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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Sick or Rebelling? UPDATE: back from vets

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    • skibunny8503
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        Archie has been up and down lately.  He had stopped eating his pellets and his poop was small and I almost took him to the vet (had an appt. schedule and everything) and I let him out that night and the next day he was completely fine, like he had stopped eating because he hadn’t been out for awhile (I have a 17 month old, so sometimes the bunnies don’t get out every single day…or a few days if it’s really hectic but their cages are huged….spoiled buns!).  So I canceled the appt and he was back to normal…that was like ummm a month ago I think?  

        We’ve noticed that he doesn’t wolf down his pellets as fast as usually, he’s stil eating them now and it’s almost 8pm.  He just peed outside his litter box too.  He did that the other day but his litter needed cleaned so I thought he was rebeling again.  I can’t tell but it looks like he hasn’t been pooping as much from last night into today.  I can’t compare to Sandy because she’s a lot bigger and goes more. 

        They have their annual vet appt. June 18th; I don’t know if there’s something wrong with him or if he can wait until then.  Maybe he’s been acting out because he’s not with Sandy…who knows.  (Yeah, the bonding the 2 of them kind of fell through…I know it needs done but I just dont’ have the motivation or time right now).  Not sure if anyone can help but can rabbits rebel like that?  Or does it sound more like he’s sick?  He was out the other day and stayed out the whole time in the dining room which was a little odd, he usually doesn’t spend a lot of time in there….unless he felt it was a safe spot to not be around my son.    


      • Sarita
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          I don’t think rabbits rebel – that is a human thing not a rabbit thing. Makes me wonder if he has dental issues though – that sounds alot like teeth problems.


        • skibunny8503
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            Hmmm he eats his lettuce and hay ok.  I also thought since he’s 6 years old, if his eating habits change as he ages?  Why do you say dental problems?  He never peed outside of his litter box and it just seems he’s been doing it more often, not every day but maybe one day he’ll do it and then a week later he’ll do it again.  I should keep tabs on when he does it.  He did have a little diaharea last night and I freaked out but I gave him a strawberry earlier that day so that…no more strawberries for him!


          • Kokaneeandkahlua
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              I will ditto the dental problems. Sound like he had a mild bout of GI slow down, and it’s coming back. It’s not an acute thing, but a gradual thing (From the sounds of it) which likely means there is a cause rather then a mysterious acute quick come on. I’m not sure I’d blame strawberry since he is already having some tummy issues…I would definitely mention that to the vet. I wouldn’t chance waiting three weeks at all. I would have him in for his annual now, and make sure to discuss the episode as well as his behaviour and how it deviates from norm. Make sure your vet gets a good look at his molars too.


            • jerseygirl
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                I wouldn’t chance waiting three weeks at all. I would have him in for his annual now, and make sure to discuss the episode as well as his behaviour and how it deviates from norm. Make sure your vet gets a good look at his molars too.

                I agree with this. Move appt forward if possible.
                I also agree teeth problems and very possibly mobility problem. Did the diarrhoea you saw look like mushed cecals?

                Rabbits with dental probs and/or mobility probs sometimes don’t eat their cecals because 1) it’s painful to reach them 2) painful to chew them. So then you then get some gut imbalances.

                Teeth probs are weird. You can see them cope fine with one food but not another. If he does have something dental going on it may be the smaller stuff that rolls around in the mouth is more difficult to manage.
                Especially if they’ve got spurs growing in toward the tongue I imagine! If you’re seeing his poos get smaller on occasion it could be he isnt going so well with hay either.

                Re litter issues: At 6yrs old, he might be experiencing some occasional discomfort moving about. But often it can because of another health issue (ie teeth) that you wouldnt think would be connected.

                Keep us updated on how he’s going.
                {{{Archie!}}}


              • Elrohwen
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                  Yep, agreed on dental issues. Hannah was a very slow eater when I got her, but I never thought of dental issues since she did eat. Turns out she had molar spurs and once they were fixed, she started wolfing down her food like a typical rabbit. She was 3 years old at the time, so dental problems aren’t always chronic from a young age and can show up in older rabbits. She’s 6 now and hasn’t had an issue again.

                  So I would get him checked. Rabbits don’t rebel, so I doubt it has anything to do with being in his cage too long. Rabbits who don’t like being cooped up usually react by destroying things they never have before, digging in litter boxes, etc.


                • skibunny8503
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                    Thanks guys! Sorry I didn’t reply sooner but I did manage to call the vet and change their appt. to this Friday. He does wolf down his lettuce but pellets he’s a bit slower and I can’t say for sure but it looks to me like he’s not pooping as much. He’s also been peeing more out of his litter box. Either right next to it or by the cage wall. But that wouldn’t have to do with dental right? He’s always been good about going in his litter box. He has more poop outside too, I can’t say for sure if he’s pooping outside or if he’s flicking his feet out when he jumps out of the box and it flies out. I’m really worried because it’s oh so familiar when Gracie started peeing outside and she started going downhill.


                  • PeachyCream
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                      I have heard though that bunnies do rebel sometimes.. It’s usually when they’re around 2 years old and their hormones start going weird… But it’s usually things like grunting and nipping at their owners for no reason and tipping their food dishes over a lot… peeing and pooping abnormally doesn’t sound like a hormonal thing though…


                    • skibunny8503
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                        We went to the vet’s today and she got a good look at his teeth.  She said she really didn’t see anything, maybe a little bit on the left side but nothing major.  I gave her fecal samples (that they test every year), so we’ll see if they come back with anything.  She gave him some Sub Q to see if that would help his eating and pooping. She had some samples that she wanted to see if they would help…she gave me Oxbow’s Natural Science Digestive Support, Immune Support, Joint Support, and Urinary Support Hay Tablets.  He liked all of them (I tried giving Sandy the Immune and she just shook her head but I’m not to worried about giving her those, she was healthy).   She said she can always sedate him and work on his tooth but that’s a last resort thing because she didn’t think it was that. 

                        So now I just have to monitor him and see how he’s pooping, eating and if he’s peeing outside the litter box.  If he continues to pee outside his litter box, I’m not sure what to do.


                      • TBpony414
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                          Sorry to hear about your troubles. So your vet just looked in the mouth with the otoscope? If so, that really isn’t adequate for viewing the back molars. If there was even a slight edge or spur on one of his teeth then that problem is probably magnified in the rear where a handheld device just can’t see. Think of it as a pebble in your shoe – it might be really small but can cause an awful lot of pain and/or discomfort. I would definitely keep an eye on your bunny and if he continues to have these problems get him sedated so they can open his mouth under anesthesia and really get everything smoothed down


                        • Sarita
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                            Totally agree with TBpony about the teeth – don’t underestimate the discomfort or pain of what a vet thinks is a minor dental issue. And it is true that putting the rabbit under anesthesia gives the vet a better opportunity to look at those very back molars and the teeth condition overall.


                          • jerseygirl
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                              Agree also ^^

                              Ski, some members have had success feeding the pellets wet.

                              If you’re noticing less poos, keep watch if he’s eating some of them.


                            • skibunny8503
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                                Thanks guys, she did say she would do that if she felt he was in any discomfort. We have to clean their cages tonight and I’m really going to clean up his cage, scrubbing the floors and everything. He’s eating all this pellets by the end of the day now. He really loves those oxbow tablets (they’re really hard, even I had a hard time breaking them apart) and he eats them all up in the morning (4 total). I’ll keep an eye on his pooping. I always look at Sandy’s litter box but she poops a lot more than him (but she’s a bigger girl and eats more too)

                                My main concern right now is his peeing outside the litter box. I started a calendar and Sat. he peed 3 times and he also peed yesterday and today (once so far). Do you guys have any hints as to what the cause is? I have never caught him in the act. It’s usually by his bowls (they’re right next to each other next to the litter box) and sometimes in other spots.


                              • skibunny8503
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                                  Could he have a UTI?


                                • Sarita
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                                    Didn’t the vet do a urinalysis?

                                    I do think you need to have the teeth filed though – sometimes vets don’t know if a rabbit is in discomfort – only the rabbit knows that.


                                  • skibunny8503
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                                      No she didn’t at the time but I’m taking him back tomorrow….I’m going to put the topic on the lounge so I can update everyone.

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                                  Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Sick or Rebelling? UPDATE: back from vets