I’ve noticed two things lately that I’m wondering about with Mimzy and Fiver:
Mimzy first: he seems to be leaving a lot more pee in his litter box. He’s drinking a decent amount of water each day, plus he gets a leaf or two of green leaf lettuce in the evenings. But I’ve been doing that all winter and I haven’t seen the amount of pee in his box like I have in the last week or so. How can I tell if he’s just increasing his fluids or he has some kind of UTI? He doesn’t take a long time to potty or seem to be straining, he just leaves a big puddle almost every time he goes.
He does seem kind of mopey…but he’s a lop, so they all look perturbed to me. He’ll perk right up if I offer a treat. His hay disappears each day. He makes plenty of bb’s. Everything else except for the moodiness and the pee is normal about him, albeit that he is slowing down a bit at four years old.
Fiver: So he’s had cecal dysbiosis for some time and I’ve been able to minimize it by changing his hay from orchard or 3rd cut timothy to the BB.com blue bunny blend (bluegrass and timothy mix). It’s much more coarse than what he’s been eating, and seems to help ‘dry out’ his insides a bit I think. I also reduced his canned pumpkin to a teaspoon every other day, adding a small squeeze of benebac gel to it to keep his flora going.
I also started putting these new cotton blankets in his habitat so his feet are on something softer, since his heels and toes were getting so red. He does not appear to be chewing on/consuming these. They’re more comfy when paired up with his old mattresses which are getting thin in the cushy department.
Now, instead of having the mushy poopy butt, I’m worried he’s drying out. Not necessarily constipated, but maybe things are moving too slowly now. His bowel movements are better in that the bb’s are drier and more what I think of as normal for a bunny… However, he started making smaller poos today (although plenty of them) and now leaves bb’s all over his blanket instead of in the box. He also doesn’t look like he’s peeing as much as he was before. This leads me to the ‘dried out’ conclusion.
So today I gave him some lettuce also (he hasn’t had any in a long time) and put a bowl of water out instead of just his bottle. He made short work of the lettuce, but only dabbles in the water crock. I’m thinking of bringing back his daily pumpkin again as well. I just don’t see him taking in as much fluid as he was. He also doesn’t lay outstretched like he used to. I see him in bun-loaf position or almost standing most of the time now. Could the hay be so stiff that he’s uncomfortable inside from it? He’s been on it for weeks now, so I don’t know how it would suddenly be causing trouble.
I switched him back to some orchard today, and he eats it right up. In fact the other hay disappears too, just not as quickly.
But he just doesn’t seem himself. Neither does Mimzy. I don’t know if it’s just the season change coming on (light has increased to over 8 hours a day now) or if they’re both ill, or maybe upset that they haven’t been able to see each other as much as before Jenna got here.
I don’t have my bonding setup ready yet…could they both be ‘pining’ for one another? Would it show up in physical symptoms?
Pip is fine, btw..she’s healthy as a horse. Nothing seems to bother her. In fact, she’s started doing the Bunny 500 when the sun starts coming up now (usually only hours after I’ve gotten to sleep.)
I might add that both Mimz and Fiver will respond to me when I address them. They love their head rubs and ear pets (never thought I’d say that about Fiver!)…I just happen to come in and see these other things that concern me in their behavior when they have been undisturbed for awhile. I am certain they all could use the joy of togetherness in their lives (SO want them bonded, just no room for it yet) but for the moment I just want to know if anyone sees anything alarming in these other behaviors.
Thankies!