after care

Hi all

lavender was spayed on wednesday and has been in the house since. We weren't sure how she would cope with being indoors, but she is OK. The first night she needed to be hand fed food and water and was very inactive, so we just cuddled her or had her in the cage. Yesterday we put her in the kitchen, so she could have the run of it but she just either stayed in the litter tray or mostly in the snuggly warren we bought. She was starting to eat on her own, but I don't know if she is drinking much on her own. The bottle is on the cage, but she isn't going in the cage unless we put her in there. I put her in the cage twice for a while and she did drink from the bottle. But she doesn't seem to want to drink from a bowl on the floor and so I am still picking her up and letting her drink water of my fingers and wetting food for her. Now she is a bit more 'with it' she is scared when we first pick her up, which is how she always is but then settles and seems to like the affection.

So i have 2 questions. should i be concerned that i am having to hand feed her water? I am not sure how i can set up a bottle for her when she is not in the cage. I think i am going to put her in her cage for a little while to see if she will drink from the bottle. Now she loves the warren, I am having to kind of pull her out to get her, so it would be good to get her to drink more on her own.

Also, what about exercise now? She is not playing or execising, she just wants to be in the warren or litter tray. She was a bit more active for a while yesterday and was making her warren roll about, but then just passive again (not in an ill way). Knowing her, i think she will stick to her 'territory spots' and not explore the kitchen. Should i let her outside to play, i am sure she would execise if she got to go out. or should i not be encouraging execise yet?

She is pooing, but they are smaller than usual and not as much. Is this fairly normal after an operation? We have been handfeeding her hay on top of what she is eating herself, to get more inside her. Maybe some exercise would help.

What do people think i should do tonight, keep her in again or let her back outside if she seems more active out there. The vet said keep her in for at least 24 hrs or more if cold. Well, obviously this time of year it is cold, but its not too bad today, quite sunny in fact. I don't mind her staying in another night, but wondered if she would prefer to be back out and settled. The thing i am worried about is bedding to keep her warm outside, as she wouldn't be able to have straw or hay as bedding yet would she?

The toddler has a big, so washing machine and dryer is on a lot too, so i am sure she would prefer somewhere less noisy.

Thanks
Lynsey

ok well when any of my buns are enutered i have them inside for 48 hours in an upstairs bedroom in a dog crate(keeps them away rom the noise.) as they shouldnt be hopping around too much. after that i let them out indoors to "excersise within that room or in a small area. if they seem to be eating and pooping adn drinking(mine prefer a water bowl) then i dont fret adn i put up a small run in the garden with a shelter in to let them hop around for around 30mins to 1hour if afternoon is warm. day 4 i let them again have time in the run though in about 1 hour stretches through day ie 1 hour in run 1 hour cage rest rather than all day. then by day 4 if wound healed and seem fine i bed up the hutch warm and cosy with lots of additional bedding i like teh shredded paper in there too and a blanket and towel(bear in mind my vet does a 3day post op check then a 10 day one so vet has to agree the move back out) then they stay out overnight with access to run that day. after that i let the bun out into garden as normal but do a daily stitches chck to ensure its ok i wouldnt let tehm out if it was really muddy though(my buns are often freee range so i geuss it depends on your set up.

When my bun got neutered and I had him in the house for the weekend, he ate very little (not his usual inhaling of his bowl and veggies!!) and didn't drink a single drop. I was panicking like mad but I spoke to the vet and she said to put him back in his hutch and let him get settled back in and sure enough, later that day he had drunk 1cm of water and has been fine ever since.

As well as having an op it's a new environment (since they are outdoor buns)> I would put her back out and mark her water bottle and let her get settled and maybe check in a while to see how she is. I totally understand your stressing as I was exactly like you! The vet I spoke to (who was the emergency vet and was lovely) said that Max was probably in the huff and that bunnies can go a bit humpty after ops so maybe your bunny is the same!!!

Good luck xx