spot. I keep reading that that's normal ...
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Jul 10, 2009 00:41
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Murphy BLINKED! I feel so retarded for being that happy, but he blinked his left eye on his own for the first time in nearly a week. Now I'm wondering what the hell is really wrong with him. His lip is still Elvis style, but he can close his mouth to eat and drink just fine. Hopefully the vet is in tomorrow so I can ask what he thinks. If he's blinking, then it might not be nerve damage? Ugh, bunnies.
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Jul 10, 2009 01:10
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Finnochio was adopted from the Oregon Humane Society several months ago. He was found feral in BFE and then rejected from a foster home. I had gone to check out the bunnies and none had really clicked with me so I asked to see what the shelter had in the back. There were three rabbits: one terrified, bug eyed hare cross looking brown one, a cute black one that was apparently "evidence" in a cruelty case...and had been there for 4 months already and was not allowed to be adopted yet  , and a skittish but curious Siamese. Finn was emaciated, patchy furred, and terrified, but he mustered up enough courage to come up and sniff my fingers. None of the other bunnies in the entire place did, so I put him on hold. It took me a whole month to finally be able to touch him and even then, that was just to towel him and clip his nails. Now, about four months later, he is getting daily out of hutch time and settling in as a proper house bunny         
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Jul 10, 2009 03:45
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Windy posted:Murphy BLINKED! I feel so retarded for being that happy, but he blinked his left eye on his own for the first time in nearly a week.
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Jul 10, 2009 06:26
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You know, the names I have slated for my future pups are Westley and Humperdinck. Or Dread Pirate Roberts. Pardalis, that kissy-face photo with your bird and Finnochio is adorable.
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Jul 10, 2009 07:28
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Pardalis posted:I know rabbits eat grass, but I think a grass parrot is pushing the boundaries.
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Jul 10, 2009 11:47
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Brought Ellie back from her spay a few hours ago and i'm kinda worried about her. She seems really clumsy and slow when she moves and she's drinking but not eating. This is going to sound stupid but she feels a bit 'thin' as well. She just now did a little pee but she hasn't pooped at all since she came back. Is this normal? She seems fairly alert otherwise and she doesn't mind my touching her at all. I'm probably worrying over nothing because she's my first rabbit though. It's just odd to see my nomally very active bunny acting so weird and ignoring the treats she normally goes nuts over. She's still grooming herself though which i heard is a good sign. spudsbuckley fucked around with this message at 23:11 on Jul 10, 2009 |
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Jul 10, 2009 22:58
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Asked this earlier and didn't see a response - are there any gotchas I need to worry about with a bunny and a chicken (English Angora rabbit and Barnevelder chicken, if it somehow matters) hanging out together? (Yes, indoors. They are both indoor pets. We have an.. odd menagerie.) I know I am tempting fate by not posting pictures, but they're on my wife's camera and she hasn't gotten around to uploading them yet. I didn't think there would be any issues, but for all I know there's some sort of weird disease that chickens carry that bunnies get sick from or vice versa. They are both in perfect health but BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY Edit to add: spudsbuckley posted:Brought Ellie back from her spay a few hours ago and i'm kinda worried about her. She seems really clumsy and slow when she moves and she's drinking but not eating. This is going to sound stupid but she feels a bit 'thin' as well. WHen we had Sherbet's bits bobbed (the aforementioned bunny), he was a little woozy for a while afterward. Something like 4-8 hours if I remember right. He was fine, it was just the anaesthetic wearing off. I wouldn't be surprised if Ellie's a little off for a day or so since spays are a slightly bigger deal than neuters.
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Jul 10, 2009 23:14
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AnotherFreakboy posted:I know rabbits eat grass, but I think a grass parrot is pushing the boundaries. They have an interesting dynamic. Sometimes they are adorable like this, and sometimes Finn just bugs the poo poo out of Gypsy and will come up to sniff her and binky away repeatedly before she can react so she will just stand there and crab Smart bunny.Even better, my dog and rabbit like each other a lot and get closely supervised play time together. I spread the carrot greens around for Finn to find while he is out and once Kemper noticed him eating them, he decided that they were delicious for dogs, too. I didn't get photos of him eating the carrot tops with a disgusted face, but he did the same thing with a plum. Sorry for doggy photos in a bunny thread, but I don't want to risk the explosion. Kemper was in love with our old bunny, Raleigh, too. They would play all the time and Raleigh would chase Kemper off of the giant dog bed and stretch out all of his fluffiness as if trying to lay on the whole bed. Too bad he was a 3 lb dwarf and my dog is a German shepherd. The bed was big enough for a dane.          That looks like a giant bunny joint, doesn't it?
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Jul 11, 2009 00:14
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Dropped into the vets this morning because Ellie still has no interest in eating and she seems really lethargic. They said she should be eating and pooping by now and they want me to drop her back in to see what's up with her. Anxiously waiting on a call from them now to let me know when to come in. She isn't well at all Wondering if i made a mistake in getting her fixed.
spudsbuckley fucked around with this message at 15:38 on Jul 11, 2009 |
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Jul 11, 2009 14:43
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spudsbuckley posted:She isn't well at all I'm sorry she's not feeling well, but I don't feel that you made a mistake at all. I've lost two girls to uterine carcinoma (both unspayed when I got them at 5+ years old) and it wasn't pretty - in both cases the cancer had already metastisized to other organs, and it eventually ended up attacking their lungs. After different periods of time, both required emergency euthanasia, because when the cancer struck the lungs, it basically suffocated them from the inside. A horrible way to die. It's not uncommon for bunnies to feel gross after major surgery, and brushes with stasis are very common but very reversible. Is she on pain meds? My spays are usually put on twice daily metacam. Did your vet give you critical care (an herbivore handfeeding powder)? If not, get some ASAP and learn how to do syringe feeding. You can even use baby food if you can't get the CC, or grind up some pellets in a coffee grinder. Offer her canned pumpkin and applesauce, and fragrant herbs such as dill, parsley, basil, and wet sweet foods like melon. If you can just get her to eat a little on her own, and then partly fill her gut with critical care, she'll pull through. It's like keeping an engine from stalling out - even if it's VERY SLOW, keeping the gut moving a tiny bit will prevent major problems. PopeCrunch, I can't find anything on pubmed about transmission of disease between chickens and rabbits, but I may just be looking in the wrong places. My bigger concern would be the rabbit having access to the chicken feed, which is going to be wildly disruptive to her gut health.
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Jul 11, 2009 17:11
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Just got back from the vets with her and she was given a shot of antibiotics and another of painkillers. The vet said that it's probably a combination of the stress of the experience and pain that's stopped her from eating. She said her heartbeat and temperature are fine and she seems very alert so there is nothing wrong with her on that front. Since i've gotten her back home she's been much more active and is acting like she was before the spay. I got her to eat a tiny bit of a hay cookie thing and she nibbled some straw herself without my help. She's drinking a bit more now as well. Still no interest in her pellets or treats yet and i'm about to try and tempt her with some pieces of banana and carrot. The vet said to keep a close eye on her and bring her back in tomorrow if she doesn't pick up on her feeding a bit. EDIT: It's actually getting really bizarre now. She's acting like she has a bunch of energy and the listlessness is completely gone. As i type she's alternating between rattling the bars of her cage, which she'll occasionally do when she wants to come out for a run around, grooming herself and wandering around her cage jumping up and down off her wooden house. A couple of hours ago she was barely moving and was hiding in the house whilst occasionally coming out to just stand around, dazed looking. It's like she's completely forgotten about the fact she's been spayed and i don't know where she's getting the energy from since she hasn't eaten in quite some time. She still isn't eating a whole lot though. EDIT: Just ate a big chunk of carrot out of my hand like a maniac and is occasionally nibbling on a hay cookie herself. No poop yet though. EDIT: We have poop. Soft, mushy poop, but poop none the less spudsbuckley fucked around with this message at 23:01 on Jul 11, 2009 |
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Jul 11, 2009 17:39
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A few months ago, I started looking for a home for Momo and Cowslip. It wasn't anything set in stone, but after some deliberation, it just was not fair to keep them penned up in their cage, when a better home became available a few weeks ago. Cowslip refused to leave the cage, and Mo didn't like being out without him, and taking them outside for grazing is impossible when it hits 100 degrees plus by 10am. So they're going off to Prescott, a town about an hour's drive from mine, where even the summer heat barely breaks 90 degrees, and they'll have an indoor area, plus a large outdoor run. My friend, who was looking for a dwarf lop (which Momo is), was very happy when I told her about Mo, and warned her about Cowslip being offish to people. We have an arrangement that if it doesn't work out, I'll take them back and try to find another place for them. My friend had had rabbits before, and I have good hopes for them with her. It breaks my heart to see them go, Mo especially, but it's not fair to them to be penned up so much, and my mom understandably doesn't want them free-range on carpet (and considering all the cords Cowslip destroyed when we lived at the zoo, it's a valid point), and it is not safe for them with my mom's younger cat Tako, or the dogs that were here way before the buns moved back home. I feel somewhat of a failure, because I can't keep them, but I'd rather they go to a good home than remain in their pen and never get out for safety reasons. My mom was surprised at the news, especially that I'd been secretly looking for a good home for them months ago, but she understand it's for the best.
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Jul 11, 2009 22:54
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That's a heartbreaking story I'd never be able to do the same in your position and it's a very brave and selfless thing you're doing.
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Jul 11, 2009 23:00
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I love rabbit. I used to have 2 teddy bears. I dont have enough space for them when they are grow up because I live in a small room. I gave them to my sister. So sad! If I have house with garden. I'll have some rabbits with me again.
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Jul 12, 2009 18:02
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Once again Billy's being lethargic and not eating. If he keeps this up I'm gonna have to force feed him again tonight. I can not for the life of me understand what's wrong, I keep his place clean and feed him properly, and several different vets have not been able to come up with any kind of reason for his being ill at seemingly random times. I hope I don't have a rabbit with mental problems or something :[
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Jul 13, 2009 08:29
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DS at Night posted:Once again Billy's being lethargic and not eating. If he keeps this up I'm gonna have to force feed him again tonight. I can not for the life of me understand what's wrong, I keep his place clean and feed him properly, and several different vets have not been able to come up with any kind of reason for his being ill at seemingly random times. Are you still feeding corn as treats? Too much starch in the diet is a very good way to cause GI upset which would lead to lethargy and anorexia.
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Jul 13, 2009 14:42
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alucinor posted:Are you still feeding corn as treats? Too much starch in the diet is a very good way to cause GI upset which would lead to lethargy and anorexia. Nope I don't do that anymore. I had some Xrays taken at the vet and they said probably a clump of hair in his stomach. They kept him overnight to try and get him to take a dump. I try hard to get rid of all the hair he sheds, but it's so very very much... Feeling guilty anyway
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Jul 13, 2009 23:01
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DS at Night posted:I try hard to get rid of all the hair he sheds, but it's so very very much... Feeling guilty anyway Don't feel guilty. Rabbits are really difficult to brush sometimes, even with two people on the job. I read that when rabbits are in a heavy shed that it's ok to give them a little bit of fresh(not canned) pineapple. The acidity is supposed to help break up the fur and keep things moving I guess. I give my guys about a tablespoon of fresh pineapple every other day when shedding.
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Jul 14, 2009 01:46
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Well that's a good idea, he's a really picky eater though. He doesn't care much for fruit. But I'll give it a try. Edit: just called the vet, he's been pooping like a champ! Hooray DS at Night fucked around with this message at 09:29 on Jul 14, 2009 |
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Jul 14, 2009 08:31
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DS at Night posted:Nope I don't do that anymore. I had some Xrays taken at the vet and they said probably a clump of hair in his stomach. They kept him overnight to try and get him to take a dump. When my rabbit had his eye popped out, due to fears of him not eating they gave us Critical care which we were familiar with already from the scares leading up to the surgery. But, they also gave us a foodsafe oil to 'lube' his insides a bit; to help things get moving. If it is furball related, perhaps consider asking the vet about getting some oil on hand to forcefeed if he is being lethargic? I really want to say it was just mineral oil, but I have long since tossed out the container they gave us.
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Jul 15, 2009 03:54
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Yep when I picked him up from the vet they gave me some oily stuff to give him, um I think it's paraffine. (is that right?) Forcefeeding that stuff made me feel bad too. That critical care stuff is messy but at least he appreciates the taste. This stuff... when I emptied the syringe into his mouth he gave a little squeak like "what are you doing to me??" He's already been crapping out what look like little pearl necklaces all over the place (poop connected by hair) so I guess that means he's on the mend. Lovely.
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Jul 15, 2009 08:58
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I let Sprout out of the cage this morning since she was doing god knows what to make a huge racket (bouncing and circling and running and who knows it was 5 am), at which point she ran around the room while Dodger looked all jealous. Cue 15 minutes later when she hops on the bed and starts nibbling my fingers to be pet. Not thinking much of it I pet her and feed her, and then let Dodger out once Sprout is in her cage (still not bonded). Poor Dodger must have thought her hopping on the bed was the coolest thing ever so he tried it too. Cue him headbutting the mattress maybe halfway up, falling down confused, and then trotting out of the room dejected  Is there anyway to...teach bunnies to jump higher? Dodger won't even jump onto our chase lounge which is half the height of the bed unless we give him a little ramp of clothes, but he'll jump down from it just fine when we place him up there. Sprout is the opposite as she leaps up the 3 feet on top of the bed without so much as a sound.
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Jul 15, 2009 17:28
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Windy posted:Don't feel guilty. Rabbits are really difficult to brush sometimes, even with two people on the job. I read that when rabbits are in a heavy shed that it's ok to give them a little bit of fresh(not canned) pineapple. The acidity is supposed to help break up the fur and keep things moving I guess. I give my guys about a tablespoon of fresh pineapple every other day when shedding. Hmmm makes sense. IIRC pineapple has a high content of protease... an enzyme that breaks down proteins. Since hair is just a mass of proteins, pineapple would, in theory, help soften up nasty old bunny bezoars. Science! 
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Jul 15, 2009 17:37
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Fenarisk posted:I let Sprout out of the cage this morning since she was doing god knows what to make a huge racket (bouncing and circling and running and who knows it was 5 am), at which point she ran around the room while Dodger looked all jealous. Cue 15 minutes later when she hops on the bed and starts nibbling my fingers to be pet. Not thinking much of it I pet her and feed her, and then let Dodger out once Sprout is in her cage (still not bonded). oh my god that sounds really cute and sad. Kind of like every stupid thing that Paterson does. I don't have an answer for you for teaching him to jump higher but Bitsy is fully capable of jumping the right height while Paterson jumps a full foot higher than he has to to get on the bed and it looks really hilarious when he ends up
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Jul 15, 2009 18:10
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Zen has started forgetting her litter training a bit (she peed twice on the carpet today so far!) and has some poop stuck to her butt. Is this something to be worried about or just cause for a bath? and a thorough Nature's Miracle-ing of the carpet?
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Jul 17, 2009 19:25
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angelicism posted:Zen has started forgetting her litter training a bit (she peed twice on the carpet today so far!) and has some poop stuck to her butt. Is this something to be worried about or just cause for a bath? and a thorough Nature's Miracle-ing of the carpet? You should take her to the vet as soon as you can. My previous rabbit started doing this and it turned out to be a UTI that could have been fatal if not taken care of. Better safe than sorry. Also, rabbits shouldn't be given baths unless it is absolutely necessary. Here is how to give a "butt bath" if you really need to: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/buttbath.html
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Jul 18, 2009 02:33
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Pardalis posted:You should take her to the vet as soon as you can. My previous rabbit started doing this and it turned out to be a UTI that could have been fatal if not taken care of. Better safe than sorry. I will call my vet first thing Monday morning. It was about time for both the buns to get a checkup anyway. Still, now I'm super stressed out. Wish I'd known this a few hours ago so I could've called today. What is treatment typically for a UTI? Obviously I will go to any expense for my baby girl but if it's going to be surgery or something I would like to know in advance.
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Jul 18, 2009 03:10
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