How old is old?!

[KirstiRobinson]

Hi All,

My bun Mojo was 6 last month. He's an Indoor rabbit and always used to be so inquisitive all the time, destroying the house most of the time and just generally causing havoc. Recently he's become a lot more subdued, he sleeps most of the time and only does binkys every now and then.

He recently had a bout of stasis so could be still a bit flat from that. The emergency vet at the time said that he would be considered in his old age now but I've seen bunnies on here and other sites a lot older!

I guess my question is when do rabbits start to wind down and get quieter or don't they!? Mojo is part giant so his lifespan could potentially be shorter, but I hope not!!

 

[supersonic]

Sonic's 7 now, and he hasn't shown any signs of slowing down! Well, other than his recent bout of stasis. My friends rabbit is 10 now, but he's a really grumpy old man rabbit! He just scoots round the house looking for grapes, whereas Sonic will patrol the garden (and the neighbours), smell everything, scent everything, observe everything, look threateningly at the neighbours if they dare venture into his garden.
I'm not sure about giant lifespans though, it could make a difference, I don't know! He looks adorable in your signature, I always wanted a rabbit that colour when I was younger!

 

[KirstiRobinson]

Sonic's 7 now, and he hasn't shown any signs of slowing down! Well, other than his recent bout of stasis. My friends rabbit is 10 now, but he's a really grumpy old man rabbit! He just scoots round the house looking for grapes, whereas Sonic will patrol the garden (and the neighbours), smell everything, scent everything, observe everything, look threateningly at the neighbours if they dare venture into his garden.
I'm not sure about giant lifespans though, it could make a difference, I don't know! He looks adorable in your signature, I always wanted a rabbit that colour when I was younger!

Hmm it's a tricky one. I think Mojo acts like a grumpy, old man at the mo! He springs to life when there's food around, but doesn't seem interested in his toys and would rather just chill. Unless its midnight and then he jumps into action for a funny five minutes!!

Aww thanks he is a handsome lad, but then I'm probably biased

 

[joey&boo]

Mojo is beautiful. I'd say six was an older middle age for most bunnies but I think giant & larger breeds have a lower life expectancy sadly. I'm not sure though

 

[happybun]

The vet today said that 5-8 years is the life expectancy of small to medium rabbits, though on RU I've heard of them living much longer.

 

[joey&boo]

My partner had three rabbits as a child. Two sisters lived until they were 12 years old, had a hutch with open access to the garden which they sometimes escaped from. They weren't spayed & never saw a vet, didn't have nail trims..the list goes on. How they survived so long without any human intervention other than food & cleaning out astounds me

 

[KirstiRobinson]

I guess it all depends on the rabbit as well really doesn't it! A lady I met recently had her children's bunny till it was 14 and then others I know that are super amazing bunny owners have lost rabbits at 3 or 4 years old!
I just worry about Mojo as he's always been so content and always investigating, but now he's really lazy. I'm looking at him right now and he's just doing his draught excluder duties in the doorway, occasionally stretching over very slightly for a munch of hay!!

 

[Jbun]

Giant breeds do tend to have a shorter lifespan than small to medium breeds. They can live to be an average of 6-8 years as opposed to 8-12 for the smaller rabbits.

One thing that can happen when they get older is that they can develop arthritis, and giant breeds can especially be more prone to developing joint issues. It may be worth looking into the possibility that your bun is slowing down to age related arthritis. If so the anti inflammatory meloxicam is often prescribed to be given daily to help alleviate the symptoms. It can really make a big difference and if your bun has arthritis and is put on the proper dose of meloxicam, you would likely notice an increase in his activity level if this were the case. I know for my old bun it made a big difference, as she was much more uncomfortable before she started taking the meloxicam.

One thing that is very important in a rabbit being properly diagnosed and receiving the correct treatment, is seeing a rabbit savvy vet. Good rabbit vets are not always easy to find, but are definitely important and worth seeking out. If you are unsure of how experienced your vet is with rabbits, it may be worth posting a thread asking for a vet recommendation for your area.

 

[KirstiRobinson]

Giant breeds do tend to have a shorter lifespan than small to medium breeds. They can live to be an average of 6-8 years as opposed to 8-12 for the smaller rabbits.

One thing that can happen when they get older is that they can develop arthritis, and giant breeds can especially be more prone to developing joint issues. It may be worth looking into the possibility that your bun is slowing down to age related arthritis. If so the anti inflammatory meloxicam is often prescribed to be given daily to help alleviate the symptoms. It can really make a big difference and if your bun has arthritis and is put on the proper dose of meloxicam, you would likely notice an increase in his activity level if this were the case. I know for my old bun it made a big difference, as she was much more uncomfortable before she started taking the meloxicam.

One thing that is very important in a rabbit being properly diagnosed and receiving the correct treatment, is seeing a rabbit savvy vet. Good rabbit vets are not always easy to find, but are definitely important and worth seeking out. If you are unsure of how experienced your vet is with rabbits, it may be worth posting a thread asking for a vet recommendation for your area.

Thank you this thought had crossed my mind to be honest with you so I'll definitely investigate it.
Our vet is a small animal specialist so she's very good. How do they diagnose arthritis do they have to x ray etc? He loves loxicom he'll take it straight off the syringe so at least we wouldn't have any battles there!

 

[supersonic]

Thank you this thought had crossed my mind to be honest with you so I'll definitely investigate it.
Our vet is a small animal specialist so she's very good. How do they diagnose arthritis do they have to x ray etc? He loves loxicom he'll take it straight off the syringe so at least we wouldn't have any battles there!

That's good, Sonic's reasonably compact and we can't pin him down for Baytril, would hate to try pin down a part giant!

 

[KirstiRobinson]

That's good, Sonic's reasonably compact and we can't pin him down for Baytril, would hate to try pin down a part giant!

Haha I used to have to sit on top of Mojo (gently) and my hubby would quickly stick the meds in. We had to give so many meds at one point though that we always gave him some parsley or a green after so now he knows he gets that afterwards he will even take fibreplex off the syringe! He's a good lad

 

[Jbun]

Yes, xrays can confirm it. For my bun though, she was obviously stiff and was sore upon palpation of her lower back, so the vet went off that without xrays. My bun also did better once on the meloxicam, so that was an indicator as well. Because of her advanced age I also didn't want to be sedating her for xrays(though for some rabbits sedation may not be necessary).

 

[KirstiRobinson]

Yes, xrays can confirm it. For my bun though, she was obviously stiff and was sore upon palpation of her lower back, so the vet went off that without xrays. My bun also did better once on the meloxicam, so that was an indicator as well. Because of her advanced age I also didn't want to be sedating her for xrays(though for some rabbits sedation may not be necessary).

Thank you I'll chat to my vet and see what she says. He had stasis a few weeks ago and I remember she did check the movement in his hind legs, but I can't remember what she said.
I've just read a thread on here about how lops can be super lazy so with any luck maybe it's just that!