help and advice please

Hi peeps,

hope all your beautiful buns are doing well and binkying happily!

I wanted to ask, as i have searched the forum and need more advice.

My Charlie has snuffles and the vet has given him baytrill and me some syringes to try to fed him it and now i have lots of scratches on my chest and arms cause he hates being picked up and he hates us trying to force him.

Alex my OH is going to get some peaches as he read about putting it in a mix with peaches but i'm not sure and i dont want to waste the baytrill when he need it.

We have been told to give him 2ml a day for 5 days and the vet gave us 10ml so no room for error! it really seems a lot to try to get him to eat.

Anyway i was reading on here that bread soaked in it followed by apple juice is good but i was worried as i didnt think you could give bunnies bread...

again i'm afraid ifhe doesnt like it its a waste and we cant get it back...

any tips or advice???

He has had diahorrea and a weepy eye and he had his tear duct flushed last month but its got bad again and the vet wont flush it again.

He has also given us probiotics which was a shock when it was 59£ for 8 days worth and we have to syringe feed him it too...

so i'm a bit stuck...

do you think that if i try a piece of bread with a tiny bit of pureed fruit (we dont have apple juice in but we have an innocent smoothy) or perhaps just try a tiny bit of antibiotics with the smoothy?

Is Baytrill fruit flavoured cause it smells awful!

many thanks for your help..sorry it was a long post!

Andrea and charlie xx

Hi there,

My buns are fairly good when taking antibiotics from a syringe, so I don't have any advice as such. I would avoid giving the antibiotics on fruit as it could upset his guts even with the probiotic. I assume you're giving them twice a day?

Is the probiotic a powdered one that you put in the water, or the carrot flavoured paste? I find putting the paste if thats what you have, onto a dandelion leaf, then fold it up and it all goes in.

Do you have any eye drops for your bun? If not, I would ask for some when you're next at the vets as I usually combine the two for a sore eye.

Hopefully someone will be able to give you some more advice soon and get well wishes for your bun.

Gemma xx

You might find he will eat the baytril if you put just a few pellets (assuming he's fed limited pellets that is - won't work if he has a dish full constantly as he needs to be really hungry to eat this) in a dish with warm water from the kettle, mush them up and mix in the baytril with a drop of fruit juice to take off the taste.

Or if he's used to having greens you can drip it onto some greens then fold it over so it's like a baytril sandwich - that worked with Maa.

Or you can mix it in the syringe with some ribena or fruit juice, and kneel on the floor, bunny between your legs with his back to you, wrapped firmly in a towel, and pop the syringe sideways into his mouth, just behind front teeth and squeeze slowly so he doesn't choke. Have a bit of carrot or whatever his favourite treat is nearby to reward him afterwards.

Oh and wear a fleece! I always put full combat gear on when handling my animals - I nearly had heatstroke yesterday cutting hair of 3 guinea pigs whilst wearing a fleece - but no scratches or bites :lol:

I don't have any tips (other than that you can buy probiotic online more cheaply, if you need more once this has run out). I think Baytril must taste absolutely foul - the battles I have had with guinea pigs trying to get it into them. :shock: Haven't tried it myself lol: ) but I just get the impression it's awful!

Good luck!!

thanks peeps,

I put a bit of juice and bread on a plate and he turned his nose up at it... went into bed and flopped.. he sleeps most fo the day and comes out about 5pm and then is hard to get him back to bed when we go to bed.

I really dont want to stress him but if it means picking him up and doing it so be it, i want him to be healthy and happy, not in pain...

He has had eye drops before and they didnt really work, he wasnt too bad at us putting them in... he just hates eating anything he doent want!

Will wait until he is awake and feeling hungry... perhaps if i take his nuggets away and just leave him with his hay he will take it when i give the nuggets back to him?

I just feel really bad!!

Thanks for the advice!

andrea xx

SarahP said:

Haven't tried it myself lol: ) but I just get the impression it's awful!

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It does taste awful and bitter and ICK. Don't blame the poor animals!! Ratties usually take it with jam [not an option for buns I don't think!!] or mushed up banana

Andrea said:

I just feel really bad!!

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Don't feel too bad, they do know in their own way that you're trying to help.

I find that its easier to give mine theirs by putting them on my knee or an upturned washing basket. I settle them by stroking and talking to them, then just place my hand under their chin and pop it into their mouth. If you're quick its much less stressful for them, then give them something nice to take the taste away.