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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 THE LOUNGE How do your bunny behave at the vet?

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    • Wascally Wabbits
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        Just out of curiosity, how do your rabbit behave at the vet/treats the vet?

         

        I’ll go first. Lilo: terrified, very fast breathing, but will not stay still and will attack the vet, his vet loves him and gives him little treats but he’s nice to her just long enough to grab it from her then back to trying to bite and box at her.

        Pepper: super calm, breathing normally, normal heart rate, didn’t mind being picked up by the vet, would kinda hop around and explore, she even started grinding her teeth in joy when the vet petted her.

        Rainbow Bridge Chicho: petrified, he’s very well behaved but it’s because he’s scared, lets the vet do whatever as long as it’s over quick.

        Funny how bunnies can be so different!


      • BunnyFriends
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          Licorice: In the waiting room, sometimes dogs come near him and sniff the carrier (owners try to prevent it but the dogs are going out the door and there’s honestly no way when I’m coming in), and he comes right up and sniffs them back.

          In the exam room he ignores the vet completely and focuses his attention on not being weighed and hiding in the carrier corner.

          Winter is her usual self — social butterfly. The vet adores her because she’s always up for new people and being pet.


        • Barrett
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            I’m not sure I can differentiate between Patton’s behaviour at the vet and his behaviour on the road. It’s riding in the car that he seems to hate. This makes him very uneasy (not aggressive, just kinda scared) and that carries over through the vet visit. He doesn’t seem specifically worried about the vet per se.


          • Yilina
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              Hi there!

              Tambor is like Rainbow Bridge Chicho, petrified. He lets the vet hold him and weight him al right, but as soon as she looks the other way, Tambor will try to scape (he would even jump out of the table if I wasn’t there to stop him).

              Also, when I put my arms around him to stop him from jumping, he will start licking my arms, which is kinda weird. He is also super scared on the road, especially inside our town (he is Ok in the motorway).


            • MoxieMeadows
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                I usually set Moxie’s carrier on the floor and open the door. If she’s forced to get out she’ll growl and get aggressive, but if we let her come out on her own (She’ll usually be out 30 seconds after we open the door lol) she’s fine. Then they will let her hop around and explore, and she’ll behave fine for them while they weigh her/check her ears and eyes etc. It only gets dangerous for the vets when they check her temp She doesn’t like that lol


              • Ava
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                  When I had to take Alvin to the vet, he was fine, a bit nervous but not terrified. Then the vet gave him a shot… Alvin squeaked, jumped into my arms and tried to climb to my shoulders. I ended up holding him as you would burp an infant…and the vet just laughed at me after he got over his surprise! After that Alvin disliked the vets. Lots of grunting and wiggling to stay in the carrier.


                • Reesebun
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                    I have only brought Reese to the vet once, and that was to get her fixed. We thought that she was a he until we got her fixed! Darn pet shop lady! We had to wait a couple days to bring her in until the Rabbit vet was there. She was kind of nervous because of the cats roaming around and a little girl pointing at her and asking to pet her.


                  • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                      Breintje goes into total nope-nope-NOPE!-modus:

                      In the waiting room: shaking, thumping and making a racket in his travel carrier. I usually take him out and put him in my vest to calm him down. Once the vet opened the door and said: “Come in Breintje, I already heard you were there”.
                      In the treatment room: quiet and trying desperately to climb back onto me or Bas. It’s heartbreaking really. He’s not bitey towards the vet but he won’t be examined. We have to hold him down with 2 people for even a simple exam.
                      After the treatment: still very upset and beathing quickly, can only be calmed by tucking him into my vest tightly. The rest of the day he’s mopey and often gives us “the butt”. Raisins are the only thing to improve his mood a little.


                    • kirstyol
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                        Bramble loves the vets! He is a very strange bunny – he loves meeting all the lovely people who may even pet him, he even loves meeting dogs in the waiting room. He especially love sitting on the scales because their elevated position lets him just about reach some tasty looking cables he is determined to one day eat! oh and he loves posing for pictures which sometimes make the vets facebook page! He is better at the vets than he is at home, we can pick him up and hold him no problem at the vets but at home he has none of it.

                        Ron on the other hand hates the vet, he is terrified of all the other animals in the waiting room and not keen on strangers either. he hates the shiny table, he seems terrified of the scales but he will allow the vet to examine him and cut his nails under duress its as if he knows that the sooner its done the sooner he gets back in the safety of his carrier. Neither bun particularly likes the car ride though!


                      • JPetrucci84
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                          Cinder is surprisingly calm at the vet. I think after a few visits, she knows our awesome vet isn’t there to hurt her. The vet and I have gotten a couple of nips because we were doing something she didn’t really like.


                        • MeketatenBun
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                            Meki has gotten better. When she was younger, she actually jumped off the exam table – TWO different times! So now I give a friendly reminder that she’s prone to jumping off the exam table, and there’s always someone petting her or holding on to her and one point or another at the vet’s. But Meki’s always had medical stuff going on, especially lately, so she’s gotten use to the vet now. She’ll still breathe fast at times, but she’ll actually stay on the table now (thank goodness) and will let the vet do what he needs to do.


                          • Nibbles
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                              Luckily, Nibbles is pretty social and doesn’t mind the vet, which is good since she needs to go every few months. She hops out of her carrier to explore the room and is friendly with the vet. Until they need to take blood samples, then she get ornery


                            • SeaTurtleSwims
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                                These stories are funny hahahahha

                                Tolliver acts like feinting goat with the notion “If I don’t move, it can’t see me.”

                                Vet: *Examines bunny*

                                Tolliver: “Foiled again! How does he find me??”

                                PS- Bramble is a GREAT bunny name. I’m in love!!


                              • BinkyBunny
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                                  Aria first acts scared when I put her in the carrier.  Then on the car ride over and back, she explores her carrier to see if there is a way out I think.  Then she gives up and lies down.  Once we get to the vet and she is out on the vet table, she comes over to me and tries to hide her head between my arm and side.  I usually have a sweatshirt and just allow her to hide her head in the front of my sweatshirt.  She is very good with the techs and the vet.  She doesn’t bite them like my other bunnies have.  She lets them do what they need to.

                                  When the vet appointment is over and we are just sitting in the waiting room waiting for the bill, she begins looking for things to munch on, so she has hay available to her in one corner.  One vet offers little papaya tablets, and she will eat those.  She is one of the most adaptable bunnies at the vet.  Never had a bunny like this — no other bunny I had would eat there!  LOL. 

                                  Here she is begging for nose rubs while we wait.  This was a couple of weeks ago when she had a bout of stasis/gas and she perked right up after the vet visit.  This was after she had blood drawn, xrays and been poked and prodded. 

                                  She’s saying – Can we go home now?? Pet me! Pet me please! 


                                • Danielle
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                                    We have two different veterinarians at two different “sister” clinics. While I don’t dislike our primary vet at all, I think she’s nice and she seems experienced..I feel like the vibe is different between the two clinics and the staff. The first clinic has the tech ask you all the standard questions and fill it into the computer, the what do you feed, how often, what are your animals housed in. Then they kind of go and give the vet a “brief” before they come in. Typically the vet then asks you the same questions again. The first clinic doesn’t market themselves as treating exotics, they just happen to have a vet on staff who sees rabbits/guinea pigs/ect.  I’ve only taken the guinea pigs to see her though, as she’s been on maternity leave since the end of November and Finn has only been with us two weeks. 

                                    The second clinic actually markets themselves as an exotic vet, as well as seeing cats. The big problem with the specialty clinic is they book up quick, and it can sometimes be difficult to get quick appointments with them, although they did slide me into an emergency slot when I had a toe nail cutting accident with one of my squirmy guinea pigs. They’ve treated two of my pigs and Finn, two different vets but I felt good about both of them, as well as the rest of the staff.  Typically when you bring in a new animal, you’re given an intake sheet with all the standard questions, it stays with the file and every one can kind of reference it as you move through the process. I imagine it would be relatively easy to see how you answer the questions and kind of suss out what kind of pet parent you might be, experienced or inexperienced, and kind of tailor how you talk to your clients based on this, which I like. 

                                    Any way, Finn has only had one vet visit and he didn’t seem to act any differently than he does at home or when experiencing a new location. I especially enjoyed that the only time he was on the table was to weigh him. As soon as the tech was done, she laid a towel down and told me to just let him roam about the room. He had his morning veggies, climbed in their cabinets and checked every thing out. The tech had rabbits of her own, and the vet who saw us did as well. It made me feel better that the person who will be neutering my rabbit actually has rabbits themselves. I was sitting on the floor with Finn, and when she came in, she sat down on the floor with us. She didn’t force herself on him or appear to rush to get to the exam. We sat and talked about how I care for him, and once he started to approach her on his own she started doing what she needed to do. At one point he let her hold him with his back to her chest, butt in her lap, which I have not been able to achieve without him thrashing. 

                                    Then he took a nap 

                                    image1 (27)


                                  • sarahthegemini
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                                      My little sweethearts are scared at the vets. They behave but only because they’re afraid


                                    • Sr. Melangell
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                                        My Olly behaves very well, as soon as he is out of his basket he gives everyone, even the vet kisses.


                                      • bunnytowne
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                                          Cotton Boo McChew tends to leap off the table into my arms or the vets arms.  lol.  Therefore I keep his harness n leash on him n warn them about the Leaping Bunny.  Once he jumped off missed me n face planted the wall.  He didnt get too hurt poor Boo.  

                                          He is the vets favorite patient.  He wiggles on the scale so thats difficult.  Doesnt like his moufh messed with after ll those issues he had.  There is an assistant who holds him so the vet can examine.  He gets burritoed to keep him calm n from struggling.  The vet knows him quiet well by now lol.  Been seeing him for 9 years.  Guess so.  Only nipped the vet once.  I told him oh did you handle a bunny before seeing Cotton if so he will attack.  He does me if I dont wash up to my elbows real good.  Ever since then we have had no biting issues.  

                                          Before calling Mr McChew in  the vet had shown me another bunny they had for adoption.  He was holding it for me to see.  The smell had gotten on his clothes lol.  I didnt touch it cuz i knew Cotton would litterally chew me to bits n i would have bloody hands n neck.  The vet changed his coat n washed again lol.  Crazy Cotton. Cotton is good with the vet.  He enjoys Cotton.  He doesnt like sitting on the table he wants to be held lol.  You can do just about anything with him but he does squirm a bit.  The assistant sits him on his little bunny butt so he cant go nowhere while the vet examines him.  He likes them petting him.  

                                          Yes the vet does own house bunnies.  Cotton dislikes me smelling like cat n dog too lol.  Cotton likes being held when we are at the vets.  At home forget it lol.  Silly boy.   

                                          Now when we get home he flicks his feet at me lol.  He forgives quickly tho.  

                                          arent bunnies funny


                                        • Stormybun
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                                            When we’re in the waiting room he’s still scared from the car ride and the new place, by the time we’re called in he’s still scared of the new smells, sounds, etc. So mostly he’s still and behaved but only because of the fear.


                                          • bunnytowne
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                                              awe poor Stormy bun   I feel bad for the scared ones.   These stories are funny too I enjoy them


                                            • Stormybun
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                                                Well, at least it’s better for them to be scared and still than super hyper. 


                                              • bunnytowne
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                                                  true Stormy Bun so true.  Dont want them hopping off or hurting themselves.  Be still and quiet cooperative too


                                                • Lily
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                                                    Haha,
                                                    Lily has been to the vet I believe 3 times in the last month. The first time she was super nervous but she went through with it when I was in there. The vets said when picking up she would fight a lot and try to get out but that’s just her. She lets them look at her and everything and they are very gentle. I believe she hasn’t received any treats from the vet but she still doesn’t mind them as long as they aren’t taking her somewhere that I’m not.


                                                  • Lily
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                                                      Haha,
                                                      Lily has been to the vet I believe 3 times in the last month. The first time she was super nervous but she went through with it when I was in there. The vets said when picking up she would fight a lot and try to get out but that’s just her. She lets them look at her and everything and they are very gentle. I believe she hasn’t received any treats from the vet but she still doesn’t mind them as long as they aren’t taking her somewhere that I’m not.

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                                                  Forum THE LOUNGE How do your bunny behave at the vet?