Bunny has been acting a little strange

[bashfulbunny]

Hi all, this might be a long question but I’m worried and want your thoughts…

Bashful has been acting off, and I’m really not sure of the reason why? He is binkying and zooming around as normal, giving kisses too… But he’s been a little weird here and there!

There are a few things I can think of:

He was neutered a few weeks ago, but when taken for his surgery check up, the vet said he was healed and perfect! He had practically gone back to normal overnight!

We also bought a new Netherland Dwarf a few days ago, as both a birthday present to me and to Bashful, as we thought it was time to get him a friend, some real bunny company!

Bashful and the new bunny seem to be obsessed with each other! I was very hesitant about keeping her temporary cage in my room, and letting them out one by one as she is not spayed yet… But by the end of the first night, Bashful seemed to be grooming her through the bars? (Chewing her fur gently) And by the end of the second night, I found them flopped either side of the cage next to each other… I really want to start the bonding process but also want to wait til she is spayed and healed… But each time I let them out, they seem frustrated that they can’t be together? Whenever I let them roam free, they run instantly to the others cage, usually playing some type of game, wherever Bashful hops, the new bunny hops and chases excitedly, probably the bunny version of tag!

Anyway… It was Bashfuls first birthday yesterday and as a little birthday treat, I bought him some Timothy Hay stickles stick from Pets at Home and some Willow Hay sticks, and he turned his nose up at both, which I thought was a little odd… He is usually hesitant with new things but he definitely wouldn’t have dismissed them entirely? I then offered him a strawberry as they are his favourite, but he hopped away from that also… The only thing he didn’t turn down was his favourite store bought treats that he comes running for if he even slightly hears the bag shake… But even then he took a while eating one!

He also thumped shortly after I put him in his cage yesterday, and I wasn’t sure why, as he never ever normally thumps! He’s only done it once in his life! I thought maybe it was because the new bun was sitting outside his cage and he couldn’t get to her? (His cage is a bigger home built one, unlike her temporary Ferplast cage, and he can’t greet her through the bars of his cage like he can with hers?)

I woke up this morning and all of his vegetables are uneaten, though his little birthday strawberries were finally gone… He was eating hay when I woke, though he hasn’t been eating as much hay lately, even before the neutering? And he still drinks water, though again, not as much as he used to, but that was before neutering too! I also quickly spot cleaned his corner and found that one of his stools were wet and gel like, though there was only one?

Is he acting this way because of the new bunny being in his space, even though he seems to absolutely adore her already? Should I ask mum to keep her in a different room til I can start bonding?

Or could it be because of a poor diet? I know store bought treats are bad for him and they seem to be the only thing he will eat… Should I hold back the treats even though they’re the only thing that seems to interest him??

I’m going to see how he is tonight/tomorrow before I call the vets, I just wanted your opinions!

[bashfulbunny]

Have just spot cleaned the new bunnies cage also and found the same type of stool… Have taken away the stickles treats just in case it was too much for their tummies? (Hers was a lot more eaten than Bashfuls!)

[Bam]

It’s excellent that he eats hay, you’d want to encourage that, you can hand-feed him wads if that entices him to eat more of it. He also needs to drink water.

I agree it is a bit worrisome that his appetite has gone down. Bunnies have sensitive stomachs. That he wants his treats is a good sign: the time to really worry is when a bunny won’t take a tasty treat. It’s better that he eats treats than nothing at all for now, because a bunny’s tummy must never get empty or the intestinal movement may stop, and that is a very dangerous condition called stasis.

He may have a little gas-trouble, it’s not uncommon in rabbits. You could try some tummy massage. here’s a video on how to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnuxGLa2reg If there is gas, he may also benefit from baby gas drops (simethicone). They are OTC and found in most bigger stores, I think Walmart has a brand.

The “wet and gel like” stool, can you describe it more in detail? Color, size, consitency, shape? Some bunny poops are soft and often shaped like a cluster of little brown grapes. The rabbit is supposed to ingest those. Sometimes there is a surplus few that the rabbit hasn’t eaten, it’s often the result of a too rich diet. Gel around bunny poop indicates some kind of irritation to the mucosal lining of the intestines. It may be sth a vet would want to prescribe an antibiotic for.

[bashfulbunny]

Thankyou for replying! I worry a lot because I have anxiety, so when it comes to my little buns, as you can imagine I’m a total mess! Being away from them while I babysit today has been torture – just want to be at home keeping an eye on them!

The soft poop was the same size as normal, just when I picked it up while spot cleaning his cage, it was squishy like gloop… It was all brown though!

I did a thorough clean of their litter trays and cages, so that I could tell the new stools from old, so that I would be able to tell if they have improved at all – I checked their litter trays before leaving them and Bashfuls seem to have gone back to normal and the new bunny’s seemed to still be a little soft…

Where it was his birthday yesterday I gave them both a little treat, and although Bashful didn’t really bother with his much… The new bun munched away at hers instantly! I didn’t let her eat too much of it as she is only 16 weeks and I’ve only just started introducing vegetables… And I think it may have upset her tummy a little?

Just before I left, sorry if this is a little graphic, she left a poop on the rug and it wasn’t like the soft poop as before… This one was very clear and a little messy to clean… I kept it on a tissue just in case hers hadn’t improved by the time I got home and could take it to the vets with her… But as I was leaving, her litter tray seemed to be okay! She eats a lot more hay than Bashful does, so I’m hoping that will help relieve her tummy??

Just need to get home and check for any improvement! Will definitely look into the tummy massaging!

[Robert]

Bashful sounds almost exactly like pepper did before he passed, when we let them out separately pepper would go nuts to try and get to elly, after some time he started getting depressed that he couldn’t get to her (she was unspayed at the time) he also started to not eat and drink as much

That is until we separated them and put them in separate rooms they went back to normal, my advice would be to separate until 3 weeks after her desexing then use the cages to put them almost right next to each other for a week or so then try a bonding in a neutral area. I only say this because it sounds so similar to the situation I had

[bashfulbunny]

Hiya,
I’m so sorry for the loss of your bun! If you don’t mind me asking, was Pepper still eating and running around as normal before passing? Although Bashful runs straight to Binky’s cage, he also runs around and I’ve managed to get him to eat some vegetables as well as a little more hay… I don’t think seperating them is too bad an idea as I can imagine it’s stressful for the both of them… But not only do I not really have another bunny proofed room to put Binky in, I don’t want to take her away and Bashful get depressed that she’s no longer here? It’s very tricky

[Robert]

He passed of GI stasis, it happend in like 2 days, we got up that morning and he was in the corner hunched up in pain, the night before he was his normal self

You can keep the other bun in a cage in another room until they are ready, we just covered their cages with a towel so the didn’t see each other when we switched the cages from room to room, this way they also got used to each others scents while they played

[LBJ10]

Uh, how long ago exactly was Bashful neutered? Perhaps he isn’t interested in eating as much because of his new love interest? Did you say she is 16 weeks? I would be careful, you don’t want her to end up pregnant. Boys can still have viable sperm up to 8 weeks following being neutered and they can do the deed through the bars. o_O

Can you take a picture of the soft poops? The “clear” stuff sounds concerning.

[Author]

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