Does anyone have experience with rabbits?

JTick
JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
in Chit-Chat
I have an English Angora Rabbit, have had her about four months. Ive had lots of different pets, but never a rabbit and did research them before purchasing her. However, I am not familiar with health problems for rabbits.

She does not seem to be feeling well tonight. I let her out of her cage for play time like I do every night...normally she is pretty skittish and doesnt like to be held, so I herd her back into her cage. Tonight she just sat there, so I picked her up and she didnt fight me at all, which is not at all like her. Even after I took my hands away, she just sat on my lap. I knew something was wrong with her, so I put her back in her cage. She just sits there, and wont even touch the carrot or strawberry I put in there for her.

I have no idea what to do for her. The only other thing about her behaviour that has changed recently is she has started digging at her house. Its an old cat hideaway and has a carpeted bottom, and recently I have heard her start digging at the carpet...but the hideaway has been in there ever since I got her.

Replies

  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    I would advise taking her to see your vet if her behavior is worrying you. Her digging might just be instinctive because rabbits do dig on a regular basis, which is a reason some people (not me) see them as a nuisance. Or, it might be anxiety. Also, does she have a salt-lick?
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Yes, she does. Also a high fiber, low protein pellet and free choice grass hay. Her litter box was dirty and a normal amount of food eaten last night.
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    Hmm. Not sure, then. I think the best plan would be to get a vet's opinion. I hope she's okay!
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Me too :( I dont even know if Id be able to get a vet on the phone tomorrow though since its Sunday.
  • suegmune
    suegmune Posts: 81
    I owned over 100 rabbits when I was 13. My first question would be what is she eating? Just rabbit food? Rabbit food and alfalfa? Do you feed her veggies? Does she have the runs? Is she drinking enough water?

    Angoras are a LOT of maintenance....and you have to keep them brushed or they will get matted fast, which requires a shave (talk about maintenance). Shaving is not fun (easy to nick their fur), and is expensive if you get it done. Good thing is that they should get used to handling. Feed them papaya pills that you find at CVS and the like for hair blockage issues they can get.

    I'd bring her to the vet if you think she's getting enough roughage, and you're not feeding her other stuff....and especially if she's not getting enough water. As far as digging, I think they like to dig, it is instinctual. I wonder if her digging has disturbed some dust or something else. You can check her ears for mites, and if you are comfortable with animals, flip her and check her teeth (another source if their woes sometimes). Also, you could check her nails to see if something is causing her discomfort from the digging.

    Hope she's ok :) Rabbits can be a lot of fun. I bred many breeds and had several types of angoras (I spun their wool, but never showed/bred them). Some of my rabbits were amazing creatures, others....well....not so much. LOL Temperment-wise I think Angoras can be nice, but skittish. I don't remember any of mine biting like the terrible ones (such as Netherland Dwarfs). But, there always exceptions to the rules. I even had many rabbits that went to homes and they were litter trained and acted like cats, jumping up on the couch to snuggle with their owners. Good luck :) Hope she's ok :)
  • willowbrooke1
    willowbrooke1 Posts: 24 Member
    Does she get a good quality alfalfa in her diet? A rabbit`s digestion is closely akin to horses meaning they can have similar problems ie: they get symptoms of "colic", they have problems with bloating and gas when fed the wrong diet, they cannot vomit or regurgitate when their stomachs are upset and, because of their long bodies, their digestive system can be prone to impactions. Most of these problems are diet related. Their long lower lumbar region and extremely powerful hind legs also means they can have well, lower back problems as well. Finding a good vet who specializes in exotics is, unfortunately, a must. Most companion animal veterinarians do not have the experience or training when working with "exotics" like rabbits. I would not let too much time pass before taking her to a vet. These problems rabbits have can manifest quickly and can go from bad to...well, very bad, rather quickly. Good luck to you and her!
  • acep07
    acep07 Posts: 24
    Can you take a temperature , pulse and determine weather her breathing seems normal? If she's not eating anything for more than 24 hours vet attention is necessary rabbits can become hypoglycemic very easily.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Thanks for the reply. She gets a high fiber, lower protein pellet and free choice grass hay. Her feed has not changed since I purchased her. She seems to be drinking the same amount of water, and I checked her bottle to make sure it is still working. I do give her veggies every night as a treat for going back to her cage when I tell her to go night-night. I always google to make sure she can have what I want to give her, and I havent given her anything new recently. She also gets fruits, but I try not to feed very many because of the high sugar content. I was also told not to give her alfalfa because it had too much protein which is why I chose orchard grass hay, is this wrong? Also, I keep her hair short as I am not able to brush it enough to keep it fro getting matted. She is kept inside.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Can you take a temperature , pulse and determine weather her breathing seems normal? If she's not eating anything for more than 24 hours vet attention is necessary rabbits can become hypoglycemic very easily.

    I dont know how to do rabbit temps...is it rectal? What is normal?

    She didnt feel hot when I was holding her, I did pay attention to whether it felt like she had a fever. Her breathing and heartbeat seemed normal. She doesnt seem to be in obvious pain.
  • korsicash
    korsicash Posts: 770 Member
    Take her to the vet she may have ingested some of the carpet fibers. Also rabbits need timothy hay. They have poop they re eat and need the roughage to make this possible, heavy wet ones need to be re ingested as gross as that sounds and dry ones are all nutrients pulled out. I would worry first about a foreign body of fibers though and get her into the vet.
  • korsicash
    korsicash Posts: 770 Member
    Can you take a temperature , pulse and determine weather her breathing seems normal? If she's not eating anything for more than 24 hours vet attention is necessary rabbits can become hypoglycemic very easily.

    I dont know how to do rabbit temps...is it rectal? What is normal?

    She didnt feel hot when I was holding her, I did pay attention to whether it felt like she had a fever. Her breathing and heartbeat seemed normal. She doesnt seem to be in obvious pain.

    You won't be able to feel a animals temp. Since they are all about 3 degrees or more warmer than we are. Yes you would take it rectally. you are correct about Alfalfa too much will give her a urinary tract infection. It is way to high in protein for most small animals to be fed as more than a treat.
  • willowbrooke1
    willowbrooke1 Posts: 24 Member
    Oh, definitely not wrong, especially if she has been doing well on it. Alfalfa can have too much protein in it for rabbits, so picking the right kind is tricky. The idea is to get roughage in the diet to prevent bloating, gas and impactions, as the other poster suggested. Sounds like you have been taking very good care of her and I hope you can find out what is wrong and help her :) Good luck, let us know how she is doing. I especially love rabbits..well, and horses...and the dogs...oh, and goats, dolphins, seals...well, you get it. I used to work for an exotic animal vet and I ran a domestic rabbit rescue here in my home town for about 10 years.
  • CarleyLovesPets
    CarleyLovesPets Posts: 410 Member
    I'm not sure what is wrong with your bunny...

    But hay wise...
    Alfalfa until they're a year and then switch to timothy.
    Babies do really well on alfalfa but adults do better on timothy.

    Check her teeth.
    Make sure she's got all the food, water, yadada.
    If she's eating, drinking and going to the washroom she sounds like she'll be okay till you can get her to the vet.

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