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New Rabbit

TheThreeB's

TheThreeB's

Mama Doe
Hi all,

I have a thread in 'Chat' also, but I'm desperate for some advice please.

We have just brought home a rabbit that we saw advertised on the Internet, that was living in far from ideal conditions.

It's has matted, and dirty fur and smells. I know rabbits don't like baths. What should I do?

It hasn't even ventured out of the carrier yet and I don't know how it will react to being picked up. Should I not even think of trying to clean it up yet? Does it need a day or two to settle?

I will be making a vets appointment tomorrow!

Thanks in advance x
 
Well done on rescuing the bunny from such an awful life xx

I think if I were in your position I would concentrate for now on checking their bottom area and cleaning that if necessary just as a precaution against flystrike. If they do need cleaning up that may well be the source of the smell. When I've had to clean up bunnies with messy bottoms, I found it easier to pop them in an empty bath tub (with a towel for traction) and just using saturated cotton pads -just warm water. That way you can concentrate on the area that needs cleaning without them getting too stressed out.

Hope all goes well at the vet tomorrow. x
 
TheThreeB's said:
Hi all,

I have a thread in 'Chat' also, but I'm desperate for some advice please.

We have just brought home a rabbit that we saw advertised on the Internet, that was living in far from ideal conditions.

It's has matted, and dirty fur and smells. I know rabbits don't like baths. What should I do?

It hasn't even ventured out of the carrier yet and I don't know how it will react to being picked up. Should I not even think of trying to clean it up yet? Does it need a day or two to settle?

I will be making a vets appointment tomorrow!

Thanks in advance x
Click to expand...

Just posted on your other thread :D

I would quarantine for three weeks. Wash your hands between handling your rabbits and the new girl, always. If your rabbits are indoors too, then take shoes off and put something on your feet that can be left at her door. *Just in case* !!

It sounds like you've done the right thing. What a state she seems to be in! Take some photos of her now, and then you can compare them with her transformation.

I would let her settle for those three weeks before whisking her off to the vet, unless you need to for dematting or other purposes.

And lastly - you have a heart of gold
 
I agree, give her a good once over, you need to check the smell isn't from a wound or something that needs treating asap. If she's just a bit dirty then a clean environment and she'll probably wash herself up, if there is caked poop that needs removing with a bum bath.
 
Thank you.

We've just had her out and she is in such a state, worse than I could have imagined. No wounds or anything though that we could see.

Her fur is completely matted (I'll post some pics later) all over, but the worse bit is around her back end. There is a massive matt that looks like it includes some of her tail.

My main concern currently is that we can't see her 'bum hole' (sorry). There is what looks like a lump of poo there. I'm worried she is struggling to actually poo. She's been here a few hours and I've only seen two tiny poos. What if it literally can't come out?

I've seen her eating some of the food she came with and she ate the small amount of spring greens we gave her.

If I take her to the vets tomorrow, will they be able to cut out the matts etc, or do they not do this? It's so bad I could imagine her needing sedating to have it done!

We were wary at first, but she is very calm and didn't mind being handled at all. If anything she is maybe a little too calm, which is concerning its self!

Please help x
 
First of all I want to say that I think it's lovely you have taken her. Certainly a case of heart ruling head, but what a difference you will make to that rabbit's life.

I think, especially as she seems easy to handle, I would give her the bum bath and see what you are dealing with once you have done that. Vets can certainly trim matted areas, but maybe that won't be necessary if you can gently soak the material away.

Sending loads of vibes for this little rabbit.
 
I had a rabbit that used to soil herself, I kept on top of it by regular bum baths with luke warm water and an antibacterial pet shampoo. Once she was clean, I put some vaseline water gel on as a barrier to help with raw skin. That cleaned her up and made her comfortable too. ;)
 
TheThreeB's said:
Thank you.

We've just had her out and she is in such a state, worse than I could have imagined. No wounds or anything though that we could see.

Her fur is completely matted (I'll post some pics later) all over, but the worse bit is around her back end. There is a massive matt that looks like it includes some of her tail.

My main concern currently is that we can't see her 'bum hole' (sorry). There is what looks like a lump of poo there. I'm worried she is struggling to actually poo. She's been here a few hours and I've only seen two tiny poos. What if it literally can't come out?

I've seen her eating some of the food she came with and she ate the small amount of spring greens we gave her.

If I take her to the vets tomorrow, will they be able to cut out the matts etc, or do they not do this? It's so bad I could imagine her needing sedating to have it done!

We were wary at first, but she is very calm and didn't mind being handled at all. If anything she is maybe a little too calm, which is concerning its self!

Please help x
Click to expand...

I would certainly try and soak the lump of poo off, in order to try and let her poo properly. This may need a bit of time soaking and teasing it off, but it *will* remove in the end.

As for the matted fur, I think given the state you describe, that it will be too difficult for you to negotiate, so I suggest leaving it to the vets. I have dematted rabbits, but it can take a while, and you have to be very patient and very careful.

What a blessing you got her - definitely the right decision!

When is her appointment?
 
Bless her, poor darling. I bet she feels better already just being out of there! I agree with the advice about sorting your other rabbits first and keeping her completely separate and changing clothes/shoes between bunnies. As well as for infection control, some existing rabbits get really funny about the smell of another rabbit (especially an unneutered one) so it could potentially unsettle your other buns.

Personally I would take her to the vets sooner rather than later. They are far more experienced at clipping/sorting out matts etc, have all the right equipment to do so and more pairs of hands to do the job. She will feel so much better once she's properly sorted so I think that on balance, it's worth the period of stress to get her to the vets and get her sorted. It also means that she will have a good check up to ensure there's nothing else going on that you're not aware of.

Best of luck with her, sounds as if she's well and truly landed on her paws! x
 
It's tough to say without seeing but if it's that bad it may be better to let the vets handle it - they will clean and shave her if you ask and can sedate her if it's necessary. It's possible the skin will be sore underneath so sedation might make it more comfortable for her. I imagine if she's successfully done small poops the issue maybe more her diet - a rabbit kept in that condition probably didn't have a great one.

It's possible that it would come away in a bath as that softens the droppings, but the trouble is once wet it won't dry easily if it doesn't and it will make it harder to shave.

If she's bright/alert and you can't see any wounds/maggots or anything that needs immediate treatment I'd get her to the vets first thing, if you explain the circumstances hopefully they'll squeeze you in.
 
Thanks everyone,

When I went back to check her she had done a number of poos thankfully, so I'm relieved that she can actually go. There doesn't appear to be anything else in her fur other than the matts, so I'm going to leave her tonight and speak to the vet first thing.

I'd much rather pay to have her sorted than try to attempt it myself, I wouldn't know where to start.

I'm going to attach some photos. Just one thing, in one of the photos you can see her 'bits'. I'm not pulling at all, but they were really sticking out compared to my other rabbits, are they really female? Could it be that the knots in her fur are just pulling everything tight?

If anyone knows what breed she is, it's not important, I'm just intrigued!

Thanks again, don't know what I'd have done without this place and everyone here :) x
 
Omg poor girl, that looks horribly uncomfortable :( I have an angora cross, her fur looks similar but hers looks a bit longer than my bunny's. When mine was picked up by the rescue he had to be fully shaved as they considered that to be the best way to sort out the matting and to let the fur grow back again being properly maintained - looks like she might be the same. From the pic I would say girl is correct but I've not seen bits sticking out like that before without a bit of pressure (to be fair though I've not seen many rabbit 'bits'!)

Hope the vet can fit you in, I can't believe people let their animals get like that.
 
What a gorgeous fluff bundle :love:

I think you'll fall in love with her very soon, if not already. Caring for a neglected rabbit is amazing, as you see their transformation.

Hope the vet can sort her out very soon :D
 
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