Advice needed: post op and bonded bunnies

Hi all

In past threads I have explained that Sunday afternoon we took on a rabbit and he bonded instantly with our female. But that evening we grew concenred because he had not eaten and was flinching when we tried to hand feed him even though he wa being affectionate in other ways. We didn;t even know if he was pooing or not and were so worried as our last rabbit dies quickly after he stopped eating despite treatment. So we started 'forcing' wet pellets on him. So we took him to the vets in the morning and they confirmed that he had dental problems and siad to feed him soggy pellets every couple of hours. He was booked in today to have his dental work and i picked him up a coupld of hours ago. I was annoyed ebcause when i asked if he had been eating and drinking the nurse said 'we don;t know because he just trashed his kennel.

Anyway once home I wa sable to feed him and he would only accept dripped wet pellet placed in his mouth. Lavender, our other rabbit was sulking in her hutch/run. I wasn't sure what to do about continuing the bonding.

Lavender seemed to eb sulking a bit so i decided to try just bringing her in to see Bob. At the moment they are both in an indoor cage in the loung, but after we have done dinner, i can bring the cage in the kitchen and open it up and leave them in peace apart from when it is his feed time. When lavender was spayed, she was nervous in the house which we expected and she did not choose to explore the room, even though we offered. But maybe with the two of them together, she will be more comfortable. She does,nt seem to upset at being put in the cage and they both seem very happy to be together.

I am not sure whether to do this or put lavender back outside. As it is also fireworks night too, maybe inside would be best rather than pining by herself even if she would usually rather not be in with us - Bob is much more house bun(though he will be back outside after recovery)material than she is! What do people think?

My biggest concern is that if they are together, we cannot monitor him going to the toilet. He didn't seem to poo at all when we first got him, but we think he was then producing small dark poos as i am sure they were not Lavenders. We want to make sure he is pooing after his operation, but unless there is an obviouls difference in poos now, we can't be sure as Lavender is with him. So despite the bonding, would it be best to put her back outside later so we can monitor his bowl movements more closely?

Also, what do you advise about feeding Bob? The nurser did,nt have much advise. before the op, the vet suggested wet pellets every 2 hours which we have been doing. But we are not sure how much we should be giving him at each feeding. We have to force it on him though he sometimes seems to want it. Don't want to over feed him and bloat him??

keep them separate for a bit if you are really concerned about his pooing. You can afford to be generous with what he's eating post op so I'd give him as much as he would eat at each sitting (probably a dessert spoon?). Try sprinkling a little probiotic in with the pellets (can be gotton from pets at home) and maybe mix a little bit of fresh pinapple juice in with the pellets if he likes it, it is good for helping digestion. Try seeing if there are any tempting veg that he might like too like parsley, dandions & spring greens or pineapple.

If he is eating I wouldn't force him unless he is very unwell. Just keep an eye on those poops and if he doesn't poop before tomorrow morning you will need to book him in for an emergency appointment to get him some gut stimulant and possibly pain meds.

I agree with above post, great advice - let us know how he gets on

Hi

On Monday, the vet said he would not be able to eat on his own so we would have to feed him. On Tuesday he had perked up and was trying to eat hay, but i think it was mostly falling back out his mouth. We had to place the food in his mouth and move is around gently to get him to eat it. But then he wopuld really perk up after eating.

I have just fed him now and then he looked eagar to have a stretch so as the toddler is having a nap, we put both rabbits on the lounge floor. Bob, the one who is new and had the op, was running about and he has been in the house for a bit every day since we got him, but poor lavender was petrified by the laminate floor and just skidded everywhere. Bob was getting into areas where i didn;t want him and paying too much interest in cables, so i have put them both in the kitchen. It is tiles but hopefully a bit better than the laminate. Bob is moving about but poor Lavender is rooted to the spot in her litter tray. I think she would actually prefer to be back in the cage with Bob!

I might put landenr back outside late tonight so i can check he is pooing as we have no idea how he has been really pooing since we go him but from asking questions, we know he has not been pooing normally, the previous owners just didn't know he should be pooingand eating more. he had been abused when they got him so they had fattened him up with lots of treats and soft food.

I am annoyed the vet did not give him a gut stimulant anyway as i thought they would have as they knew we did'nt think hge was pooing properly before and that he was not eating anytihing decent like hay. But i had to pick him up by taxi with the kids and the meter was running for a good while already whilst we were waiting, oi i couldn't question it too much when i collected him.

It sounds very stressful for you!!

Pineapple juice works for our Charlie when he has stopped eating in the past ( I did read fresh tomato juice could also be used) use a spoon, even placing some on his paws so he has to lick it off may work. Tasty snacks as mentioned above .. a little apple perhaps or dandelion

Our last bunny also hated the laminate.. her feet were too fluffy.. we had to get mats and rugs for her in the end.. we also had the 'rabbit runway' which was a thin strip of carpet placed on top of the laminate that linked two carpeted rooms across the laminated hallway.. :roll::roll: It sounds like half of lavender's fear is not being able to run away safely (without skidding everywhere) if she needs to...

Someone needs to design either 'bunny booties' or rough laminate (that can be easily cleaned !!) :lol:

hope it gets better

1 trick on peeing is to take your bun to his regular pee spot every 2 hr. If he pees, then he's drinking. As to diet, if you have your bun indoor, you can watch him 18 hr. per day, see how much he eats. If they are outdoor, then I would agree temporary separate the 2 but w/ 2 cages that they can see ea. other