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What sort of quality of life does....

G

Gem

Wise Old Thumper
a completely blind rabbit have?

I'm particularly interested to hear about Jane's Bernie who is blind.

I know a completely blind bun who lost her partner about a month ago, I'm wondering whether you could introduce her to another bun, She'll attack anyone in her pen purely b'cos she can't see.

Gem x
 
Fairly good I believe. Rabbit's senses are excellent, although being blind might pose quite a few problems to humans rabbit should have no problem coping well. Their whiskers are very sensitive as is their hearing and sense of smell. As long as the environment is kept reasonable stable (no moving things around) then you probably wouldn't be able to tell a bunny was blind without careful observation and a vet check :)

A partner would help - rabbits are more relaxed when there are other rabbits around - as their are more 'eyes' to look out for danger.

If she does react badly then you could try sitting with both on your lap rather than letting the new bun sneak up on her. Exchanging bedding so they get used to the smell etc. A more laid back partner would probably work better than a bouncy one too :)

Tam
 
Ps. Adele has a blind bun - I think it took several weeks or him to settle (longer than usual) but once he did he acts like any other bun.

Tam
 
Gem, will try and answer your question tomorrow - we have three poorly buns here at the moment and it's going to be a very long night :( Just to quickly say that a blind bun can have just as much a good quality of life as any other bun.
 
Awww Jay, all fingers and paws crossed for your poorly buns.

Thanks Tams and Jay for your replies.

Peanut (the blind bun) doesn't have any toys in her pen :( I'm wanting to get her some for christmas but I wasn't sure about her bumping into them as I know you're not supposed to move things around too much.

Her eyes are now both completely white poor lass :cry:
 
You could use scent to help her with that. Like catnip toys but for a rabbit :) Maybe the mint/vanilla essences you get for cake, or similar? As long as you rubbed the toy will the same smell after you cleaned it she would always be able to locate it and know what it was :)

Toys that made noise would probably be good so she could hear where they went when she through them.

Tam
 
Hiya Gem

as Tamsin rightly said, we have a blind old bunny called Ben.
When he first arrrived here, he was scared to move as his blindness must have come on quite rapidly :?
I made a path of soft vet bed from his cage out into the room, and dotted the path with treats along the way.
I softly spoke Bens name as I approached his cage and then used my hand to guide him out and into the room.
Each time he hopped out he got a treat, and then after his confidence had grown, I made him walk along his vet bed pathway before he had a treat.
Over time, Ben learnt that the vet bed path was safe, and once he had mastered that, he began to wonder what was off the path :!: :lol: :lol:
It took six months of working with Ben, but he now explores all the lounge, goes up to all the other rabbits and greets them through the bars, and zooms up and down his two tier hutch.
You truly would not know Ben is blind, he evidently enjoys life and is interested in everything around him, using his sense of hearing and smell more keenly than sighted bunnies to guide him :)
I was worried when we first had Ben that his quality of life would in some way be impaired, but I need not have worried :wink:
It is down to the owner to make the environment a safe and stimulating one for a blind bunny.
I make sure doors are shut before I let Ben out, and that everything is in its usual place, so he does not run into anything, as he does charge around at high speed. :shock: :lol:
I always say his name as I approach his hutch so that I dont make him jump. We also use the scent tip Tam gave, and rub lavender on Bens toys so he can head towards them across the room :)
To see how bunnies with amy disability adapt to their environment is very reassuring, they seem to take things in their stride :)
Hope this helps Gem

Best wishes
Adele and Ben Bunny
XX
 
hi

I was wondering about getting Maa a double hutch as she likes to stay in her own place rather than explore - I was afraid they'd fall down the hole in the floor though - apparently not! :D

Being deaf and half blind seems to be making her quite timid - she's easily startled as she can't see or hear me approach if her blind side's toward me - However, she loves her food and having her head rubbed, so I guess she's content with life, although it does seem a very dull life to me - she's just not interested in toys, but likes rummaging around in her litter box for bits of hay.
 
elve I wonder if you maybe scratched at the ground or lightly tapped it would that help her know you were coming...or as the others have mentioned smell, always have something with a scent on your person so she knows its you

is she doing ok apart from that now?
 
hi

she seems fine thanks Cazza - I should probably stamp my feet when I approach! Daft but I keep talking to her although she can't hear me - force of habit I guess :D
 
Well Mash has cataracts and is bling in his left eye - however he managed to scale a 3ft fence, dig a burrow the length of the garden and introduce himself and bond with Bluebelle :D I should also add that eh is almost 9 years old :roll:

He also copes with anything new in the bunnyhouse like toys etc and can climb up and down the two storey hutch no problems - he also managed to escape at Auntie Lyndas :shock:

I have noticed that as his eyesight deteriorated his whiskers have got longer and longer -but I can honestly say thast no one would know he had bad eyesight.

He is lovely :D

lol Pam
 
kimbun's mum said:
Well Mash has cataracts and is bling in his left eye - however he managed to scale a 3ft fence, dig a burrow the length of the garden and introduce himself and bond with Bluebelle :D I should also add that eh is almost 9 years old :roll:
D

lol Pam
Click to expand...

Aahhh bless him, Mash sounds like a great character Pam :wink: :) :) :lol: :lol: :lol:
Ben is 12 and still getting up to mischief too :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Hiya, only just caught up with this :roll: Yes, a blind rabbit can have a very good quality of life...provided the carer realises their bun is blind!! You'd be surprised how many people dont notice :shock: :shock: Bernie has always been blind and has been handled daily and socialised with other buns from a very young age. She has a remarkable sense of smell but I think her hearing may be impaired. :? I have another blind bun, Orlaith, a beautiful Orange Rex. When I adopted her she had been very aggressive but that's cos in all of the homes she'd had, including vet checks, no-one noticed she cant see!! :roll: :roll: Now she is absolutely fine, very sociable and affectionate. I asked Bernie if she'd like to make any comments in this thread but as you can see she is 'otherwise engaged'!! Jane and Bunsxx
rabbits123.jpg
 
Adele said:
Hiya Gem

as Tamsin rightly said, we have a blind old bunny called Ben.
When he first arrrived here, he was scared to move as his blindness must have come on quite rapidly :?
I made a path of soft vet bed from his cage out into the room, and dotted the path with treats along the way.
I softly spoke Bens name as I approached his cage and then used my hand to guide him out and into the room.
Each time he hopped out he got a treat, and then after his confidence had grown, I made him walk along his vet bed pathway before he had a treat.
Over time, Ben learnt that the vet bed path was safe, and once he had mastered that, he began to wonder what was off the path :!: :lol: :lol:
It took six months of working with Ben, but he now explores all the lounge, goes up to all the other rabbits and greets them through the bars, and zooms up and down his two tier hutch.
You truly would not know Ben is blind, he evidently enjoys life and is interested in everything around him, using his sense of hearing and smell more keenly than sighted bunnies to guide him :)
I was worried when we first had Ben that his quality of life would in some way be impaired, but I need not have worried :wink:
It is down to the owner to make the environment a safe and stimulating one for a blind bunny.
I make sure doors are shut before I let Ben out, and that everything is in its usual place, so he does not run into anything, as he does charge around at high speed. :shock: :lol:
I always say his name as I approach his hutch so that I dont make him jump. We also use the scent tip Tam gave, and rub lavender on Bens toys so he can head towards them across the room :)
To see how bunnies with amy disability adapt to their environment is very reassuring, they seem to take things in their stride :)
Hope this helps Gem

Best wishes
Adele and Ben Bunny
XX
Click to expand...

Awww! :love: :love: Ben sounds adorable!!!!! :D

Awww, all I hope all these bunnies realise what nice homes they have! :D
 
Me again!! :D Just had another thought,(doesn't happen often!!) :roll: :lol: . If you have a blind bun plus other buns that you will also handle make sure when you go to handle blind bun that your hands dont smell of another rabbit. Even if you speak to blind bun as you go to handle him/her it will be your smell he/she acknowledges FIRST. So your hand may be mistaken for another bunster :shock: :shock: if that is what it smells of. :D Jane and Bunsxx
 
Thanks everyone.

I guess I shouldn't worry too much about little Peanut then :D

This is the lady in question, not a very good pic, but you can just make out one of her white eyes :(

000_1980.jpg
 
Awwww....bless the ickle bunnies!!!

They all look so happy even if they do have bad eye sight.

Jane all your buns seem to be gorgous. If i saw my buns like Bernie all flacked out i would get very worried, guess she can't hear you sneak up and take such gorgous pics. :)

Gracie and animals x
 
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