slowed up frenchie

i know berties renowned for being rather laid back..um rather too laid back..but how much is too much?

its why i never realsied willow was dying..she always slept in front of the dor and never got up even when you tripped over her!
so im worried about bertie.
hes not pooping as much again but it seems a syringe feed of criticial care here and there helps him as does the odd dose of metacam. the vet thinks it maybe very early stages of spine arhritis esp as he responds to metacam so positively.

he was 18 months old when i borrowed him and ended up adopting him. that was sept 2006! so now hes 4 and a half..not old for a bunny by any means..and i know theres older frenchies on here too. But i guess each buny is different.
last few days where its been so cold hes slowed down even more. the radiator by him hasnt been working for ages....the gas bloke came out to fix it after id tried everything id been told to do..it turned out to be the pin in the thermostat.
since then berties had his bum up against the hot water pipes leading to the radiator...his dog beds in front of it but he hasnt used that..hes warming himself a lot...

hes a dear old soul..dirty for a housebunny but getting cleaner since hes split from bif. she beat him up daily!

hes got cross with salem for laways nicking the blankets by the radiators....event tho they often sleep together on them. bertie has retaliated by peeing on the blankets at odd d times...just small marking wees luckily.

being a red eyed white i know his sight isnt great but worried as shes bgun making odd clicking noises with his mouth when hes walking about the lounge....almsot like a bat with sonar! hard to say if his eye sights going or not...poor old thing. or if its a habit hes got into when he had to run from bif.

hes slowed right up and im guessing its cos of his age plus the fact hes always been a lazy bun...and is warm thank you very much!

should i be worried?

well he was the same today and we gave him one 60ml syringe of criticial care..hes pooped a lot more..and is eating now..and hes pooped in his tray as well.
he hasnt had any metacam....and hes had lovley cuddles today....hes been very cuddly and very cold! salems asleep in the dog bed beside bertie whos asleep on the floor under the actual radiator now...so cute....

i think he needed cuddles...hehas no wifey now..shes upstairs....only me to bathe his eyes....and nikki and i to groom him and snuggle him..but so do the cats!

is 4 and a half about the age old age creeps up on big buns?

4 1/2 is getting on a bit for big bunny. But don't forget it's getting cold. My house buns are much more lethargic than usual, even though they're inside and warm.

Only thought I have though is to make sure you keep bun moving so his system keeps healthy, and of course lots of cuddles!

Deb

Awwww Bless him!!!!!!!

Thank you

hes been gluing himself to the radiator pipes and moved the dog bed a bit so he can also sleep under the radiator. It worries me as we have lino on a concrete floor since we got flooded in 2006 and it makes me worry hes uncomfortable. so i got my mum to get him a huge i mean biggest dog bed and filed it with a lovley treble thickness thermal blanket and his huge cuddly buny toy.
i put thick cototn woven rugs on the floor..pet fleeces from lidl etc and where does he sleep..on the bare rock hard floor..why?

he hasnt peed on the blankets last few days since the heating got fixed..i wonder if it was protest:lol:

hes eating fine...weeign fine...pooping loads...all over the floor too..such a wonderful sight....when he was ill or when he gets ill and harldy pops its a huge worry.

hes had cuddles and a comb or two but he grunted a lot......but the fur was hanging in strings where itd come loose and hadnt come away.bif obviously was eating loads of his fur all this time.

hes got up on the bed settee a few times to dig at nikis quilt etc and trash it to let her know hes been there. hes also had lots of cuddles up there...and om the floor.

hes a slow moving old boy but he has to move from his bed to his food n water..and across the lounge to his litter tray and hay box. ohterwise the only way to make him move is wave a sprig or two of mint under his nsoe and run. mind you stopped all stuff to settle his tum. only hay n pellets and hes been better. he used to eat everything and anything with no ill effects..till he nealry died after losing willow..his tums so delicate for such a big bunny.

hes my santa paws....and we love him to bits........

id like to think hell be an old old boy when he goes to the bridge..but i am well aware 3 to 5 years is the average for big buns......so we make the most of all our pets..but esp his bertiness

im off downstairs to wrap pressies...if he and the kitties will let me:lol:

whoever said curiousity killed the cat..never had a house rabbit who was also best pals with cats...:shock::shock::lol::lol:

hes such an old differ but he gets so much outpouring of love and affection even from starngers..at the vets..in the taxi etc..and who ever is in our house long enough to watch him get comfy and snuggle down or snore:lol:

i wonder is this frenchie behaviour..willow was laid back to a point and slept like a rock..i even had to lift up her ears to vaccum and steam clean the floor when she was sleeping:shock:
or is it bertie behaviour:lol:

he has made me fall in love with the breed..i love all buns but i will always have a soft spot for rew frenchies now....hes converted me as i hated rews

mind you he converts most people!!

i do feel sorry for bif...and for him..but maybe this is for the best until new years gone and bif can settle back down...i miss seeing them snuggled up so tight his eyes have to bathed now and always look a little sore....she took such good care of him.

now shes in a cage in my room as she kept hiding under my bed. so i can medicate her eye.

bertie gets extra cuddles from us and the cats..and of course my mum when shes round....she loves her big boy bertie...and make shim go all daft tlaking baby tlak to him and stroking him:lol:

so i guess its a big bunny age thing slowing him down more....more chnaces of extra cuddles then