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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR Moose still marking everywhere …

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    • DanaNM
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        Hey everyone, 

        So, Moose (a bit over 1 yr old) has been bonded to Bertha for a couple of months now. We adopted him to bond with Bertha, so we never really got to experience what his litter box habits were like without another bunny around. 

        While he is in his condo, his box habits are perfect, but when he has run of the apartment, he will pee along the fence margin (large puddles), and poop all over the place. Sometimes single ones, sometimes piles. He also drinks a TON of water, so he pees a lot! 

        He’ll go a day or two without peeing outside his box, and then will start peeing on the carpet again. I don’t really care about the poops, but the peeing is getting ridiculous. And it’s not always in the same spot, but is always along the fence border somewhere. And the area where he pees is NOT far from his litter box. He doesn’t pee along the opposite wall of the room, just along the x-pen fence that blocks off the non-bunny proofed area. 

        I read over his adoption paperwork, and it said his box habits weren’t that stellar to begin with, but he was also very young at that time. 

        Bertha’s habits are fine, both bunnies are eating and pooping normally. 

        I really don’t want to restrict their space, and they are two big bunnies and they need their exercise!

        I almost wonder if it would be better if I bunny proofed the rest of the house and got rid of the fence entirely? 

        Anyone else experienced this? 

        . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


      • Dface
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          No experience with it but would laying down puppy training pads along there at least save your floor?
          It could be a territory thing still?


        • DanaNM
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            I imagine it could be a territory thing… 

            Puppy pads might make clean up easier, but I feel like Bertha might decide to pee on them too (she pees on soft stuff), plus that would mean blanketing half of my apartment in puppy pads…. which I don’t really want to do. 

            I’m considering bunny-proofing the rest of the apartment so the fence is not needed. I’m wondering if the fact that the fence is in a slightly different arrangement sometimes makes him feel like the border is “new” and needs to be marked? 

            We also got back from holiday a couple days ago, and I know we must have brought back all kinds of new smells  (he was having the same problem before we left though, and I haven’t asked the pet-sitter if it was an issue for her). 

            I did all our laundry and cleaned the house last night, and so far no pee in the last 24 hrs…. but he usually pees after meal time…. which he’s eating now…. so we’ll see! 

            . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


          • DanaNM
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              Here’s the little rascal, thinking about whether or not to pee…. he didn’t! 

              . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


            • sarahthegemini
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                O look at that innocent little face  I would probably try removing the fence – what you said about it sometimes being positioned different could possibly make him think he needs to mark it again. Although of course you might get a (hopefully just) temporary surge of marking in the new areas! Or what about hanging blankets off of the fence that smell like him? Maybe that will satisfy his urge to make it smell like him? 


              • DanaNM
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                  Posted By sarahthegemini on 8/28/2017 1:27 PM

                  O look at that innocent little face  I would probably try removing the fence – what you said about it sometimes being positioned different could possibly make him think he needs to mark it again. Although of course you might get a (hopefully just) temporary surge of marking in the new areas! Or what about hanging blankets off of the fence that smell like him? Maybe that will satisfy his urge to make it smell like him? 

                  He is quite the master of looking innocent  

                  I’ve just ordered more nic cubes to bunny proof the rest of the apartment (namely making sure they can’t get under the bed), so going to give that a go! I’m also looking forward to not having to step over the fence… but not looking forward to them finding all sorts of new trouble to get into…! 

                  We’d planned on giving the carpet a proper shampooing once they were bonded and the litter box habits had returned completely, but we’ve been holding off until we can figure out what’s going on with Moose. (Although I’m sure that the smell of clean carpets might set them both off again!). 

                  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                • DanaNM
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                    Now I’m starting to wonder if there isn’t something medical going on… he just peed by the fence again, twice in the last 15 minutes, along with a little pile of poops, after drinkng from his bowl several times in the last hour. His pee is super clear.

                    Moose drinks A TON of water, and has since I got him, but it seems like it has ramped up recently. It’s been warm out. He’s been drinking around 20 oz per day, and is about 7 lbs. He has drank from his bowl several times in the last hour. That is even with being served wet veggies. 

                    I use bottled water for them.

                    I’ve been reading through the forums, and it looks like rescue buns sometimes do drink a lot at first… which also fits his ravenous appetite for pellets and veggies…. but it could also be a dental issue or worse…. I am going to talk to the rescue and probably call the vet tomorrow. 

                    Hopefully I’m just being that paranoid person on the internet and he’s just a compulsive drinker. 

                    . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                  • DanaNM
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                      Well, this certainly looks like marking to me….. especially coupled with the poops! 

                      Hopefully getting rid of the fence will help, because he never does this along permanent walls. 

                      Still might have him checked out by a vet… waiting to hear back from the shelter about his last check up though. 

                      . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                    • sarahthegemini
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                        Gosh it really does look like marking to me. I’d have thought if it was a health issue (a uti for example) there’s be dribbling as opposed to full puddles but it can’t hurt to get him checked anyway! I must say, a cream rug/carpet? You’re brave


                      • DanaNM
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                          Haha it’s a rental!

                          Lucky for us (and our deposit) the carpet was trashed when we moved in.

                          . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                        • DanaNM
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                            Ok, so I’m leaning towards marking. I expanded the bunny proofed area, and he predictably marked near the new borders! 

                             

                            I do like the room a lot more without a big x-pen going across it… so we’ll see if the marking settles down a bit now that the borders will be more static. He seems to only mark along borders that have a fence of some sort? 

                            For territorial marking, should I try not to clean it as thoroughly at first? Or is it best to completely get rid of the scents? 

                            . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                          • joea64
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                              At the risk of wandering off-topic, I’m liking the idea of replacing the X-pen with a series of NIC grids tied together to form fences. I’m of the opinion that this would open up more space for my own two buns and be about as easy to put up and take down as the current X-pen that I have. I do wonder, though, how high I would have to build the fence to prevent escape-by-jumping. Fernando can make some impressive leaps if he starts from a sufficiently high point.


                            • DanaNM
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                                Yeah! I actually modified it even further this morning, so there is almost nothing that needs to be moved around when I let them in and out of their condo. I’m liking the new set-up a lot (and wondering why I didn’t do it sooner…), but now comes the fun of figuring out all the new trouble they can get into

                                2 linked NIC grids are actually taller than the x-pen I have (each grid is about 14″x 14″). I know my two can jump over the x-pen, but they never have except for during bonding when they really wanted to get to the other side. 

                                So, unless there is something nearby for Fernando to use as a launch point, you’d prob be OK with just 2 grids. Three is really tall and you wouldn’t be able to step over it or move it easily, but maybe you could set it up so you could fold the top row down if you needed to get past it. 

                                Man, bunny projects are definitely my favorite form of procrastination…. 

                                . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                              • DanaNM
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                                  Update:
                                  Considering changing Moose’s name to “Puddles”. He pee’d like 6 times just this morning! Time to order more nature’s miracle… yeeesh.

                                  I think the room-rearrangement is finalized for now…. now to wait and see if the marking dies down after a few days of no changes.

                                  If still no change, will schedule a vet visit to rule out something medical. I was initially worried that something could be weird with his bond with Bertha and he was feeling territorial, but they are as snuggley and lovey as ever, so that’s good.

                                  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                                • sarahthegemini
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                                    Posted By DanaNM on 8/30/2017 3:16 PM

                                    Update:
                                    Considering changing Moose’s name to “Puddles”. He pee’d like 6 times just this morning! Time to order more nature’s miracle… yeeesh.

                                    I think the room-rearrangement is finalized for now…. now to wait and see if the marking dies down after a few days of no changes.

                                    If still no change, will schedule a vet visit to rule out something medical. I was initially worried that something could be weird with his bond with Bertha and he was feeling territorial, but they are as snuggley and lovey as ever, so that’s good.

                                    That’s good to hear Hopefully if things aren’t changing, Moose can settle a bit and not feel the urge! Maybe he was a bit insecure? 


                                  • sarahthegemini
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                                      About the cleaning – did you decide whether to remove scent entirely or not? I don’t know what would be best and I’m trying to plan ahead for when I move in case Mr I-like-to-mark-my-blankets-now becomes a mini Moose!


                                    • DanaNM
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                                        I opted to just clean it up as well as possible with nature’s miracle… So far he’s still marking a bit, but it’s only been a day. I do think he still feels a bit insecure, I know he does not like my cat, and hasn’t quite learned how to stand up to him yet.

                                        He doesn’t keep peeing in the same spots, but it is always along the borders…

                                        I know one member, I think it’s Autumn’s dad, has used a blanket on top of a opened up trash bag to deal with peeing on the bed. He was saying it was nice because it both protected the bed, and blocked some of the human smell, so Autumn didn’t feel the need to keep re-marking it.

                                        If this continues to be an issue (and we rule out medical causes), I might adopt something similar for the problem areas.

                                        . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                                      • DanaNM
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                                          OK, so I don’t want to jinx it…. but I think things are improving. Only marked in one place last night, and nothing so far this morning…

                                          He’s still scattering poops around, but that’s fine! He’s currently snoozing, snuggling with big B.

                                          I ended up scheduling a vet check up for him anyway, since he hasn’t had one since we adopted him, and I figured it would be good to get him on the books with our vet either way. He won’t be seen till Tuesday, so I should have a better idea by then if it was really just a territorial thing or medical.

                                          . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                                        • DanaNM
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                                            Well, the marking seems to have gotten better with the new arrangement, but I took him to the vet today anyway, and he does have some points on his molars! Not sure if they are causing the drinking, but they could for sure be related to his low hay consumption. 

                                            Poor little guy, he is so young to already have dental issues, but could be due to poor diet when he was younger. 

                                            I have to decide whether to have them also check his blood while he is under anesthesia for his teeth. The vet said the drinking and urination could also be kidney related…. I had read that calcium can increase kidney issues, so I cut out all kale etc a few days ago, and he does seem to be drinking less….

                                            I know I am changing too many things at once to really know what’s happening, but I figured I should cover all the bases and not risk making something worse. 

                                            I am a little worried about the dental procedure, because they said I can’t leave Bertha with him (and they would separate them anyway during his recovery)…. I have read so many horror stories about bonds breaking due to vet visits, but the vet said they have found that to be very rare, and usually fixed easily anyway. 

                                            I am waiting for a call from the technician to schedule his procedure… in the meantime I’m going to supplement him with some critical care… and stew over whether to do the blood test. I probably will, just to make sure all the bases are covered…. 

                                            Words of wisdom from folks who have had bunnies with dental issues would be appreciated!

                                            . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                                          • sarahthegemini
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                                              Posted By DanaNM on 9/05/2017 6:37 PM

                                              Well, the marking seems to have gotten better with the new arrangement, but I took him to the vet today anyway, and he does have some points on his molars! Not sure if they are causing the drinking, but they could for sure be related to his low hay consumption. 

                                              Poor little guy, he is so young to already have dental issues, but could be due to poor diet when he was younger. 

                                              I have to decide whether to have them also check his blood while he is under anesthesia for his teeth. The vet said the drinking and urination could also be kidney related…. I had read that calcium can increase kidney issues, so I cut out all kale etc a few days ago, and he does seem to be drinking less….

                                              I know I am changing too many things at once to really know what’s happening, but I figured I should cover all the bases and not risk making something worse. 

                                              I am a little worried about the dental procedure, because they said I can’t leave Bertha with him (and they would separate them anyway during his recovery)…. I have read so many horror stories about bonds breaking due to vet visits, but the vet said they have found that to be very rare, and usually fixed easily anyway. 

                                              I am waiting for a call from the technician to schedule his procedure… in the meantime I’m going to supplement him with some critical care… and stew over whether to do the blood test. I probably will, just to make sure all the bases are covered…. 

                                              Words of wisdom from folks who have had bunnies with dental issues would be appreciated!

                                              I honestly believe molar spurs can be down to bad luck rather than diet. Buttercup – who has always eaten more hay than Peanut and who has glorious poops had slight molar spurs at her last check but they weren’t effecting her so didn’t need trimming down. I’ll let someone else with experience advise on that. In regards to not allowing Bertha, is that because they want to be able to properly monitor him? I wonder if they could put them both in the same kennel but put a partition between them? That’s what the vets did when Buttercup needed to stay overnight at the emergency vets. I would opt for the blood tests, might as well do all you can while the little fellow is asleep and will hopefully give piece of mind *fingers crossed his kidneys are okay*


                                            • Wick & Fable
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                                                Wick doesn’t chew on anything aside from eating hay, so his teeth only have that to work with. In conjunction with him being a runt in proportions and being a netherland dwarf, he’s a trifecta for teeth troubles!

                                                Wick is 10mo now and has had 2 molar grindings so far, 3mo apart. His first was at 6mo, second at 8-9mo. If your vet is experienced, it’s a pretty smooth procedure. We go in, the vet says it’s his teeth bothering him, and we decide on the spot to have it done. We wait, then we get to go in and be there when Wick wakes up from sleeping. He does a cute wheel-barrow kind of maneuver because his front half wakes up before his back half, so his butt kind of flops around, haha. We feed him some Critical Care, at the vet, after he wakes up, and once he slurps it up and is fully awake, we take him home.

                                                Recovery from molar grinding is more so making sure your rabbit isn’t shaken up from waking up, if not used to anesthesia. If performed properly, there should be no pain and your rabbit, with relieved teeth, should be back to normal, lounging, eating, and pooing as before within the following hour or two.

                                                The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


                                              • DanaNM
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                                                  Posted By Wick on 9/06/2017 7:17 AM

                                                  Wick doesn’t chew on anything aside from eating hay, so his teeth only have that to work with. In conjunction with him being a runt in proportions and being a netherland dwarf, he’s a trifecta for teeth troubles!

                                                  Wick is 10mo now and has had 2 molar grindings so far, 3mo apart. His first was at 6mo, second at 8-9mo. If your vet is experienced, it’s a pretty smooth procedure. We go in, the vet says it’s his teeth bothering him, and we decide on the spot to have it done. We wait, then we get to go in and be there when Wick wakes up from sleeping. He does a cute wheel-barrow kind of maneuver because his front half wakes up before his back half, so his butt kind of flops around, haha. We feed him some Critical Care, at the vet, after he wakes up, and once he slurps it up and is fully awake, we take him home.

                                                  Recovery from molar grinding is more so making sure your rabbit isn’t shaken up from waking up, if not used to anesthesia. If performed properly, there should be no pain and your rabbit, with relieved teeth, should be back to normal, lounging, eating, and pooing as before within the following hour or two.

                                                  Thanks Wick! Moose was born out of a kid’s 4-H project, so we are thinking that he was bred for his lovely coat and handsome looks, but drew the short straw on dental health, even though he isn’t a breed that’s typically known for getting spurs. He also may not have had the best diet when he was younger, and might have only gotten pellets for his first 5 months.

                                                  Our vet is experienced, so that’s reassuring. There are two vets that see bunnies at the office, and the technicians are amazing, so I know he’ll be in good hands. Our local rescue uses this vet, so they see a lot of rabbits there. I’m hoping that this will actually boost his hay consumption, because right now he isn’t eating much of it. Still ravenous for greens and pellets though, and will lick CC off a plate. 

                                                  Oh man, I’m hoping he doesn’t need his teeth ground too often though… the vet said sometimes when young rabbits get them things can still settle out and re-align once they have been filed a few times. 

                                                  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                                                • DanaNM
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                                                    Posted By sarahthegemini on 9/06/2017 6:03 AM

                                                    Posted By DanaNM on 9/05/2017 6:37 PM

                                                    Well, the marking seems to have gotten better with the new arrangement, but I took him to the vet today anyway, and he does have some points on his molars! Not sure if they are causing the drinking, but they could for sure be related to his low hay consumption. 

                                                    Poor little guy, he is so young to already have dental issues, but could be due to poor diet when he was younger. 

                                                    I have to decide whether to have them also check his blood while he is under anesthesia for his teeth. The vet said the drinking and urination could also be kidney related…. I had read that calcium can increase kidney issues, so I cut out all kale etc a few days ago, and he does seem to be drinking less….

                                                    I know I am changing too many things at once to really know what’s happening, but I figured I should cover all the bases and not risk making something worse. 

                                                    I am a little worried about the dental procedure, because they said I can’t leave Bertha with him (and they would separate them anyway during his recovery)…. I have read so many horror stories about bonds breaking due to vet visits, but the vet said they have found that to be very rare, and usually fixed easily anyway. 

                                                    I am waiting for a call from the technician to schedule his procedure… in the meantime I’m going to supplement him with some critical care… and stew over whether to do the blood test. I probably will, just to make sure all the bases are covered…. 

                                                    Words of wisdom from folks who have had bunnies with dental issues would be appreciated!

                                                    I honestly believe molar spurs can be down to bad luck rather than diet. Buttercup – who has always eaten more hay than Peanut and who has glorious poops had slight molar spurs at her last check but they weren’t effecting her so didn’t need trimming down. I’ll let someone else with experience advise on that. In regards to not allowing Bertha, is that because they want to be able to properly monitor him? I wonder if they could put them both in the same kennel but put a partition between them? That’s what the vets did when Buttercup needed to stay overnight at the emergency vets. I would opt for the blood tests, might as well do all you can while the little fellow is asleep and will hopefully give piece of mind *fingers crossed his kidneys are okay*

                                                    Yeah, we are thinking it is possible that Moose was bred for his lovely coat and handsome looks, but drew the short straw on dental health.  Honestly the vet barely got a look in his mouth, but saw them enough to recommend they be filed, so I imagine they are fairly prominent. I think coupled with eating less hay, weird poops, and drinking water is enough to have them filed. 

                                                    About Bertha, yeah they said when he is recovering they want to be able to tell for sure whether he’s pooping normally, and having another bunny in there messes with that. I’m going to ask how long the procedure and monitoring will be. If it’s more than a couple hours, I might suggest that. Otherwise I’ll just have to bring her when I drop him off and pick him up, and then I will make sure I can be home to monitor them for a couple hours once we get home. I’m also thinking I could wipe them both down with a blanket from home to get them smelling more normal again. 

                                                    Yeah…. I will do the blood tests… but hopefully they don’t find anything! 

                                                    In the meantime, the little rascal has been enjoying getting some critical care on a plate  

                                                    . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                                                  • sarahthegemini
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                                                      Posted By DanaNM on 9/06/2017 11:36 AM

                                                      Posted By sarahthegemini on 9/06/2017 6:03 AM

                                                      Posted By DanaNM on 9/05/2017 6:37 PM

                                                      Well, the marking seems to have gotten better with the new arrangement, but I took him to the vet today anyway, and he does have some points on his molars! Not sure if they are causing the drinking, but they could for sure be related to his low hay consumption. 

                                                      Poor little guy, he is so young to already have dental issues, but could be due to poor diet when he was younger. 

                                                      I have to decide whether to have them also check his blood while he is under anesthesia for his teeth. The vet said the drinking and urination could also be kidney related…. I had read that calcium can increase kidney issues, so I cut out all kale etc a few days ago, and he does seem to be drinking less….

                                                      I know I am changing too many things at once to really know what’s happening, but I figured I should cover all the bases and not risk making something worse. 

                                                      I am a little worried about the dental procedure, because they said I can’t leave Bertha with him (and they would separate them anyway during his recovery)…. I have read so many horror stories about bonds breaking due to vet visits, but the vet said they have found that to be very rare, and usually fixed easily anyway. 

                                                      I am waiting for a call from the technician to schedule his procedure… in the meantime I’m going to supplement him with some critical care… and stew over whether to do the blood test. I probably will, just to make sure all the bases are covered…. 

                                                      Words of wisdom from folks who have had bunnies with dental issues would be appreciated!

                                                      I honestly believe molar spurs can be down to bad luck rather than diet. Buttercup – who has always eaten more hay than Peanut and who has glorious poops had slight molar spurs at her last check but they weren’t effecting her so didn’t need trimming down. I’ll let someone else with experience advise on that. In regards to not allowing Bertha, is that because they want to be able to properly monitor him? I wonder if they could put them both in the same kennel but put a partition between them? That’s what the vets did when Buttercup needed to stay overnight at the emergency vets. I would opt for the blood tests, might as well do all you can while the little fellow is asleep and will hopefully give piece of mind *fingers crossed his kidneys are okay*

                                                      Yeah, we are thinking it is possible that Moose was bred for his lovely coat and handsome looks, but drew the short straw on dental health.  Honestly the vet barely got a look in his mouth, but saw them enough to recommend they be filed, so I imagine they are fairly prominent. I think coupled with eating less hay, weird poops, and drinking water is enough to have them filed. 

                                                      About Bertha, yeah they said when he is recovering they want to be able to tell for sure whether he’s pooping normally, and having another bunny in there messes with that. I’m going to ask how long the procedure and monitoring will be. If it’s more than a couple hours, I might suggest that. Otherwise I’ll just have to bring her when I drop him off and pick him up, and then I will make sure I can be home to monitor them for a couple hours once we get home. I’m also thinking I could wipe them both down with a blanket from home to get them smelling more normal again. 

                                                      Yeah…. I will do the blood tests… but hopefully they don’t find anything! 

                                                      In the meantime, the little rascal has been enjoying getting some critical care on a plate  

                                                      Oh definitely. If Buttercup had any of those symptoms I’d have them filed asap. 

                                                      When Buttercup was at the emergency vets it was due to stasis so they wanted to make sure she started pooping, hence the partition. I wonder – if a partition isn’t feasible, whether they could put them in adjoining kennels. You could put a blanket with the other’s scent in with the other bun too. So a blanket smelling like Bertha for Moose etc. Although if it’s just a few hours, I should think they’d be fine to be apart. I’ve no idea how long recovery is for this sort of thing though! 

                                                      Glad he enjoys his CC. That’s something you don’t have to stress about


                                                    • DanaNM
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                                                        Hmmm, yeah I will have to find out how long they will want me to leave him for. Some ppl say it’s a pretty quick procedure. I’m thinking if it is longer, I will move Bertha into the bathroom or kitchen temporarily, so she doesn’t take full ownership of the condo while he’s gone. She was being really sweet to him yesterday and groomed him on the car ride over, so I’m kind of bummed she can’t be there for him when he wakes up. :-/

                                                        . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                                                      • DanaNM
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                                                          Just wanted to update this thread in case anyone was interested.

                                                          Moose went in for his spurs, and they discovered an abscess on his jaw. So it looks like his water drinking was most likely due to his mouth hurting, so I’m really glad I took him in! I just picked him up, and it turns out his front lower molar on the left was completely rotten and split into a bunch of pieces, which was where the abscess came from. She showed me the tooth they pulled, it was hollow with all kinds of food pieces stuck in it. During the initial exam, she had actually seen a pieces of the fragmented tooth and thought it was a point on a molar. The molar above it was really loose, so they extracted that one as well.

                                                          When she pulled out the rotten tooth, all kinds of pus started coming out from the abscess, which she flushed out.

                                                          All of his other teeth looked fine, with no points on them! So, for whatever reason, that front tooth got damaged and infected. I’m so relieved, I was imagining his whole mouth was going to have problems.

                                                          The hope now is that the abscess was cleaned out enough for the antibiotic to take care of the rest of it, and that she was able to get all the tooth, so it doesn’t grow back. I’m happy that they removed the molar opposite the rotten one, so it wouldn’t just keep growing and cause more problems.

                                                          He’s on metacam, and will get penicillin injections every 2 days for 10 days. I’m taking him back on Friday for the next one, but then they are going to show me how to do it at home for the others.

                                                          He started eating his veggies like a champ, and is currently grooming himself, pooped, and ate his pellet ration (no surprise there). He seemed a little unsure at home (he had a rough day, after all), but so far things are looking fine with him and Bertha. They cuddled together in the carrier on the way home. She;s currently grooming herself after the indignity of having to ride around in the carrier a bunch.

                                                          Assuming everything heals fine, he will need a check up in a month, where they sedate him and probably do x-rays to make sure they got all of his tooth out. Thankfully she said if the abscess just needs more cleaning they are able to do that without completely knocking him out, since it’s in the front of his mouth.

                                                          Whew!

                                                          . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                                                        • sarahthegemini
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                                                            GGoodness me, that’s quite the update! Glad he’s okay though, poor little guy. How easy it would be if they could tell us when they’re in pain! Hopefully Bertha will give him lots of cuddles now 


                                                          • DanaNM
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                                                              Thanks Sarah, he is such a sweet boy. I’m so glad that I took him in when I did (I mean, I really wish I had gone sooner, but hindsight is 20/20). He’s doing great this morning, and has been grooming Bertha a lot, which almost made me cry. Maybe he’ll be a little grooming machine now that his mouth won’t be hurting him.

                                                              I’m interested to see if his personality changes at all, because I now realize he must have been in some sort of pain from this the whole time I’ve had him (including during bonding!). Maybe we’ll finally see some binkies out of him.

                                                              . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                                                            • DanaNM
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                                                                Well, Moose is recovering well from his tooth extractions (eating hay again, drinking a bit less)… and I can tell he’s feeling better, because he’s back to marking everywhere! 

                                                                Doh! 

                                                                I’m conflicted. Part of me thinks they would be OK to be free range all the time… and maybe that means he would mark less. But then part of me thinks he needs time restricted to his condo so he’ll actually use his box? 

                                                                Maybe I just need to add another box? But the area he marks is only about 4-6 ft from his current box! 

                                                                Such a rascal! 

                                                                . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                                                              • DanaNM
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                                                                  For anyone who’s been following this thread, dealing with similar issues, we are opting for a new strategy!

                                                                  I read an article that struck a chord, about how bunnies can lose their box habits for a certain reason, but then not get them back because they got in the habit of not using it. Moose’s paper work said his box habits were never very good. So he was not great to begin with, and then probably got in the habit of marking during bonding.

                                                                  So, I am just flat out trying to re-train him. I ordered an extra box to put in the room outside of his condo, even though the area he pees in is only feet away from his box. I read that the novelty of a new box can encourage them to get used to only using the tray vs. the carpet. I’m watching him like a hawk, so then he lifts his little tail I can guide him to his box. I’ve been rewarding him when he uses his box. He’s VERY food motivated and a fast learner, so he’s already looking at me expectantly when he jumps in his box.

                                                                  We’ll see how this goes! If this doesn’t work we are going to re-name him Puddles! :p

                                                                  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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