Caring for special needs buns (particularly sight probs)

Hi all,

This is Harley:

http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/moreinfo.asp?RabID=7150



I'm hoping that Harley will bond with Jen when we take her along to meet him in a week or so. I understand that they might not pair up, but if they do then obviously Harley will be coming to live with here with Jen and I

I have spoken to Sooz22 (who rescued and treated Harley) at length about his condition, but I was wondering if anyone else here has experience of living with a partially sighted rabbit, particularly where the bun is in a pair with a fully sighted partner? How did they get on? What adaptations, if any, did you have to make to the bun's accomodation?

Jen and Harley are both currently outdoor rabbits. Jen's hutch is single storey. Now that the new run is complete, we were planning to attach that to the hutch via a ramp and catflap, but have put these plans on hold until we know if she'll bond with Harley, as I assume he wouldn't cope with the ramp.

Jen is very fond of her toys (particularly her jingle ball!) and usually has two or three in her hutch with her - are these going to present a problem to Harley? Are there any toys that might especially appeal to him (maybe a treatball, because he'll be able to smell that?)

Any help would be gratefully received - I've been researching special nees buns on the Internet but I haven't found much information specific to partially sighted buns.

Sorry I cant offer any advice I just wanted to say he is gorgeous

I have two partially sighted Rabbits. Hal, an Orange Rex and Bernadette (Bernie) a REW Heli-Eared!! Bernie is a very confident Rabbit and is bonded with a sighted friend, Ned. She gets around their pen with no problem. She will sit and 'scan' any object she is unsure of. I have had no problems whatsoever with Bernie coping with day to day life just like a sighted Bunny.

Hal, on the other hand, is extremely nervous. He came from a poor background. His sight problem was not noticed and for being 'aggressive' (because of FEAR) he was hit on the head or picked up by the ears :x Consequently I am the only person Hal will let near him. Just one whiff of a stranger and he goes into a complete panic.Several attempts to bond him with a sighted Doe have failed. But I intend to try again if a suitable Doe becomes available.
It does not sound as though Harley is like Hal, he sounds more like Bernie.
Both Bernie and Hal have a very keen sense of smell. So if you do adopt Harley you need to remember that he will act on his sense of smell FIRST at all times. If, for example, you handle a Rabbit who is a stranger to him and then approach Harley he may mistake your hand for the 'intruder Rabbit' So talking to him and washing your hands to minimise the smell of another Bun should help him recognise you.

Good Luck

Janex

Rabbits cope very well with vision impairement. They have excellent hearing/smell and sense (from their whiskers). I wouldn't rule out a ramp/catflap though it may take him slightly longer to learn to use them. The main thing will be keeping his accomodation the same so once he's got used to it don't move everything around. Once he has settled in you'll probably find it difficult to tell he has a problem.

The jingle toys shouldn't be an problem, he'll probably enjoy the same sort of toys any other rabbit would.

It's a good idea to announce your presence (just say hello or something) though he'll probably smell/hear you coming anyway.

Having a partner is ecellent for bunnies with disabilities are they can take their cues from them and be more relaxed.

Has the cause of his bateracts been investigated? EC can cause them so it would be a good idea for him to have course of treatment for that as a precaution.

Tamsin

No experience with partially sighted buns, but I do have a cat with only about 25% vision in one eye - his other one is completely blind. He lives with my other 4 cats and is fine. The only time it causes him any problems is if visitors are here and things are moved or there are strange objects. I mopped the living room the other day and moved the coffee table into the dining room to make it easier. Spike walked into the living room and stopped - he knew something wasn't right. Once the table was back, he was fine. I would have no qualms at all about taking on a partially sighted animal, be it another cat, rabbit or guinea pig. With love and patience I am sure things will be fine. Just don't move anything once the bun has got used to its position.

Morrigan1981 I'm so pleased you may be taking Harley to live with you he's looks a lovely boy...
I'm sure you'll give him a great forever home..
I've not had a special needs bun but I wish you look on the bonding..
karen x

Thanks for the advice everyone

Tamsin - I'm not sure about the cause of Harley's cateracts, I will ask Sooz22 more about that when I see her though :thumb:

It sounds like it might be a good idea to fit the run to the hutch before Harley arrives. I might look at doing that this weekend - I'm considering cutting the legs of it down so that it is lower and then a ramp will only need to be very shallow.

Jane - from what Sooz has told me about Harley he does sound more like Bernie than Hal. I generally don't get to handle other rabbits (Jen is my only bun) but we do have a cat.. is her smell likely to upset Harley? Libby (the cat) never comes into contact with the buns as she is a house cat, but obviously I will smell like her, will Harley just learn that smell as 'familar'?

EC was suspected and the vets have treated him accordingly. I was told that most rabbits carry EC in their systems but that only an unlucky few actually develope problems/symptoms. Harleys cataracts are advanced and their is nothing further that can be done in that respect.

On the subject of cats, Harley is used to them, we have two kittens, and he never flinches at the smell of another rabbit (he was fed last when he had mites so i always smelt of many other bunnies). In fact if he is in a room with one he tends to not even care.

When it comes to toys I wont allow him to play with anything that has sharp edges so he has 'special' blunt braches to chew on.

Thanks Sooz. Can you tell I'm getting excited about meeting Harley :lol:

Jen has willow / vine balls and willow branches that she chomps on - the half chewed willow balls can be a bit sharp but the vine ones seem much softer so I'll stock up on those

I wish it would hurry up and get to the 20th :lol:

aspen is either blind or can make out light and dark. when she was on her own she was terrified permanently however since being bonded in a group, she is a totally different rabbit!
she runs and plays and pokes around looking for her food etc, i cannot believe the difference in her
the only thing i have to do specially is call out to the buns before i get to the door to open it :wink:

Barney has cateracts and it really doesn't seem to cause him any problems. He can be timid and jumpy occasionally but he is a house rabbit so there is not usually much for him to be jumpy about. He lives happily with Roxy who has no sight problems. If anything it has improved his life (as with any rabbit living with another rabbit) he was much more confident once Roxy came along.

As for living outside I suppose it depends how bad the cateracts is. I know that Jill preferred Barney to go as a house bunny I think because of the cateracts. Hope that helps

What an absolutely gorgeous bunny!

I'm sure hell adapt well once he know that he's loved and secure. Please keep us all posted on how he gets on.

Gemma x

Totti was sold to me as "damaged goods" because they thought he was blind. He's a REW and scans a lot and has some sight impairement but you would never know... he belts round the garden like a good 'un :roll:

Rusty is blind and her previous owners did not even realise this but to be honest, I may not have known if not been told in the first place. She's very adventurous though and has been in the pond twice :roll: (second time it was covered with a fine mesh so she couldn't go all the way in after the first time). Sometimes she'll stick to your legs or Spike and other times she'll hop round the garden... she does seem to have a well worn path that she knows and she has no trouble jumping the 6-8 inches back into the hutch. I talk to her a lot when she's loose in the garden and click my fingers (the neighbours must think I'm absolutely barking )... she does seem to respond to my voice. Routine seems even more important with a sight impaired bun..... she knows exactly where the food is going to be when I open the hutch door :roll: Other than the above and the obvious of keeping bowls/ litter trays in the same place, talking to her before I pick her up etc. I don't do anything else different than for the sighted bunnies.

Good luck

Im so pleased this special bun may have a new home with you

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions... fingers crossed that Jen and Harley like each other! I'm trying not to get too excited in case they don't pair up, but I really hope that they do. Jen's spay was only last week but she does seem more relaxed already and I think she'd now like a friend to talk rabbit too

colliewoman said:

aspen is either blind or can make out light and dark. when she was on her own she was terrified permanently however since being bonded in a group, she is a totally different rabbit!
she runs and plays and pokes around looking for her food etc, i cannot believe the difference in her

Click to expand...

Awww... it would be lovely to see Jen and Harley like that Both are very relaxed rabbits anyway but I do hope that they pair up and bring the best out in each other

Dont be surprised if Harley ignores Jen to start with. We tried him with a previous bun (a female the spitting image of him) and he completely blanked her. It was like he didnt realise she was there, or didnt care.

Awww... just out of curiousity, what was the character of the other female bun like? Was she quite quiet too?

TBH, My biggest worry is that Jen will make certain that Harley knows she's there :shock: :lol:

yes she was but she was also a little bewildered and the fact that her owners chased her around my living room to catch her probably didnt help matters.

They got on fine though it was just that her owners decided they couldnt cope with a special needs rabbit as apparently "he looked so lost". That rabbit can find his way round my living room blindfolded (literally) but its for the best that he didnt go to them.

Awww... bless him. I guess in a way though it's good that they were straight with you and said they then didn't think Harley was the bun for them - better than taking him and then having second thoughts.

Jen is really relaxing now - after that initial grumping and charging in her hutch has gone completely and she's becoming a very chilled out bun She licked my hand today for the first time ever and keeps grooming her teddy

Hopefully harley can replace teddy soon then.