Help, I’m terrified for my bunny’s health!

[Dudleydoo]

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the alarming topic but I am truly quite worried. I got my bunny from a breeder (I regret it, I should’ve gotten an adult bunny, but the deed is done and I will love him just as much), he’s 5 weeks old. I did a TON of research before getting him and yet I never read about this particular issue. I decided to call this good vet clinic in downtown and ask about their neutering prices and make an appointment in advance to make sure everything is alright with him when the time comes, and the vet said my bunny has been taken away from his mother too early, so his immune system is weak and he can die?! He’s got his shots and everything, the vet said that this makes it even worse and that I should bring him right in for inspection! He was at the vets a few days ago when he got those shots, he seems normal, eats normally, sleeps, plays… I read that bunnies can be vaccinated at 5 weeks old, so I am confused??? Maybe the vet is correct, but I live in a country where people try their best to get money out of you, so I am a bit distrustful of anyone. 

What’s your opinion on the matter? I was browsing around the forums and I saw people who have also had very young rabbits… I’m panicking, hahaha 

[Bam]

5 weeks is really very young. It can mean that the bunny wasn’t weaned properly and thus doesn’t have a strong immune defense. Vaccinations temporarily weaken the immune system too since they challenge the body to produce antibodies. In all this, the vet you called was right – but I don’t know what a vet could do about it, since you already have him and he’s already had his shots and he has no symptoms of being sick.

There are people who have successfully raised very young rabbits. Sometimes the rabbit mama dies after having given birth. Then you have no choice but to try, and if the bun is 5 weeks old, the chances are of course much better than if you have a newborn baby bun.

What’s most important now In my opinion is that you keep a very close eye on his appetite, alertness and poop and take him in if he doesn’t want to eat, becomes “too calm” or if he gets runny poop. Runny poop is really dangerous and a baby bun must see a vet immediately. Runny poop is a common cause of death in very young buns. It can be caused by bad bacteria or a parasite (coccidia) – in either case it’s treatable with antibiotics and fluids if you get to a vet right away. Runny poop is RUNNY and ample, it can be watery and/or have mucus in it – sticky poop is NOT the same. Sticky poop is not an emergency.

It’s also important that you give him really good food. A good quality junior opellet if you can get it, alfalfa hay if that’s available and good quality grass hay. It’s recommended not to give any vegs yet (12 weeks is regarded as the safe age for veg-intro) – unless he’s had vegs already and tolerates them. Vegs can upset the tummy because the right balance of tummy microorganisms has not yet been established in such a young bunny.

 I also think you should give him lots of physical contact. Young rabbits are in body contact with their siblings a lot of the time.you can’t spoil young animals by giving them too much physical contact.

[Dudleydoo]

So there’s a high possibility that he might not make it? Or that he might have many health issues?

I called another vet (from another supposedly good clinic) and she said the other vet was overreacting, and that everything seemed normal. Or maybe that’s the norm in this country, but not necessarily the norm when it comes to proper rabbit care.

I let him out to play and run around, he doesn’t let me touch him that much yet, but I try to sneak in a pet or two while he’s calm. He doesn’t seem to mind. But he does pull back when he’s active and playing.
He eats a lot and drinks a lot of water, his poop is solid… I would know, I keep picking it and throwing it in the litter box all the time… he’s too young to get the hang of it.
I do plan on waiting until he’s 3 months old to start giving him veggies, don’t want to upset his stomach…

I guess I’m just shocked that a supposedly reputable breeder would give them away so early. Out of all the other breeders around me, he seemed the most transparent and professional one. It just makes me sad.

[Mikey]

He does have a chance of dieing, but baby rabbits in general have a high chance of dieing for various reasons. All you can do is watch him and make sure everything seems right If you notice something off, call the vet that you trust the most (or call all three if you feel better getting multiple opinions before acting) and ask for advice about whatever is worrying you (posting here can also help gather opinions as well)

When my mom and i would rescue/rehab young bunnies around your bunnies age, we also added a few (2 to 3, usually) of little cheap stuffed animals around the bunnies or smaller size into their cage. Some of the buns would ignore the stuffed animals, but others would cuddle/sleep on them and they seemed to comfort the bun

Continue to monitor his poop daily. Can you squish his poop when you pinch it? What kind of hay and pellets is he on?

[Dudleydoo]

He’s doing quite nicely today. He even let me pet him for a lot longer than usual and he seemed to enjoy it as he came back, I pet him again and he didn’t run away or pull back!

I was thinking of getting him a stuffed animal too, but what if he chews the fabric and swallows it? I was thinking of getting him a cat or dog stuffed toy as I assume they would be safer than just any plush toy?
Also, he sleeps in his litter box, so if I do get him a toy, I should place it there?

His poop is hard. I can squish it but I really need to pinch it for that to happen. He drinks a lot of water though.
He just peed on the floor of his cage, so I had to wipe that with vinegar and water. I can use white vinegar at this age, right?

They don’t sell alfalfa hay here, so for now he has meadow hay and his pellets are for junior rabbits, and contain alfalfa. I tried to get the best ones I found in the store. But I was thinking of ordering alfalfa hay and mixing it with his regular hay, would there be a need for that? He also doesn’t seem to like the freshest part of the hay, nor the driest, he goes full on hay hunting, shoving his head in the pile and all, to find the perfect bite.

Also, he hasn’t shown any interest in chewing cables or fabrics, besides my shoes but I suppose those habits change later on as he grows?

[kirstyol]

I have had Bramble since he was six weeks old, in our case the vet gave it the ok (I am in the uk where rabbit vets are pretty easy to find) because the kits were all eating and drinking independently. If he is eating and drinking, peeing and pooping as he should I would be tempted to just keep an eye on things for a few weeks and see how he does. If he stops eating and drinking properly take him to the vet asap. He needs unlimited hay and pellets just now, alfalfa is usually recommended for baby buns but Bramble never had it – he had meadow – and he is now a happy two and a half ish year old.

I am very surprised a vet would vaccinate a bun that young, unfortunately there is very little you can do about that just now other than keeping a really good eye on him and try to keep any germs away from him as much as you can just in case his immune system is a bit low at the moment.

[Dudleydoo]

I wish I knew. He was given to me already with the shots and everything… I’m so mad at myself because I did so much research, yet I missed something so important! But I hope he will be fine. He eats a lot, poops a lot… he’s curious and playful just like any bunny, he also naps a lot. I pet him, talk to him and make sure he’s doing well.

I’m having some troubles with the litter training, but maybe he’s just too young and a buck on top of that… but I did read a few suggestions on here about removing anything soft from his cage, apart from the bedding in the litter box, so I’ll try that. He peed on my yoga mat and slippers, so I’m pretty sure he likes soft things to pee on.

[LBJ10]

Although young bunnies are more susceptible to certain things, I don’t think he necessarily has a “high probability” of dying. Do you need to be cautious? Yes. But if he is healthy and eating well, then things will probably turn out just fine. You’ve done tons of research, so you should be armed with plenty of information. Right now, I would focus on making sure he has a good age-appropriate diet (or age-appropriate as possible since he was weaned early). And just keep an eye out for any signs of illness. As mentioned earlier, the biggest danger for young bunnies is true diarrhea/runny poop. If you know what to keep an eye out for, then his chances are better because you know if something needs immediate attention from a vet.

[Mikey]

For toys, get him one made from fleece. If you notice he is starting to chew on it, remove the toy as the stuffing can potentially be dangerous, but fleece overall is considered a safe fabric

Personally, i would try to add in more alfalfa hay if possible. You should be able to squish bunny poop fairly easily and have it crumble apart. His poops being hard isnt dangerous, just indicates his diet isnt the best at the moment. It could be because he was weaned too early/too fast and all you can do is wait it out

[Bam]

Toys for human babies are often a good choice since it’s really important that human babies don’t have stuff sewn on that can choke them or is toxic if they suck on them. But a dog toy is also a good idea since they too tend to be durable. If he chews it, take it away. Fleece is a safe fabric because it’s non-woven and doesn’t have threads that can get stuck between the teeth or in the intestines – but the bunny mustn’t eat a lot of it, of course.

If the junior pellets have alfalfa then you don’t need alfalfa hay. I’m glad you called that other vet who said that the first vet was over-reacting, because I think he was.

From the way you describe him he seems like a healthy and spunky little one. If he’s playing and can’t be bothered with pets and cuddles – then don’t pet him. Bunnies like to choose themselves when it’s cuddle-time. (You might say all animals want to choose themselves when it’s cuddle-time, but dogs will endure cuddling to please their caregiver even when they are not really in cuddling-mode. Buns won’t endure anything to please their human – they’re not that type of animal.)

I hope you are feeling less worried now. You know what to look out for, you’ve read up on bunnies, you have the right food for him and it’s obvious that you are a loving bunny-parent.

[Dudleydoo]

I’m a lot less worried indeed! He has an appetite and everything seems more or less normal. I’m new to bunny care, but I’ve had many rodents (I know rabbits aren’t rodents), so I might probably ask a bunch of stupid questions, but I’d rather seem stupid than regret it later. I love him to bits and his fluffy little butt. Everyone in the family, including my boyfriend, loves him as well.

I have a few questions about his behaviour, so I will go ahead and create a new topic.

Thank you so much everyone for answering my questions and dealing with my panic!

[LittlePuffyTail]

No stupid questions here!

[Author]

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