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Advice for care of partially sighted/blind bun?

Rhianna

Wise Old Thumper
If the bunny run goes according to plan I will be adopting the gorgeous Bumble Boo from BARC (thank you Angie:wave:).

He is currently partially sighted and will probably go completely blind. I want to make sure I give him as happy a life as I possibly can so wondered if anyone with buns with a similar disability has any advice for me, please?

I know it's important not to keep moving things around in his run or hutch but apart from that what can I do to make him feel safe and comfortable?

I do have a deaf bun and have had a blind dog so I am not completely inexperienced with special needs furries but I am sure I have lots I can learn.

Thank you in advance:)
 
Have no idea, but its Boo isnt it?? Awwww.Best of luck.I think just chat gentle to him,no loud noises and approach from the front but you know all that Im sure.
I love happy endings.....xxxxx
 
I don't think it's too different, it's just a case of heightened awareness.

My Candyfloss is pretty much completely blind, and prior to her Boof was blind in one eye.

I always talk and jabber away to them and myself so that they always know where I am. Sometimes they can spook easily if they don't know you are there or get caught by a noise unaware.

I found bonding a bunny with Candyfloss exceptionally tough because in the abscence of sight, she has honed her other sense and her sense of smell is second to none. I made a thread recently about her story with some of what I've done on there, so it might be worth having a read. It's called somethng like 'OH MY GOD! YAY for Dusk! *Candyfloss's Story Post 7*'.

I have to handle them minimally to avoid any divorcing and they live away from the other rabbits so as to not add anymore issues.

Obviously there may be a predisposition to being anxious but that can be shown in different ways and I'm sure BARC will talk you through your new chap very carefully.

But I've found the main thing is just talking all the time when I'm near so that they always knew were I was, and that the sense of smell can cause an awful lot of problems.
 
Buuren in my siggy is partially blind. He is the goofiest rabbit I have ever met:love:

The only difference I have noticed with him that may be to do with his eyesight is that if he panics he leaps up. The vet struggles to look at his teeth sometimes and bonding him was fascinating (putting it politely.) as if I had to separate him with the mop he would just leap straight up:? I had to adjust to that and not move/hold him but his partner.

And like Sky-o, I talk constantly around him:)

ETA Loads of luck for you and Bumble Boo :love:
 
Grim has lost a lot of his sight. It doesn't affect him too much. He's just slow at exploring new places but as long as you don't move things too much he acts just like a normal bunny in 'his space'. :)
 
Thank you all.

I will read your thread Sky-O. I intend bonding Bumble Boo with my trio - IF I think he can cope. If not, I will find him a wife of his own. He will be an outdoor bun and I work so I wouldn't leave him on his own.

I always chat to my buns all the time anyway - even to Furby who is deaf:oops:

I am sure once I have met Bumble Boo I will have lots more questions. I just hope he likes me.
 
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=298486

Here it is :)

Bonding was incredibly difficult and took 3 full months and even then after there were hitches. Patience and perseverance and being flexible was key :)

Three months:shock::shock::shock:!!!

I work two jobs and don't get that much annual leave:(

I am hoping to get Bumble Boo on Sunday and I do have the whole of next week off both jobs but I wasn't intending to bond him quite that quickly:)
 
Three months:shock::shock::shock:!!!

I work two jobs and don't get that much annual leave:(

I am hoping to get Bumble Boo on Sunday and I do have the whole of next week off both jobs but I wasn't intending to bond him quite that quickly:)

Oh it wasn't 3 months of having them together and needing to supervise them.

She couldn't tolerate the smell of another rabbit and used to flip out, so I spent about a month gradually edging runs together until she could cope with him right next to her without panicking, and then they would lie together through the mesh.

Then I had to start with very short times where they were together, and then back into the runs next to each other, and just basically building her confidence in him and his smell.

Had I just kept them together as I wanted to do, I'm relatively sure she would have killed herself, either with the stress of it all inducing heart failure, or running into the mesh/edge and breaking her neck.

It was super, super slow and baby steps and she was the one who taught me that no size fits all.

We got there :) Patiently and slowly. And it was worth it.


ETA- remember though, that all bunnies are different, so you may have no problems, but it doesn't hurt to be aware of potential problems. :)
 
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Thank you sooooo much for explaining that. I thought you meant three months of living and sleeping with the buns 24/7 - I struggled with bonding over a couple of days until I realised I was going to have to leave them to go to the loo - crossing my legs just wasn't going to work long-term:)

Initially, Bumble Boo will have a hutch and run adjoining my trio so they can rub noses if they want to but he will have plenty of space to get away if he prefers. That's how I start most of my bondings. Then I put them all in a pen in the lounge but with a divider up and then I move the divider and then gradually increase the pen space.

I can cope with super, super slow - just not three months of constant supervision. Losing my jobs wouldn't help anybun!
 
partially sighted bunnies are often defensive about their personal space. They may lunge forward to bite in an effort to protect themselves from the approaching unknown shadow. Its really important that you talk to them as you approach.
Also they may sit on your feet, or place a paw on your feet to stop you treading on them.
If you need to change their environment show them where and what the change is, so they don't crash into anything.
They rely heavily on smell and sound.
My daughter(bunlover)once had to apply ointment to the wifebun of a partially sighted bunny and he fretted like mad every time we had to put the ointment on her and had to hump his wifebun each time to make her "his" again.
We used a thick plastic beaker to put the pellets in and shook it as we approached so he knew it was dinner-time.
They can still run and binky and have a lovely life.:D
I think you will need to make gradual changes if Boo's eyesight goes altogether over time.

Stroke Boo to get his scent on your hands then stroke the wifebun to be.

well done for taking him on and I hope it goes well.
sue:wave:
 
oh bless...my beloved kitty bumble had the nickname bumble boo..which then got shortened to boo:love:

berties sight is very limited and i am wonderinmg if hes slightly blind..he panics a bit and relies on his nose..like a bloodhound.....i try and keep the buns area in the lounge the same......but last year in the garden he ran into a solar lamp full tilt....we thought it was because altho it was sundownish...it was still very bright...and hes a rew. But on reflection and watching him lately..im sure hes having problems with his sight.....its amazing how he uses his sense of smell..even with the pasturella...and his hearing.....considering hes a french lop!! He panics if anyone or the cats walk past him without letting him know theyre there.....could just be hes a rew with severe scarring on one eye from an ulcer.

maybe bumble boo has a condition similar?

mm if youre seeing angie..tell her i want a refund for bluebell:lol::lol:
only kidding!!:wave:
 
could just be hes a rew with severe scarring on one eye from an ulcer.

maybe bumble boo has a condition similar?
QUOTE]

Bumble Boo has cataracts which is why he is partially sighted and is likely to lose his sight altogether in time.

According to Angie he is a lovely, gentle bun so I am hoping he doesn't bite. I always talk to my buns when I approach anyway but will put shake the pellets before nom times - good idea, Sue.

I am sure it will be a learning curve for me and Bumble Boo. I just want him to be happy and safe - and, in time, snuggled up with bunny companions. I know he will have had a lovely life at BARC and hope he doesn't miss everyone there too much.
 
Thank you sooooo much for explaining that. I thought you meant three months of living and sleeping with the buns 24/7 - I struggled with bonding over a couple of days until I realised I was going to have to leave them to go to the loo - crossing my legs just wasn't going to work long-term:)

Initially, Bumble Boo will have a hutch and run adjoining my trio so they can rub noses if they want to but he will have plenty of space to get away if he prefers. That's how I start most of my bondings. Then I put them all in a pen in the lounge but with a divider up and then I move the divider and then gradually increase the pen space.

I can cope with super, super slow - just not three months of constant supervision. Losing my jobs wouldn't help anybun!

Sorry, I wasn't clear. When they actually went together for good, because it had been so slow, it was really easy with no problems at all. It was just a case of having to build her confidence in his smell.

I would just say read him and go at his pace, be flexible and be willing to experiment with what you do and how. You'll get there :)
 
Hopefully, all will go smoothly.

When I bonded Furby and Faye it was the easiest bonding I have ever done - and Furby is deaf. They were both so ready for a companion. Furby humped Faye a lot to start with (he was a Lymington bun who had been used for breeding and Faye was a BARC bun) but eventually that stopped and they were soon snuggled up together.

I always worry about bonding but am OK once I actually start and find the main problem is boredom as I only have the basic four channels on my TV and no laptop I can use.

Once Bumble Boo arrives I will start a new thread. I often change buns' names when I adopt them but I like Bumble Boo and think it suits him.
 
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