• 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.

Some questions about Abby

AbbysMom

New Kit
Hello everyone!

I would like to tell you a litte information about our rabbit, Abby, and hopefully you can give me more information and some suggestions.


Born: July 22, 2004

Joined Our Family: September 9, 2005

Breed: Holland Lop

Gender: Female

Coloring: All white with blue eyes


Abby is a love. She has already found a special place in our hearts. We are having a few issues with her though that we would like to try and work through.

First of all, I would like to give you a little history on her. We got her from a breeder about a month ago. I believe she spent most of her time inside of a cage unless she was being shown (she was a show bunny and I believe her full brother was some sort of champion...not to up on the world of bunny competitions). I don't think she was used to too much freedom. I believe it was early spring when she was bred by the breeder. Apparently she barely survived the ordeal and almost died. Because of that reason, the breeder said she could not sell her as a show bunny and was trying to find a good home for her.

To be honest, we truthfully wanted to get a baby. However, after meeting Abby we really wanted to be the ones to bring her home and spoil her. I knew the babies would find a good home, but we were all worried about what would happen to Abby especially after the ordeal she had gone through. We also knew that we would be willing to spend the money on vet care if she needed any additional help.

We asked about spaying, and the breeder told us it would not be necessary due to the fact that she had already had a litter, which changed her "hormones". I did call my vet regardless and was told that we could spay her if we would like to. My vet said the chances of her developing cancer was small, but always a risk, and the choice was ours. I didn't ask about how it would affect her behaviour. My family has decided to go ahead and have her spayed but we are waiting a short time for her to finish getting acclimated to her new home and also to give her system enough time to recuperate because she still seems very small to me. (She is 2 lbs. 6 oz.)

Well, when we first brought her home she allowed to pick her up anytime we wanted. She would also eat treats we held out for her.

Before at the breeders she was in a small cage outside. She lives indoors with us and has the largest Tommy cage available along with a dog pen attached to her cage to run around in.

Now that she has as much "freedom" as she wants, she no longer wants to allow us to pick her up. This is becoming a problem because I really need to trim her nails. I am going to make an appointment with the vet to do them this week in the meantime. I did cut her nails the first day we brought her home, but they really need to be done again.

Any suggestions on how we can persuade her to let us hold her? Besides that, I would love it if she let us pick her home so she could spend more time with us on the couch, etc. as we all cozy down at night.

Also, she would take treats out of our hands so nicely before. Now she attacks our hands looking for treats! I have started to change the way I give her treats to avoid this. Now, I only give them to her after I have handled her and played with her and I place them on the floor. Trust me, she "pounces" on the treats. I end our sessions this way instead of beginning them with a treat. One time, although I could tell it upset her, she got so aggressive that she bit my hand and drew blood. As soon as she realized it was me she instantly let go.

She was also doing great with her litter training. She hardly had any accidents the first couple of weeks once she got the idea of what she was supposed to do. Now, the last 1.5 weeks she is peeing on my floor. I swear she is doing it to gain my attention! This bunny really likes LOTS of attention, and trust me, with the 3 of us she gets plenty! So, I am trying to break her from this by putting her on "time-out" any time she has an accident. I only do this when she pees, not if she drops a pellet here or there.

Please don't misunderstand any of my post....Abby is an absolute love! When I sit down with her in the dog pen she always comes over and is ready for some petting and brushing. She will curl up right in front of you for some attention. She loves when I rub her head and nose. She is probably the most comfortable with me than anyone else because I spend some good quality time grooming her daily and just playing with her.

An aquaintance of mine who has rabbits recently suggested minimizing her floor time. He said that I should keep her in her cage unless we are actually in there playing with her. I really like the option of letting her have free roam because I worry about her. He said that by doing this though she will realize time out of her cage as "special" time and then make her more interested in being held, etc.

Any more insights, suggestions, etc. would be greatly appreciated. We are new to rabbits and just want to give Abby the best home possible.

Thanks in advance for your assistance!
 
Hello and welcome! Just been out for the evening (and had some wine!) so this may not be too coherent but I'll put down my initial thoughts and maybe others will add (or maybe I'll just edit when I've sobered up tomorrow :lol: )

Sounds to me like she does need spaying; now she has got over her nerves and got her feet under the table with you it sounds like she is starting to get a bit territorial and "mark" her territory by peeing on the floor. I'd suggest taking her along to your vet to see if she is an ok weight for them to spay. As you are going to get her claws clipped, I'd have a chat with them then. From the little I know of Holland Lops, 2lb 6 does seem a little small - maybe your vet could advise on whether she needs to put on a little weight before being done.

Other than that, it sounds like you love her just great!

Enjoy your lovely Abby (do you have any pics - we do so love to see bunny pics here :lol: ) Alison x
 
Lucky Abby, finding a forever home with you.
Not sure I can offer any advice though, sorry! As regards litter training, does she just pee in the one spo, or everywhere? Squidgy started to do this, and we just popped another litter tray down, and he's ben fine since.
Unfortunately, bunnies don't really like being picked up, and it's great that she's coming to you for snuggles and nose rubs. There's a great article on the Rabbit Rehome site http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/care/handling.asp about this.
Sounds like you're doing a great job with her! Look forward to hearing more about her.
 
What a fantastic vidio she looks in very good heath to me so i wouldnt worry about her weight.You mention she had a bit of a bad start in life so this may have stunted her growth.She looks great. I would however get her done, does do get territoreal when mature and it will kerb this. It is true that if a rabbit has had babys they are less likely to get womb cancer. As for the picking up its a case of keep trying if you give up she will get worse. She may well get better when shes been done. val
 
Back
Top