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Blood in hutch

Hey Peter, I thought I had done a lot of reading and research before we got Twinkle & Star (a year ago) and then came across RU and found out there was A LOT I didnt know!! Lol - in fact still very much learning....(and 3 rabbits the richer as well :lol:) (adoptees not accidents I should add).

Nobody expects you to have it all perfect - I know I dont - I think thats why RU is here - so we can learn how to look after these complex creatures the best way we can.

I would probably agree with everyone else about trying to find a more rabbit-savvy vet - our first vet was a lovely practice, very reputable, but sadly they didnt really know about rabbits as much as they liked to think they did. I think it comes down to the bulk of vets work being geared towards dogs and cats as this is where the bulk of the income comes from... unless they are "exotics" with an interest/specialism in bunnies. :)

Hope you find out whats happening.
 
Are there vets who specialise in rabbits, then? How do I find one, do I just ask "How are you with bunnies?" Rascal's a rescue rabbit, we got him from Pets at Home. According to the info he's a show rabbit but surplus to requirements, the previous owner had too many. He's also had the necessary ops & jabs. He's a big lad, if I pick him up his backside is at my waist & his head's on my shoulder, and I'm 5 foot 7. He was my daughter's choice, I wanted her to get a nice small one but she picked him. When we saw him he was licking the inside of the glass front to his "cage". I knew he'd live up to his name! We have a knack for getting the more stupid animals, shall we say - a cat that sat out in pouring rain despite an open door, a hamster that hung from the top of it's cage by it's back legs like a bat and now a window licking rabbit.
There's only two vets in the town where I live, both are what I'd describe as general vets i.e. the usual pets that people have. Neither say we specialise in etc etc. & both have good reputations. We go the current one because they have links to the Cat Action Trust where we got our first moggy from.

I'll search for the Q & A that Rachylou mentions. Once again, I'm indebted for the prompt replies.
 
Peter said:
Are there vets who specialise in rabbits, then? How do I find one, do I just ask "How are you with bunnies?" Rascal's a rescue rabbit, we got him from Pets at Home. According to the info he's a show rabbit but surplus to requirements, the previous owner had too many. He's also had the necessary ops & jabs. He's a big lad, if I pick him up his backside is at my waist & his head's on my shoulder, and I'm 5 foot 7. He was my daughter's choice, I wanted her to get a nice small one but she picked him. When we saw him he was licking the inside of the glass front to his "cage". I knew he'd live up to his name! We have a knack for getting the more stupid animals, shall we say - a cat that sat out in pouring rain despite an open door, a hamster that hung from the top of it's cage by it's back legs like a bat and now a window licking rabbit.
There's only two vets in the town where I live, both are what I'd describe as general vets i.e. the usual pets that people have. Neither say we specialise in etc etc. & both have good reputations. We go the current one because they have links to the Cat Action Trust where we got our first moggy from.

I'll search for the Q & A that Rachylou mentions. Once again, I'm indebted for the prompt replies.
Click to expand...

If you start a thread in 'Rabbit Chat' entitled 'Please Recommend a Rabbit Savvy Vet in * approximate location in Manchester* you should get a few suggestions as there are several Mancunians on here :)

Re the vaccinations. Do you have the Vaccination Certificate ? If not I am afraid I would not just take P@H word that he has had them. *If* he has they need to be kept up-to-date. Myxomatosis is done every 6 months and VHD once a year :)
 
Last edited:
Peter said:
Shelleypops, I'll be very surprised if it's urine as it's not diluted as I'd expect with blood in urine; it has all the characteristics of fresh, undiluted blood. If it's dark urine it's very dark. I don't get that even when I've been drinking Guinness :)

Yvette, the lads don't get as many carrots as they used to & this was never a problem when they did get plenty. As for exotic vet, well, I live in Manchester & I've seen other rabbit owners at the vets we use. I'm confident he knows enough about rabbits to look after Rascal. A second opinion might be worthwhile, though. We cut down the carrots partly because I've been told they have a high sugar content & partly as we were advised to increase the amount of hay.

As for housing them together, I'm getting conflicting advice on various websites etc. It seems to be not recommended mainly down to the GP needing vitamin C in food, which the rabbit doesn't and the risk of the rabbit attacking the GP although there's anecdotal evidence that it depends on the individual animals. It'd be a shame to separate them plus I'd have the added cost & care associated with buying another GP to keep the current one happy & the same for the rabbit, as both are social animals & need company. Having a house rabbit is not an option as my wife wouldn't tolerate it. We didn't consider it initially as we had a cat at the time. She was very soft & laid back but you just never know. She died earlier this year & the lads continued to live in the backyard hutch.
Click to expand...

If you live in Manchester I recommend you make a trip to Ashleigh vets, it's an exotics specialist and has 2 fantastic rabbit specialists; Aiden and Sarah. :wave:

Here's a link to their site

http://ashleigh-veterinary-centre.com/AVC.htm
 
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