santabunny
New Kit
My daughter got a bunny for Christmas. Initially the bunny was skittish with people and would go into a flat passive posture and freeze. Then after a week or so, he would start to come out of his cage and sniff around the living room where his cage was. However, he started getting into too many tight areas that were off-limits, like under the TV, and not coming out, so we moved his cage to the kitchen, which has ceramic tile floor.
Since then, he pretty much stopped coming out of his cage, but I try to take him out once a day for some exercise. However he just hides out under the table. About a week ago, I dropped him while taking him out of the top of his cage and he got a nasty cut on his upper lip, and his bottom tooth was chipped. The lip seems to have healed, but when I inspected the area (not fun for the bunny, who apparently likes to have Q-tip pry open his mouth even less than being picked up) I noticed a large bulge on his tongue. I started reading on what it might be and I suspect it my be an abscess. Also, it looks to me like some minor inflammation might be developing on the tip of his nose. Behaviorally, after he chipped his tooth, he stopped eating apples. He has never been a big eater of treats - completely disinterested in carrots or anything hard - the only treats he would respond from the time we got him were apples and bananas. Anyway, my wife is an MD and she thinks the thing on his tongue is a benign cyst of some kind. I don't know if its always been there since we got him, but I do no that also the bunny has and had from day 1 as very small amount mucus discharge from both eyes, really just looks like sleep residue people have, but now that I read all this stuff about abscesses, I am concerned. Other than the eye discharge, though, I don't see any discharge from the mouth or the nose. He is still eating pellets and hay, although I don't really think he enjoys food period.
Prior to joining us, he was a 4H project bunny and lived in a shed full of wire bottom rabbit cages, probably not handled a lot, and as a result he seems to like to hang out on his wire-top litter box we bought him, although he doesn't eliminate there... instead he pees in his water and treat bowl, so I'm also thinking that than he could easily have got an infection through the cut lip.
However, since he's never been a particularly chipper bunny, it's hard to know if he's in pain, or what his behavioral baseline is. My wife thinks he's just fine, and spoiled because I'm making a fuss over the lip/tooth thing. So I'm trying to monitor whether the discharge increases, or whether the lump grows, but, again, that's not too easy since holding him tends to end with my hands kicked and cut up by his hind claws. (Also, this bunny was not neutered, so I am thinking possibly that might mellow the kicking).
Any advice appreciated...
Since then, he pretty much stopped coming out of his cage, but I try to take him out once a day for some exercise. However he just hides out under the table. About a week ago, I dropped him while taking him out of the top of his cage and he got a nasty cut on his upper lip, and his bottom tooth was chipped. The lip seems to have healed, but when I inspected the area (not fun for the bunny, who apparently likes to have Q-tip pry open his mouth even less than being picked up) I noticed a large bulge on his tongue. I started reading on what it might be and I suspect it my be an abscess. Also, it looks to me like some minor inflammation might be developing on the tip of his nose. Behaviorally, after he chipped his tooth, he stopped eating apples. He has never been a big eater of treats - completely disinterested in carrots or anything hard - the only treats he would respond from the time we got him were apples and bananas. Anyway, my wife is an MD and she thinks the thing on his tongue is a benign cyst of some kind. I don't know if its always been there since we got him, but I do no that also the bunny has and had from day 1 as very small amount mucus discharge from both eyes, really just looks like sleep residue people have, but now that I read all this stuff about abscesses, I am concerned. Other than the eye discharge, though, I don't see any discharge from the mouth or the nose. He is still eating pellets and hay, although I don't really think he enjoys food period.
Prior to joining us, he was a 4H project bunny and lived in a shed full of wire bottom rabbit cages, probably not handled a lot, and as a result he seems to like to hang out on his wire-top litter box we bought him, although he doesn't eliminate there... instead he pees in his water and treat bowl, so I'm also thinking that than he could easily have got an infection through the cut lip.
However, since he's never been a particularly chipper bunny, it's hard to know if he's in pain, or what his behavioral baseline is. My wife thinks he's just fine, and spoiled because I'm making a fuss over the lip/tooth thing. So I'm trying to monitor whether the discharge increases, or whether the lump grows, but, again, that's not too easy since holding him tends to end with my hands kicked and cut up by his hind claws. (Also, this bunny was not neutered, so I am thinking possibly that might mellow the kicking).
Any advice appreciated...