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Elderly Bunnies

E

emilou

Warren Scout
Hi everyone!,
Long time no posts from me, its been about 5 years I think. I just wanted to ask you experienced folks about the ways in which to keep old timer rabbits healthy. What alterations if any do you make to their feeding, housing etc?

My bunny is 8 years old now and she has been a bit ill this week and we are just overcoming (fingers crossed) a bit of stasis. If she comes through I want to do the best for her.
 
Main changes are...

Diet: I find elderly rabbits need more calories so add Excel or even Excel junior to their normal pellets. Unless they get runny poops you can feed high calorie foods like seeds, oats, fruit in moderation...although you'll need to be careful if your girl has had a bout of stasis.

Housing: Avoid steep ramps, steps, any high objects that she might jump off and injure herself or fall off if her eyesight isn't good. I personally like to bring my older rabs indoors or into a warm shed over winter.

Not sure what else to say...it really depends what age-related problems she has
 
welli currently have a 6yr old and a 7yr old but my eldest bunny was 11.5before she passed on, i have to say i found keeping them a bit warmer helped as they get older heatpads such as snugglesafe or a shed if they are outdoors buns, chelsea (rip) has athritus when she was older and had cartrophen injections and glucosamine as well as metacam to help her keep moving, i would suggest provided she isnt a fat bunny more calories and extra hay and veg too there are foods such as excel and science select mature to increase thier appitites if they need it! also i found giving mroe comfy things to snuggle on such as blankets etc, keep an eye on bums they do seem more prone to stasiss with age i have found so knowing teh signs is obviously a good thing, lots of tlc and fuss if they are a rabbit who enjoys this and a freind wherever possible. :) iv bonded older buns before :) its so loverly for them to have a partenr in their odler days xx
 
Not in respect of anything in particular. Just good general advice for geriatrics. Thanks for whats been added here.x
 
warmth seems to be the main thing and i too bring them in for winter.

In my experience the older buns seem to get more food picky as well - my relative oldie at present will no longer eat pellets (no tooth issues - we have had x-rays done) and so we are having to collect his favourite weeds three times a day:roll::roll:

Also keep an eye out for kidney problems - like cats they seem to start developing these.
 
My elderly boy is just getting over snuffles. I think another main thing to add is that they can sometimes get really soft poo and it can stick to their bottom, fur etc. I have to bath his bum once a week and more in summer,this is because they aren't as flexible to clean that part of their body. If you need anything else i have some further info on looking after elderly buns, so PM me if you want them.:D
 
My little old boy is 12.5 now, but I'd mostly repeat what the others have said

Fluff's is on metacam for arthritis- it helps him be able to get round to eat cecal pellets and thus reduces odds of a mucky bum. We use rearguard in the summer for extra protection, and because his hair is quite long he gets a trim 6 monthly when he has jabs again, to avoid matts and make it easier for him to keep clean.

Diet wise he has porridge daily (just a tiny amount) and oat, wheat and barley hay, everything else is normal really. Bit I do tend to be quite liberal with giving him treats.

He's a house rabbit and has a couple of nice squishy snuggle beds that seem to keep him comfy, and their backs support him when he's cleaning himself.

That makes him sound like an invalid, but he's still totally nuts! :love:
 
With my oldies I used to supplement their food very similar to what others have said above. Also gave them them other things like veg glucosamine, milk thistle, and I always kept ther water topped up with Avipro.

Mine lived indoors but I still worried about keeping them warm. Also a daily groom is good, Molly used to love this as she was too stiff to reach everywhere herself. I also went back to using the small kitten litter trays, as they were easier for them to climb in and out of. :D
 
Thanks everyone this has given me lots to think about, roll on summer im building her a new run.
 
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