Poorly Rabbit - UPDATE Pg3

Hi everyone i am new here and wondering if anyone can help me with some concerns i have. I have 2 13 week old French Lop bucks called Xander and Bailey. Bailey has always been smaller than Xander since i got him. 2 days ago i noticed a wound on his ear so took him straight to the vet. The vet said this was excema caused either by a wound or trauma and i have been given some gel to apply. I am always watching for any aggression too but never seen anything so far.

However, the vet was concerned that Bailey is underweight, he has a prominent spine, and she also said his teeth are stained yellow. At the time she asked if Bailey is half the size of Xander and at the time i said no, but since being home and weighing both, Bailey is just half the weight of Xander.

Baileys behaviour has never changed since the day i got him, poos are normal and just as playful but not as bosterous as his brother. I am really worried that something is really wrong with him. I have started to introduce veg on the vets advice, the breeder i got him from said he should not have veg till at least 4-5 months. Xander ate his instantly but Bailey just wasnt interested.

Sorry that was so long but i wanted to give as much info as possible. They both eat Wagg Bunny Brunch but have now started to wean them slowly onto Burgess Excel. They have unlimited hay and water and lots of toys.

If anyone could offer any advice i would greatly appreciate it.

Many thanks
Steven

Hi Steven,

Welcome to the forum.

Did the vet have a good look ath the teeth to check for spurs etc?

Wouldnt say a long look, a few seconds till Bailey struggled out the way.

Hes always been smaller so i wonder if this is a problem hes had since birth? Just want to know what it is and how to get him healthy. Love my bunnies loads.

hi steven,
as amy says, did the vet check his teeth at all?

eta cross-posted, sorry!!

i would ask your vet to take a good look at his teeth (possibly under general anaesthetic) as he could be experiencing pain from eating.

also, does xander seem to be the more dominant bun?

To me they looked straight, no malocclusion, yellow but i dont know what im looking for for spurs. Im new to bunnies. The vet looked but just a few seconds, she didnt mention spurs, just that she was concerned they were stained yellow.

What diet do you feed them? Is Xander allowing Bailey to eat? You may have to split them at meal times so Bailey gets enough.

Wagg Bunny Brunch, in 2 separate bowls at opposite ends of the cage, unlimited hay. I have started to introduce hay and wean them onto pelleted food.

You wouldn't see spurs unless the vet put a scope in his mouth.

As long as the teeth don't have ridges (can be a sign of dental disease) I wouldn't worry too much about the yellow tinge as this can be normal for some buns.

Any ideas on how to improve him being smaller and underweight?

There are lots of foods that can help with weight gain but I'd want to get to the bottom of the reason he's so thin first.

Did your vet use a scope to check the back teeth?

No she just opened his mouth and looked at the front teeth.

Then your first plan is to get these checked. He might be having trouble eating, hence the weight loss.

Has the wound healed yet? I wonder if there is more going on here.

Only just started the gel last night. Back at the vets next week.

Do you know what you were given?

I only ask as this vet doesn't sound very experienced with bunnies.

Maybe they can get exzma but I'd be thinking more along the lines of mites, ringworm first. Did they rule these out?

Your vet doesnt sound very confident with rabbits Maybe you would like to start a new thead titled something like 'rabbit savvy vet needed in **** area'.

She seemed confident but i suppose you can never tell. She didnt really put me at ease, made me feel like it was my fault.

I agree you should get his back teeth checked. Sometimes they can grow too long or get points on them called spurrs which make it painful for the rabbit to eat. If he's having trouble eating that might be why he's underweight.

Rabbits are classed as exotic pets so not all vets know a lot about them. I think it would be worth finding a specialist in your area to take him to.

Thanks for all the advice so far. It is very much appreciated by this novice but loving bunny owner.

mnemonic50 said:

She seemed confident but i suppose you can never tell. She didnt really put me at ease, made me feel like it was my fault.

Click to expand...

It might still be an idea. Sadly most rabbit medicine teaching gets pushed aside for cat and dog medicine and most vets aren't up on recent developements.

ETA. I see you've started a thread so ignore this

UPDATE - Bailey has been back to the vets today, she had a proper look in his mouth with a scope this time, one side his teeth are too long and the other side are too short. I have been asked to syringe feed him for 36 hours and go back. Im so worried about him, he may be admitted on wed for a look at his teeth under anaesthetic.

Im sturggling to give him the syringe feed though, he wont take it, jumps around and then nips me when hes had enough of me trying.

Any tips?