• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Buster collars(U/D 3/10)

luna

luna

Mama Doe
Has anyone had a bunny wear one of these and how did the get on?

Naughty Freddie will not leave his stitches alone post neuter yesterday. He opened them twice and attempted it again a third time yesterday evening so he got a collar on.

Our vet has never had to put one of these on a rabbit before but he is happy that freddie is eating and pooping ok so is discharging him this evening xx

Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2
 
Last edited:
I really do not like the use of Buster Collars on Rabbits. So far over the last 16-17 years I have never encountered a situation where-by there were not other options.

One thing you will need to do is make sure he can eat his cecotrophs. He'll need help to get to them if he's wearing a collar.

Is he having regular pain relief ?
 
luna said:
Has anyone had a bunny wear one of these and how did the get on?

Naughty Freddie will not leave his stitches alone post neuter yesterday. He opened them twice and attempted it again a third time yesterday evening so he got a collar on.

Our vet has never had to put one of these on a rabbit before but he is happy that freddie is eating and pooping ok so is discharging him this evening xx

Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

I don't have any first hand experience but I know they stop the rabbits from eating their cecotrophs so you have to hand feed them, although how this would work I have no idea? Unless its one of those fancy cone collars with the bit cut out at the bottom so they can eat them?https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=r...llar-design-makes-eating-easier.html;1400;779 Maybe as the vet if they do have the body vest things? I hope you manage ok x
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I really do not like the use of Buster Collars on Rabbits. So far over the last 16-17 years I have never encountered a situation where-by there were not other options.

One thing you will need to do is make sure he can eat his cecotrophs. He'll need help to get to them if he's wearing a collar.

Is he having regular pain relief ?
Click to expand...

Jane got there before me :lol:
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I really do not like the use of Buster Collars on Rabbits. So far over the last 16-17 years I have never encountered a situation where-by there were not other options.

One thing you will need to do is make sure he can eat his cecotrophs. He'll need help to get to them if he's wearing a collar.

Is he having regular pain relief ?
Click to expand...

That's a good point. I hadn't thought of his caecals. I must say that to eamonn. Oh gosh why can't anything be straight forward :( I'm not even going to be home all day for the next few days to do that. What would happen if he didn't eat his caecals ...would it cause stasis ?

Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2
 
Sarah1991 said:
I don't have any first hand experience but I know they stop the rabbits from eating their cecotrophs so you have to hand feed them, although how this would work I have no idea? Unless its one of those fancy cone collars with the bit cut out at the bottom so they can eat them?https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=r...llar-design-makes-eating-easier.html;1400;779 Maybe as the vet if they do have the body vest things? I hope you manage ok x
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply Sarah :) I have no idea how to feed them their caecals. Do they just do them on the floor and you pick them up on a spoon and offer them ? Knowing Freddie he won't be too obliging.

If his cone was adapted so be could access his caecals, surely then he could bite his stitches. Maybe that would work better for a spay?

Also if he had a baby vest he wouldn't be able to get to his caecals either. Oh my head hurts just thinking about it. Lol xx

Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2
 
luna said:
Thanks for your reply Sarah :) I have no idea how to feed them their caecals. Do they just do them on the floor and you pick them up on a spoon and offer them ? Knowing Freddie he won't be too obliging.

If his cone was adapted so be could access his caecals, surely then he could bite his stitches. Maybe that would work better for a spay?

Also if he had a baby vest he wouldn't be able to get to his caecals either. Oh my head hurts just thinking about it. Lol xx

Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Yeah I didn't think of that to be fair! Doh! :lol: Bit of a brain malfunction there!

As you say maybe just discuss other options with the vet? I'm sure you can come up with something!
 
Lopsy had one 'as a precaution' for a few days. He looked very silly with his loppy ears pushed forwards but was otherwise fine:

10672176_10101277348981198_6945337189429616281_n.jpg


And this: currently an entry in Badge competition:

10419470_10101302712801898_3660842709112141916_n.jpg


He managed his caecotrophs about half the time: I did find lots spread around the run but he would sometimes do one and then stand up, turn round and eat it by pushing his cone over it like a rubber plunger with his face in the middle. I did enrich his diet a bit so he didn't have to struggle too much. I was much more concerned that he couldn't clean himself and, being outside, that was a bit of an issue! He was more concerned that he couldn't run about like a loony and kept knocking it on everything. He didn't like me cleaning it either, and got poo and dirt stuck between the 'leaves'.

I took it off after 5 days, but I was lucky with Lopsy: he was much more concerned about his itchy ankle than his stitches! He's been fine since.
 
keletkezes said:
Lopsy had one 'as a precaution' for a few days. He looked very silly with his loppy ears pushed forwards but was otherwise fine:

10672176_10101277348981198_6945337189429616281_n.jpg


And this: currently an entry in Badge competition:

10419470_10101302712801898_3660842709112141916_n.jpg


He managed his caecotrophs about half the time: I did find lots spread around the run but he would sometimes do one and then stand up, turn round and eat it by pushing his cone over it like a rubber plunger with his face in the middle. I did enrich his diet a bit so he didn't have to struggle too much. I was much more concerned that he couldn't clean himself and, being outside, that was a bit of an issue! He was more concerned that he couldn't run about like a loony and kept knocking it on everything. He didn't like me cleaning it either, and got poo and dirt stuck between the 'leaves'.

I took it off after 5 days, but I was lucky with Lopsy: he was much more concerned about his itchy ankle than his stitches! He's been fine since.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your reply. I feel much more reassured now. I'm glad Lopsy coped well with his collar :) he is a beautiful bun xx

Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2
 
Sarah1991 said:
Yeah I didn't think of that to be fair! Doh! :lol: Bit of a brain malfunction there!

As you say maybe just discuss other options with the vet? I'm sure you can come up with something!
Click to expand...

I will chat with him about it :) I'm kinda happy to go with the collar now given other people's experiences with them xx

Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2
 
Poppy had one on for about 3 seconds. She was flipping out all over the place, couldn't drink from her bowl because the water would collect in the cone and go in her face and I've never seen her so scared before. Had to modify a babygro for her. You can get proper coat things now for rabbits though. It took 2 weeks of constantly putting the babygro back on her and very little sleep but eventually her spay wound healed..!

Lola had one even after I asked them not to put one on her (but this vet knows everything.. we don't see him any more), when we got her home she was making funny noises and didn't move properly for ages and we couldn't figure out why. The ******** had tied the cone so tightly you couldn't even put your little finger between her neck and the tie. Had to give her a hair cut to get it off it was so tight!

I have only had bad experiences with them and hate them because of it. Thankfully with Charley our usual vet did her spay so I asked for glue which cost a bit more but worth it..!
 
Last edited:
Barney had one on for messing with his stitches. I think he had it on for nearly a week!



It was a really stressful time for me, I felt devastated for him & he needed to be hand fed all his food as he couldn't eat from a bowl. He managed well with a water bottle though & with hay from the hay rack. He would often try and clean his feet but obviously couldn't and I felt so sorry for him. I would offer his cecotrophs to him on some kitchen roll & he always seemed grateful to have them :lol: I often had to clean his collar with a damp cloth as he would get in a mess particularly at night :( Overall he coped so well bless him and would still flop on the vetbed!

When the time came to remove it I can't tell you how over the moon I was. It was a great feeling. I think he probably spent the whole day cleaning! :love:
 
MummyBunnyEm said:
Barney had one on for messing with his stitches. [...]
Click to expand...
Aw, he looks like a disembodied head in that shot! Poor thing. Lopsy tried to clean himself so much I thought he might lick a hole in the collar! Poor thing was so filthy I sponge-bathed him twice which he seemed to tolerate. And every time he itched with his back legs he made the most horrendous noise on the collar! Never a dirty bum though!

They do all look pretty cute in a bad way, poor things. Doughnut looks about as impressed as Lopsy did. It does seem to push their ears forward quite badly (lop or otherwise): I got quite worried about ear infections (Lopsy's a bit of an ear-scratcher so I do check every day!) because loppy ears won't move about in them!

When I was brave enough to get it off, I cut the gauze bandage that was holding it on and I reckoned Lopsy would be able to find his own way out eventually, but it would have stressed him out too much. So I tried to push the tabs through but Lopsy got annoyed and started stropping, so I just cut it straight off (carefully, with application of distraction-treats!). It did cut easily with kitchen scissors though.
 
Just a little update on little Freddie. The poor guy is coping well despite everything.

He can eat everything no problem and can drink from a bowl too. The cage and water needs regular cleaning as well as his collar throughout the day. He hates having his collar touched and gets very agitated ... bless :(

He needs to wear the collar for another 4 days. I'd say he can't wait to groom. He goes through the motions of grooming but he is only licking the collar.he has us awake at night scratching the collar because he lives in the hallway beside the bedrooms.

They loved him at the vets and said they had never met such a charismatic bunny :) on the second day they came in to find him sitting in his water bowl, not a bother on him. Lol xx

6a6ujapu.jpg


Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2
 
Last edited:
Oooh such sweetness!

If you want him to have a period without the collar, under supervision of course, then he can clean himself and also eat his caecals.

Of course if he starts misbehaving, the collar goes back on ...

Freddie .. feel better and heal up soon! Arnica tablets are superb for fast healing :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

twistedtiggerz69
Chief is breathing noisily again!
3 4 5
Replies
85
Views
992
bunny momma
bunny momma
P
Bunny still off food and hay, drooling and teeth chattering
2 3
Replies
49
Views
1K
twistedtiggerz69
twistedtiggerz69
bunny momma
Raven dental 8/1/23 ulcers on cheeks
Replies
16
Views
688
bunny momma
bunny momma
Back
Top