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Advice wanted regarding a 'blind' female bun

S

seagreen

Warren Scout
There's a single small REW female mini lop where I help out who I think may be blind. We know nothing about her background.

She's only about 5-6 months old & doesn't react / see hands in her hutch but will grunt & lunge if she is taken unawares. She loves having her head & ears stroked & rubbed but she is otherwise very very quite, she hops ok but hardly moves around her hutch.

Has anyone had experience bonding a blind rabbit ? Should anything be done differently ?

And, what sort of qualities should we look for in a rabbit to pair her up with ?
 
I have a REW...I understand they have sight problems....I have noticed that Lily (my girlie) "Scans" from side to side.
At about the age she could be (eh?) it maybe that shes hormonal and a spey would really help with this behaviour.It also helps bun not to get any infections in the uterus in the future.
My guess is,That shes hormonal,hence shes lungeing and that she has eyesight problems, but to what degree,Im unsure.Does her head go slowly to the side and back again,like a very slow typewriter??? It could well be shes shortsighted like most REWS.:wave:
 
I agree totally with Yvette.
Does can be very territorially aggressive due to hormones as normal doe behaviour.

Having excluded pain, if she has very poor eyesight/blind she may be keeping still, & being aggressive because she's very frightened & thinks she can't be seen by doing this. There is the issue of not knowing her past experience.
 
Delayed in replying because of a phone call.

She's showing no indication of pain.

You don't see her moving about untill she is cleaned out otherwise she just sits with her back to the wire front hutch & just hops into her litter tray. Last week I put in a pile of fresh straw & hay in for her beding & it hadn't been touched, still in the same pile.
 
We had a blind bunny quite a few years ago that we bonded. He too was very very timid & didn't really move around at all. In fact, it was heart breaking when we first got him. If you picked him up he quivered so, and when you moved him from his cage to the run or floor, and back. He would still just sit there quivering where ever you put him. So we took it very slowly with them and started by keeping their cages side by side and gradually introducing them. She was a very confident, and dominant rabbit, but it seemed to work - total opposites I guess, it was wonderful to see the change in him, he became so much braver, following her around. But that was just our case it may not be so easy for this little girl.

Also just as a note of warning. In those days not much was known of EC, and looking back, I now believe our little boys blindness was EC related, so I would take all the neccessary precautions before going any further.
 
Vicky267 had a blind bunny called Stitch and she would be able to give you advice if you pm her. Hugo's there probably has had experience at their rainbow rabbits retirement home too. -sue:wave:
 
I certainly wouldn't bond her at the moment. If she is not moving or touching her hay she definately needs to see a vet to rule out dental problems or any other pain related problems. Once she has the all clear and she is displaying her true behaviour then you will have a better indication of the sort of partner she needs.

We have lots of blind bunnies here so am always willing to give advice, although they vary as much as any normal bunny :)
 
My blind bunny runs about all the time and he's so fast. Her stillness could be an indicator of something else. As others have said, a vet check might be good.
 
My blind bunny also runs around like a mad thing sometimes, so I think you should get yours to the vet asap.
 
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