Fur around the run.

[LaraFarah]

Hello.

I know I haven't posted for a long time and when I did post, I didn't post much. However, I have been lurking and you guys are wonderful and very informative.

I had four young female (sisters) from an ex rescue. I thought I was doing the right thing by Martha (who was suddenly left alone) by getting her a new friend or two. The rescue thought she would be best with the four young females.

They were not spayed at the time as well as unvaccinated and I paid £30 each. They were at the rescue for just a day before she said they were ready to come home.

They seem happy enough if not having space between them at times.

I then got the girls neutered and they had their vacs.

Recently, I have discovered some fur around the run and I fear that their 'bond' might have broken down however, I do not know which ones.

They are not tame - never was. I only got them to be happy with me in the run.

My question is;

What should I do now?

I was going to move them in a bigger enclosure but now I am confused.

And on a different topic, what is the best way to 'fat up' a rabbit? As I have got a pair as well, and Darcy is getting skinny.

With best.

 

[tonibun]

Do they all go in together at night? If so, is there any signs of fighting where they sleep? They will have little fall outs but perhaps nothing to worry about if it soon blows over. You will just have to keep an eye on them. A bigger enclosure sounds good as there are 5 buns, with hiding places etc. A for your skinny bunny, do you think he might have a health problem or is he very active and uses up all his calories. If so, giving him more food might help and giving him some alfalfa hay instead of the normal type.

 

[Angie B]

I can't really help other than with a suggestion about fur. All rabbits are moulting at the moment and this moult has been described as "the worst yet" due to the constantly changing weather. My bunnies are moulting terribly and I find fur all over the place - it is coming out in clumps, quite literally. So the fur you are finding could simply be due to moulting and not fighting. Just a thought.

 

[LaraFarah]

Thank you for replying.

They do go together at night - I have just only put them away. At night, they are in a 6x7ft shed and during the day, they have 7x20ft run but they will be moving to roughly 9x28ft run as I am swapping them over with the pair.

The pair doesn't dig so they had the bigger run while I put wire down to the ground to ensure that the girls don't dig out.

Darcy is very active actually. The vet cannot find anything wrong with him and even checked his teeth. He is just skinny - you can feel his ribs.
I think he used to a house bunny. When he first came to me (from the same rescue when they were shutting down), he was skinny and within 2 months he got some weight on but then it just gone again.

I will get some Alfalfa hay. Is this easy to find? He does love his hay!

I have attached some photos so you get an idea of their enclosures too.

The inside of the girls' shed.

Where the pair spend most of their time. This is inside the outbuilding and the door is alway open.

The girls' run with their shed in the back.

The back view of the runs. The girls' shed is on the left while the pair's outbuilding is the one on the right. The decking is for my ducks.

The brick outline is where the run end. This is the pairs' at the moment but as I said, I am hoping to swap them over sometimes over the next two weeks.

 

[LaraFarah]

I can't really help other than with a suggestion about fur. All rabbits are moulting at the moment and this moult has been described as "the worst yet" due to the constantly changing weather. My bunnies are moulting terribly and I find fur all over the place - it is coming out in clumps, quite literally. So the fur you are finding could simply be due to moulting and not fighting. Just a thought.

Thank you - I have not thought of this!

 

[Vegan_Bunny]

You should be able to feel the ribs of your bunnies but only if you press down. I would be worried if any of your rabbits are losing weight, are you sure there isn't an underlying problem? Has the food been changed at all? Peeing, eating and drinking ok? Is he neutered?
I would personally be thinking about possibly getting bloods done just to rule out any internal problems.

I wouldn't worry about fur in the run, my two always bicker and end up pulling fur from each other (usually when Fiver decides it's a good idea t hump Xena :roll. As long as there are no injuries and not too much fur then I wouldn't worry but just keep an eye on them. Giving them a bigger space will be good for them, if there is one being bullied by another then it will give her chance to get away.

 

[LaraFarah]

You should be able to feel the ribs of your bunnies but only if you press down. I would be worried if any of your rabbits are losing weight, are you sure there isn't an underlying problem? Has the food been changed at all? Peeing, eating and drinking ok? Is he neutered?
I would personally be thinking about possibly getting bloods done just to rule out any internal problems.

I wouldn't worry about fur in the run, my two always bicker and end up pulling fur from each other (usually when Fiver decides it's a good idea t hump Xena :roll. As long as there are no injuries and not too much fur then I wouldn't worry but just keep an eye on them. Giving them a bigger space will be good for them, if there is one being bullied by another then it will give her chance to get away.

He did have some blood work a month ago and it came back clear. Should I have him tested again? He is neutered - it took him a while to recover from it which was about a year ago. He was 5 when he was 'done' (which was the age I got him). So he is roughly nearly 7 now.

He is still peeing, eating and pooing.

Maybe he is just a skinny one?

Thank you for putting my mind to rest regarding the fur. I throughly checked each rabbit (Jo and Amy was not impressed) and I cannot find any signs of injuries.

 

[Lady Logamorph]

One of my buns is leaner than the other 3...I wonder if they are like us and just have different metabolisms etc . Maybe if you post a picture of him then see what people think like you say it might just be how he is. I remember reading something about a dog that was very thin and people kept phoning the RSPCA but this dog had been checked numerous times by the vet and there was nothing wrong with him he just had a slim build.

 

[Aly&Poppy<3]

Is Darcy the bunny in the first picture? Looks like my Leo!

We had Leo when he was 5 too and had him neutered then, and he has always been fairly slim. Nothing that the vet or I am worried about because when I tried to fatten him up he had a bad tummy He is a good weight now, you can see his shoulder bones though, but the vet said this might be because he was in a very small hutch for 5 years so developed a bit funny, his bum is a bit humped too.

This is what he was in to give you an idea: so he couldn't periscope or anything (which he has started doing and we've only had him since November) He was fed unlimited muesli, he now has a handful of science selective and a tonne of hay :lol: (and this was after we had cleaned him out, he was on a 15cm thick layer of auboise..)

He may well be a skinny one and re fur, probably moult I keep finding fur in my pairs run thinking they have fought but they're just fluffing everywhere :lol:

 

[LaraFarah]

One of my buns is leaner than the other 3...I wonder if they are like us and just have different metabolisms etc . Maybe if you post a picture of him then see what people think like you say it might just be how he is. I remember reading something about a dog that was very thin and people kept phoning the RSPCA but this dog had been checked numerous times by the vet and there was nothing wrong with him he just had a slim build.

I am starting to think this is the case. I have just been out to check on the animals and he was blinking and flopping, so he does seem happy in himself.

I will take a better photo without Pip but they are alway together so it is hard to take one just of him! This is them just few minutes ago.

Is Darcy the bunny in the first picture? Looks like my Leo!

We had Leo when he was 5 too and had him neutered then, and he has always been fairly slim. Nothing that the vet or I am worried about because when I tried to fatten him up he had a bad tummy He is a good weight now, you can see his shoulder bones though, but the vet said this might be because he was in a very small hutch for 5 years so developed a bit funny, his bum is a bit humped too.

This is what he was in to give you an idea: so he couldn't periscope or anything (which he has started doing and we've only had him since November) He was fed unlimited muesli, he now has a handful of science selective and a tonne of hay :lol: (and this was after we had cleaned him out, he was on a 15cm thick layer of auboise..)

He may well be a skinny one and re fur, probably moult I keep finding fur in my pairs run thinking they have fought but they're just fluffing everywhere :lol:

He is! He is a proper hay monster. He is a love and he would even 'purr' (the only way I can explain it!) when you give his head a stroke.

Darcy does look so much like Leo.

How sad that people keep their rabbits in hutches like that. Make me proper sick. Leo must be so thankful you got him.

I don't want to badmouth the rescue I got them from but I don't think he had much space before he came to me. He came with a 3x2 foot hutch and 3x3 run which they said was good enough until we got him bonded with Pip but as he wasn't neutered at the time I just brought a new bigger hutch and run and he seem confused with the space. I don't know.

He did get heavier but now he is getting lighter but he might just be getting rid of his winter weight?

I just reread what you typed and this really stick out.
'you can see his shoulder bones though, but the vet said this might be because he was in a very small hutch for 5 years so developed a bit funny, his bum is a bit humped too.' Darcy is like that too.

He is fed lot of farm hay, Burns Oat Hay, herbs (that I grow), Hawthorn and excel rabbit pellets as well as grass.

 

[Aly&Poppy<3]

Yeah, they're quite prominent, even when he's lying down and his fur is fluffed up. His belly feels fine though, I check it every evening to make sure lol Leo is always looking skinny if he's stretching but looks like a normal healthy bunny when he's toddling around his room lol We've started to pick him up to get him used to it so he becomes a little easier to handle at the vets.. :roll: and his body feels fine

 

[Vegan_Bunny]

Bloods won't always show things up because the problem that caused the weight loss in the first place may have stopped effecting him so wouldn't show anything abnormal. Although, if he isn't LOSING the weight and is just "skinny" like you say then it could just be the way he is. I have heard that oats are good for fattening bunnies up, but I have never used this method, I've just used extra pellets.
I wouldn't think a sick bunny would be binkying So hopefully he just finds it hard to put on/keep the weight on.

 

[LaraFarah]

Yeah, they're quite prominent, even when he's lying down and his fur is fluffed up. His belly feels fine though, I check it every evening to make sure lol Leo is always looking skinny if he's stretching but looks like a normal healthy bunny when he's toddling around his room lol We've started to pick him up to get him used to it so he becomes a little easier to handle at the vets.. :roll: and his body feels fine

Darcy is my only bunny who love to be picked up. If you are sat down, he will jump onto you and cuddle in. He is polar opposite to Pip who will nip strangers (hence her name). Pip does love her head stroke but only in her own terms and by people she knows.

He does alway have a nice belly on him and will eat anything you put in front of him. I think it might just be his body structure.

Bloods won't always show things up because the problem that caused the weight loss in the first place may have stopped effecting him so wouldn't show anything abnormal. Although, if he isn't LOSING the weight and is just "skinny" like you say then it could just be the way he is. I have heard that oats are good for fattening bunnies up, but I have never used this method, I've just used extra pellets.
I wouldn't think a sick bunny would be binkying So hopefully he just finds it hard to put on/keep the weight on.

I think I will get another blood test, if nothing else but to put my mind to rest.

I have porridge every morning (from proper oats and water) so I can save him a bit!



Thank you both for replying.

 

[LaraFarah]

Turn out that it is in fact moulting from the girls! I sat with them for ages and they get along really nicely. They even snuggled together I have attached a photo of them snuggling today!

Darcy had a blood test and came back clear. It turned out to be a dental problem so he is having his op on Tuesday. In the mean time, he is eating fine, flopping and running around so hopefully I caught it early enough! He recently dug a tunnel which he adores. While Pip is staying indoors, scaring me half to dead with her flop.

(please excuse her skirt! I am brushing her but it doesn't seem to have done anything!)

 

[Aly&Poppy<3]

I love them all!

 

[Lady Logamorph]

those girls are great I love the way they are all sat together so cute ...bet you had to run to take that photo before they moved!