Anyone else have a disabled rabbit?

[Deleted User]

Just checking to see if anyone else on the board has a disabled bunny and how you compensate for it!

Bun-Bun has a crippled paw. His left foot is curled up like a cinnamon bun to basically what would be his elbow. Since we rescued him, we are unsure if it is a birth defect or an issue acquired later in life. It is solid though and fused.

He does really well with it, can jump up and down off chair and couch in living room, etc.

Surfaces are what he has trouble with. The carpet or hardwood is a bit slicker to move around on, since he doesnt have the pad traction. He cannot manuver ramps. We planned to create something from either his cage or hutch to the floor inside and Xpen but since he cannot do ramps well….. that is scrapped.

He has stayed out of our kitchen, the laminate floor is too slippery for him. He actually prefers the carpeted area of our living room when he is out and about.

We are still trying to work out ways for him to be able to 100% mobile on all surfaces and maybe eventually get him a ramp that works for him so we can expand his area.

Would love to hear from other people with disabled bunnies and how they have adapted their bunnies area to accomodate!

[Beka27]

I don’t have a disabled bun, but I’m thinking he’d probably do better without levels. You could use the xpen as his primary habitat and that would give him a large flat space without having to jump up to different levels.

[Deleted User]

I was thinking he needs a non-slip sock of sorts for the floor and being able to walk on all surfaces. But…. it would have to be non-chewable, etc. I doubt there is anything out there like that for rabbits that they wouldnt try to chew off.
We pretty much have already said no ramp…. I would worry that even if he could navigate one….. if he slipped and fell off side…. he couldnt catch himself because he doesnt have available claws on that foot. They are there but curled up inside.
Even if we do an xpen we will need to get more of the horse stall matting for the flooring because the hardwood or laminate is too slick while the stall matting has a slight texture.

[Beka27]

You can also do a large 5×7 rug underneath the x pen once he’s littertrained. That would give plenty of traction.

[RabbitPam]

Hi, My bunny Samantha is not disabled, but has a strong preference for staying only on one level (she CAN jump because she binkies, but she never jumps on anything else, including platforms or ramps, having tried it once and not liked being up higher.). She also will not set foot on tile, and even prefers one type of carpet to a new area rug I hoped she’d use. So I am in the same boat really. I agree that an area rug under her xpen, which is what I got for Sammy, is a good idea. I also covered hers with 100% cotton flannel sheet that she doesn’t chew but clearly finds soft and comfortable.

For a textured rug surface for running you can try an area rug made of jute, seagrass or sissel. Just watch out for dyes – natural colors are safer. The same with sheets, so I picked a yard of fabric for babies, white with tiny prints on them so if ever chewed, it’s natural cotton and very little dye in the colors.

My first bunny, Spockie, became disabled in one back leg when he was 7, so he scooted around. He had to teach himself but he was remarkable. Everything I’ve read or heard about bunnies with disabilities is that they are excellent at finding ways to accommodate themselves and keep a cheery disposition to boot. If you work with bun-Bun on set ups that meet his needs and preferences rather than trying to get him to adapt to new structures, he will be safe, happy and show you ideas that He thinks of that he wants to try.

[BaileyBun]

My bunny, Logan, has a crooked back leg that was broken and healed on its own before the rabbit rescue found him. Just like your Bun-Bun, Logan has a hard time moving around on slippery surfaces, like wood floors. However, he seems to be okay with hopping around on cardboard. Their current area is hardwood, so I’ve covered it with cardboard. It’s not pretty, but it’s easier to clean than carpet (he wasn’t really litter trained, so the carpet was awful to clean up!) and he really has no problems hopping around on it. I also bought some cheap little rugs from Ikea, and I put them along any paths he needs to take, like from his expen to their running around area.

I used to have a little shelf in his cage for him to jump up and sit on, but I took it out since he hardly ever used it. I would agree with Beka and say that since he’s not enjoying the ramp, I would take it out. But I’m wondering- since he can and does jump from couch, could he just jump from the ground to the next level, if there was enough traction on the ground and on the level (assuming the distance between the ground and the 1st level isn’t too much)? Maybe a rug on the ground, and a piece of carpet on the level??

[jerseygirl]

There is a disabled rabbits group that might be useful for you.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/disabledrabbits/

[Monkeybun]

One of the RA members here in Portland has disabled buns. All of her buns are special needs in fact. They all have single level living areas, although one bun can hop up onto a shelf in a bunny playhouse. It’s generally safer to be single layer if they are disabled, but if they have no problems jumping, a shelf can be fine. Just make sure the flooring is nice and grippy for those little feet.

The RA meeting is this sunday at OHS in Portland if you want to join us and ask questions It’s from 3:30 – 5:30pm.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I ditto that disabled rabbits group-it’s very good
My rabbit Rupert has a back paw that’s -I don’t know the term-special? He broke it, presumedly when stray, between the foot and the knee, and it heeled at a 90 degree angle. But he’s similar to how yours sounds-very mobile and does well with it. Should have seen how proud he was when he figured out how to get up on the couch XD

I’d say he only has trouble on slippery surfaces, as well I have to be careful to have surfaces that are ‘giving’ to ensure he doesn’t get pressure sores on his break.
So for flooring in their room, I have carpet under a tacky rubber flooring material-it has ridges and is tacky so it’s very gripable and he has no trouble on that. As for C&C condos-I need to secure carpet or towels on top of the coroplast for traction, and I put the foam puzzle peices under for more cushion. He also won’t go up or down ramps that don’t have a roof and ‘side rails’ of cubes for the most part-so when I construct window boxes for him, it’s an enclosed ramp.

We also did an x-ray when I adopted him and he gets it followed up annually to watch for signs of arthritis or other complications. It’s very likely in his old age we may have to amputate but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it

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