Help!!!

[Sadibugs]

We got a Lionhead rabbit 4 days ago. We bought rabbit food and hay, but I haven’t seen her eat either. The only thing she’s seemed interested in is either carrots or her water. Today her poo seemed stitckier, like it was sticking to her. I got all of it off then I took a brush and was brushing her, which she didn’t fight me on at all. We put her back in her cage and she just seems to lay there. Got her out of the cage and put her in the floor and she didn’t run around like she has been doing. Even with my kids right there with her. Are we doing something wrong or is there something I need to do???? HELP!

[LittlePuffyTail]

I would bring her to the vet. Eating just carrots is most likely what is contributing to her poo being sticky. She needs to eat hay and green vegetables. She may have an underlying health condition or GI stasis (slow down of the digestive system) brought on by the stress of a new home. It’s always best to get a new bunny checked over by a vet. I wish I could help you out more but she really needs to be seen by a vet asap.

[Sadibugs]

Thanks for the tip. I’ll def call the vet. She’s only had like 1/2 of a chip of carrot or a whole a day since we’ve had her. She doesn’t seem interested in the hay what so ever. Is there a certain kind of hay some don’t like? Could I try to get her some more expensive rabbit food and see?

[Beka27]

What kind of food was she eating before and what is she eating now (brand and type of food)? Was she getting hay before, what kind, and what kind is she getting now? Is she getting any veggies?

[Sadibugs]

I’m going back to where we got her in the morning to ask all of these, I realized I’m probably just not giving her what she is use to. What kind of veggies should I look into getting? The only thing we’ve given her veg wise has been the carrots, which is what she has seemed to like. I’m new to bunnies so I want to make sure we do everything right. She is still drinking water, which I thought was good and she is still having poops.

[MerlinsMom]

Definately find out what she was eating before you got her as some bunnies can be picky with what they like.
Did you know carrots should only be fed in moderation as they are quite high in sugar – generally not a veg you want to feed everyday. Try something like kale or romaine or my bunnies really like a bit of parsley.
You should take her to a vet as well as it wouldn’t hurt to get a general check up done anyway especially if you don’t have much previous information from where she came from.

[Stickerbunny]

If you bought her from a pet store you also want to make sure she’s of age to actually be away from her mother, some stores tend to sell babies that are not weaned yet.

Veggies should be introduced one at a time to make sure no tummy upset happens from them. Romaine, kale, cilantro, parsley (moderation), spinach (moderation), carrots (small amount), fruit like apples (small amount), craisins (small amount), etc can all be given. Pellets should be whatever she was being fed at the store, as well as hay, then you can switch her to new stuff slowly.

[Sadibugs]

I did buy her from a pet store. I did learn that she is around 6 weeks and that the pet store got her when she was around 5 weeks. So should she still be on milk? Are there any substitutes if she is? The manager of the pet store is the one who bred them. The girl that was working yesterday didn’t really act like they had been giving them hay. You would think a pet store would INFORM people of everything before leaving. I mean I had done some research to know what to get, but in all reality you would think they pet store would get them on some sort of routine before trying to sell.

I did get her the same food that they were giving them and last night I FINALLY saw her eating some. She also nibbled on a few pieces of hay. I bought her some gas drops and she seemed to act alot better yesterday after trying that. She was acting more normal.

BUT I do have to ask this now – do normal water bottle feeders only let a small amount of water out? Yesterday when I was giving her the gas drops I went to give her some water with the syringe as well and she was lapping up the water like crazy. So I got a water bowl and put it in her cage instead of the water bottle and she just drank and drank and drank. So I’m wondering if that was one of her issues?? B/c like I said she was acting alot better after all of that.

[Monkeybun]

Most rabbits prefer water bowls to bottles for that reason, they can only get small amounts at a time from bottles.

Rabbits should be 8 weeks old minimum before being taken away from their mama, but at 6 weeks she wouldnt be on milk anymore. Don’t give her veggies yet though, as her little tummy could get easily upset at that age.

[Sadibugs]

Thanks. I think that’s what happened with her when we brought her home then. Just been letting her tummy get back to normal. I wouldn’t have done it but my 4 year old was DYING to give her a carrot, so we are def making sure we don’t do that again until she is older.

While I’m on here, can I bathe her? From all of the sticky poop she’s had the last few days she’s a bit yucky colored down there is why I ask.

[Stickerbunny]

Ack. :s 6 weeks is too young, she should not have been taken from her mother until around 8 weeks…

Pet stores don’t care about taking care of the animals in most cases (some exceptions, but typically not). Their employees are often uninformed and the goal of the store is get em out fast and get our money. This is why most stores get their animals from animal mills that do not breed properly, which sounds kinda like what that manager is. They pump out animals with no regard for genetics (health issues etc) and sell them early to get profit, who cares if the animal is healthy or not? This is why so many people are against pet stores.

And yes, water bottles often don’t get them enough water. A bowl is recommended, though they might tip over a bowl / dirty it, they can drink out of it much easier. Mine have a regular old cereal ceramic bowl.

My guess given her age, she wasn’t fully weaned when the store sold her to you. I would highly recommend a vet check up, just to make sure she’s healthy and getting enough weight from what little she has eaten. What food is she getting that the pet store was giving her ?

[Stickerbunny]

Posted By Sadibugs on 02/07/2013 12:19 PM

Thanks. I think that’s what happened with her when we brought her home then. Just been letting her tummy get back to normal. I wouldn’t have done it but my 4 year old was DYING to give her a carrot, so we are def making sure we don’t do that again until she is older.

While I’m on here, can I bathe her? From all of the sticky poop she’s had the last few days she’s a bit yucky colored down there is why I ask.

You can give her a butt bath, but do not bathe her as in get her whole body soaked. Put some warm water in the sink and just wash her bottom with a wash cloth. Not sure what type of soap is safe, I know many are not.

[Sadibugs]

It’s Premium Encore. All of the vets I called yesterday weren’t really open to seeing a rabbit, but I did talk to one and he suggested that I get her all back on what she was eating at the store. The girl that was working yesterday did say that the manager tries to put them out as soon as they are at age to. I had planned to purchase from a local bunny farm but my little girl was set on getting this one. She’s really sweet I just want her to feel 100%. Also she seems to really want to chew on something. Can I give her a rice pop or something without it messing with her system?

[NewBunnyOwner123]

Once Sally had poopy butt from a cecal she didn’t eat in the first few days I had her and it was a huge glob and it was matted in her fur. Since it smelt soooooo bad I put some Luke warm water in the tub but it was like MAYBE an inch deep. It was just enough to get her bum wet to pull the poo off. And I didn’t leave her in for long. I wrapped her up in a towel for cuddles and warmth until she dried. I wouldn’t recommend getting them too wet for too long…

[Sadibugs]

Posted By NewBunnyOwner123 on 02/07/2013 12:29 PM

Once Sally had poopy butt from a cecal she didn’t eat in the first few days I had her and it was a huge glob and it was matted in her fur. Since it smelt soooooo bad I put some Luke warm water in the tub but it was like MAYBE an inch deep. It was just enough to get her bum wet to pull the poo off. And I didn’t leave her in for long. I wrapped her up in a towel for cuddles and warmth until she dried. I wouldn’t recommend getting them too wet for too long…

Okay thanks. I was just planning to a do a quick clean over and then snuggle her up

[NewBunnyOwner123]

But if her fur is just off color and there aren’t any globs of poop stuck to her fur I’d just let her clean it herself. Or get a damp towel to clean up. I only put Sally in the tub because it was a big, matted glob of cecal poop that STUNK lol

[Stickerbunny]

Posted By Sadibugs on 02/07/2013 12:27 PM

It’s Premium Encore. All of the vets I called yesterday weren’t really open to seeing a rabbit, but I did talk to one and he suggested that I get her all back on what she was eating at the store. The girl that was working yesterday did say that the manager tries to put them out as soon as they are at age to. I had planned to purchase from a local bunny farm but my little girl was set on getting this one. She’s really sweet I just want her to feel 100%. Also she seems to really want to chew on something. Can I give her a rice pop or something without it messing with her system?

 

You have to find an exotics vet, a regular dog/cat vet won’t be able to treat bunnies. What general area are you in? We may be able to help point you to a resource of vets that will treat bunnies.

 For chewing, you can buy her a willow toy or something, or some sort of wood chew.  I am not sure what a rice pop is, but rice is not good for a bunny.

And ick, that food has a lot of stuff that is bad for bunnies. Keep her on it for now, but whenever she is stable and eating well with no upset tummy issues, start mixing it with a plain pellet and gradually decrease it so she can get on a healthier pellet diet.

[Sadibugs]

Yeah see that’s what I bought to begin with and she just wasn’t having it. So hopefully we can get her on something better for her. We live in Alabama. About an hour from Birmingham. I have 1 other vet in the area I’m gonna try to call and ask. Ughhhh I’m gonna have to come on here to ask about everything. These Rice pops have FOR RABBITS and they are 45% rice, 35% corn, 15% sugar. It’s supposed to help clean teeth and “prevent cage boredom”

[Monkeybun]

no rice pop. hay and pellets only at this age. and most store bought treats are VERY bad for them. If she wants something to chew on, get her a cardboard box

[Sadibugs]

Thank ya’ll so much for all the info!! It’s so nice to get happy to see her nibbling on some food. Any tips on getting her to eat some hay? I have some alfalfa and also some other kind. She didn’t seem interested in the other kind, it’s an orchard blend but she nibbled a little at the alfalfa.

[NewBunnyOwner123]

If its been laying out it won’t smell as fresh and appealing. Sometimes what I do with Sally if she seems uninterested in it is take the remaining hay out of her ball and put it back in the bag and stir it up and refill. She almost always goes for it when it’s nice and fresh out of the bag I also give her lots of opportunities to eat it. I have some in her litterbox, some in a hay ball, some stuffed in a toilet paper roll, and some in her salad bowl because she currently won’t eat vegetables lol so she has lots of different ways to eat it. Don’t put hay from the litterbox back in the bag though to avoid contamination :p

[Monkeybun]

Things like rice, corn, any kind of cereal thing are not good for rabbits, neither are seeds. So be careful when looking at treats. The best treats are fresh fruits and veggies, or dried fruits without added sugar. The BB store has some good made for rabbit treats if you don’t want to feed fruit, they are quite good as well.

But still, don’t feed treats until she is older

For cage boredom, toys are better. Bunnies like projects, my Moose has a box filled with shredded paper right now that he adores. He smooshes the paper around and is slowly destroying his box, and its the best thing ever according to him.

For hay, alfalfa is best at her age, as it helps her grow. If she is nibbling at that, great! If it was bought in a pet store, chances are it isn’t the best quality, and has been there awhile. You may want to check out local feed stores and farms to see if anyone nearby has good fresh hay for sale. It’s often cheaper than store bought hay too

[Hazel]

You don’t need to use soap for a butt bath, it’s safer just to stick with water. My bunny used to get poopy butt. I would put him in a small plastic tub with about an inch of warm water in it, let it soak for a little while and then carefully work the poop out of his fur by hand, wearing gloves of course. It’s easy to pinch their skin that way, so be gentle!

I’m glad she’s starting to eat, good luck finding some nice food for her! If you can’t find anything close by, Dr. Foster & Smith has good quality food you can order from their website (Oxbow).

[NewBunnyOwner123]

Wow those rice pops seem horrible. It has everything a rabbit shouldn’t have. :/

[Stickerbunny]

Posted By Sadibugs on 02/07/2013 12:50 PM

Yeah see that’s what I bought to begin with and she just wasn’t having it. So hopefully we can get her on something better for her. We live in Alabama. About an hour from Birmingham. I have 1 other vet in the area I’m gonna try to call and ask. Ughhhh I’m gonna have to come on here to ask about everything. These Rice pops have FOR RABBITS and they are 45% rice, 35% corn, 15% sugar. It’s supposed to help clean teeth and “prevent cage boredom”

Rice corn and sugar… everything that a bunny doesn’t need! Be cautious with anything you see in a pet store, as again money making is the goal not pet health. Seeds, nuts, grains and sugar are not good for them. I use dried fruit or veggies for treats, but you can also get some healthy cookie like treats, just feed in very small amounts. My buns have cardboard tubes, boxes and willow treats for chew toys.

[Sadibugs]

I will def only be giving her “good foods” now that I have found this site! All of your advice has been SOOO helpful! She’s been doing much better now, thank goodness!!! The only issue we’re having right now is since we put a water bowl in (instead of the waterbottle) she seems to want to go over and sit in the water. She’ll drink, but she keeps soaking her little booty. She has a toy in her cage, like the blocks that are colored with a bell on the end, well it had fell in her cage and apparently she got on it..now her bottom is all blue Is that normal for them to want to SIT in water?

[Stickerbunny]

Uhm. Mine don’t sit in water, but I never had a baby either. Maybe since she’s had poopy bottom her bottom is a little dry/itchy/irritated and the water soothes it? I dunno. lol

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