Rabbit stressed? Choosing to stay out in cold & cecotropes

[Bun2]

Today I moved my almost 2 Yr old rabbit into her new larger hutch & run. Tonight I noticed she was staying in the outside run area when I went to bed. I thought this strange as the temperature tonight is only 3 degrees (37), but assumed she would go inside the hutch when cold as she was in there fine sleeping some of the day.

Well I've just woke up to check on her at 1am & she was she was still out in the cold! So I've gone out there, moved her inside the hutch & closed it with the winter cover on so she can't get out. I feel I had to do that or she could die from the cold outside?

There's a few Cecotrope poops near where she was outside. She ate a little of her usual cabbage but with this & her strange behaviour staying in the cold, is she too stressed with moving home/hutches? She was happy to see me, ran around etc but I'm worried I've stressed her with the move & is there anything I should do? I could move her back if necessary..

 

[InspectorMorse]

I assume she was already living outdoors, you haven’t moved her outside from being indoors ?

It is likely that a new environment will cause some stress. Especially if she lives alone. Rabbits are social animals and they do need a companion of their own kind.

Have you provided her with some hides to sit under ? She will need a lot more warm bedding too. Straw is a better insulator than hay. Have you transferred some bedding and items from her old hutch into the new one so there are some familiar smells in the new environment ?

You need to be certain that she is eating and pooping. Stress and being cold can trigger gut stasis.

You need to check her bum to make sure that she isn’t soiled from sitting in uneaten cecotrophs.

Do you plan on getting her a companion ?

Companionship

Rabbits should never be alone. Click here to find out all about the importance of Rabbit Companionship today.

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[bunny momma]

Inspector Morse gave you good advice, so allow me to add some pisitive vibes that your bunny quickly returns to normal.
How is she doing?

 

[Bun2]

Thank you both so much. Yes she was already outside, has grown a fluffy winter coat & the hutch has plenty of straw plus waterproof/windproof see through cover on. I moved her hides, chews, everything familiar over with her & even moved her old hutch that she's used to inside the enclosure so she can choose, although removed half so it's 1 level not 2 -which she seems to be avoiding.

Just been out to check on her this morning, she was quick to run out the new hutch once I opened it though doesnt seem to have eaten over night. I hand fed her some veg which she ate some of but not her usual amount. She seems lively enough so will keep a close eye on her today.

Her butt was clean but haven't checked for poop in the hutch yet.
She doesn't have a companion to live with as I had a 2nd rabbit but wasn't successful in bonding them, so they lived alongside each other in seperate cages/runs but could go close & see each other easily. Sadly we lost the 2nd rabbit just a couple of weeks ago to cancer.

I spend extra time with rabbit to help keep her company & also bring her in the kitchen for short periods to warm up & be together.

 

[bunny momma]

I am sorry you lost your other bun to cancer. Even though they lived side by side, the loss of her friend would have been another stressful change.
She needs to eat enough to give her energy to stay warm. Perhaps you can provide her with some extra warmth until she is back to normal.

 

[InspectorMorse]

Thank you both so much. Yes she was already outside, has grown a fluffy winter coat & the hutch has plenty of straw plus waterproof/windproof see through cover on. I moved her hides, chews, everything familiar over with her & even moved her old hutch that she's used to inside the enclosure so she can choose, although removed half so it's 1 level not 2 -which she seems to be avoiding.

Just been out to check on her this morning, she was quick to run out the new hutch once I opened it though doesnt seem to have eaten over night. I hand fed her some veg which she ate some of but not her usual amount. She seems lively enough so will keep a close eye on her today.

Her butt was clean but haven't checked for poop in the hutch yet.
She doesn't have a companion to live with as I had a 2nd rabbit but wasn't successful in bonding them, so they lived alongside each other in seperate cages/runs but could go close & see each other easily. Sadly we lost the 2nd rabbit just a couple of weeks ago to cancer.

I spend extra time with rabbit to help keep her company & also bring her in the kitchen for short periods to warm up & be together.

It’s VERY important to find out if she has passed poo overnight. If she hasn’t then this would be a big red flag. She might have been holding on to the poo as she was locked in a strange ( to her) environment. So hopefully now she’s out she will quickly pass a lot of poo. If she has not done so within the next few hours you need to contact a Vet.

I am sorry that you lost your other Rabbit to cancer. Was she spayed ? Is your remaining Rabbit spayed ? Entire Does have a very high risk of developing uterine adenocarcinoma by the age of 5. Sometimes even younger. My Rabbit Savvy Vet has seen Uterine Adenocarcinoma in Does as young as 2.

Neutering – Castration and Spaying

Creating better tomorrows for all pet rabbits Neutering – Castration and Spaying Neutering – it’s not just about babies… it’s vital for a long and healthy life. It’s important to your rabbits’ welfare that they live in pairs or groups, and neutering allows them to do this. It prevents...

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

Re bringing her indoors to ‘warm up’. This really isn’t a good idea. Rabbits can cope with cold weather as long as they have appropriate accommodation and a good winter coat. But they don’t cope well with going from cold environments to warm and then back out into the cold again. The best way for her to have optimal housing and welfare would be for her to have a Rabbit companion. A human can never be a substitute for that and very few people can spend hours on end day and night to provide companionship. Just because a Rabbit has had one failed bond it doesn’t mean that they can never be bonded. So if there is a possibility of adopting another Rabbit from a Rescue to be a companion to your Doe it would be great. Not only for your Doe but also for the Rescue Rabbit in need of a good home. Many Rescues will help with the bonding process. If having another Rabbit is not an option then personally I would have to bring the single Rabbit indoors to live as a House Rabbit. Personally I could not keep any single Rabbit outdoors on their own.

 

[Omi]

I remember your recent sad loss of your other rabbit. I would not be alarmed by her staying outside the hutch in very cold temperatures. I have two rabbits living outside and they very readily would stay outside their shed in very cold temperatures, so I shut them inside overnight. As has been advised though, I would not bring her in to warm up as the change in temperature would not be good for her.

I would check for overnight and recent poos and also check that she is eating properly during today. I think that her eating and pooing would be more concerning to me than her choosing to stay outside the hutch.

 

[Bun2]

She does seem to be holding her poops in overnight while locked inside the hutch as for 3 nights now there is no poop in there when I let her out in the morning. Then she goes straight to the poop corner of the run & does a lot. Is this OK to not poop all night for rabbits? I put a litter tray in one end of the hutch with a few poops in but she isn't using it.
She's not eating much still. She finally ate some pellets from her bowl last night after 2 days of only eating some cabbage from my hand & a little grass. No more cecotropes at least but it's unusual for her not to eat ALL pellets & veggies especially her favourite carrot which she's refusing completely. As she's pooping & running about I guess it's just some stress still from losing her 'buddy' & a new home.

I don't plan to get another Rabbit & I did try having this one as an indoor Rabbit when a baby but she would get startled scared every time someone came into the room, then we found out she's deaf so that's why. I worry bringing herr inside again so she's not alone will cause that fear again as she can never hear us approaching so jumps out her skin every time, plus if she's asleep then it's a big shock for her. Any thoughts on this?

My other rabbit was not spayed as I was worried about the high chance of death under anaesthetic. She died of uterine cancer & wasn't even 2 years old for a few more months, so it was a nasty shock. (I know for sure her exact age as got her as a baby)

 

[Omi]

She does seem to be holding her poops in overnight while locked inside the hutch as for 3 nights now there is no poop in there when I let her out in the morning. Then she goes straight to the poop corner of the run & does a lot. Is this OK to not poop all night for rabbits? I put a litter tray in one end of the hutch with a few poops in but she isn't using it.
She's not eating much still. She finally ate some pellets from her bowl last night after 2 days of only eating some cabbage from my hand & a little grass. No more cecotropes at least but it's unusual for her not to eat ALL pellets & veggies especially her favourite carrot which she's refusing completely. As she's pooping & running about I guess it's just some stress still from losing her 'buddy' & a new home.

I don't plan to get another Rabbit & I did try having this one as an indoor Rabbit when a baby but she would get startled scared every time someone came into the room, then we found out she's deaf so that's why. I worry bringing herr inside again so she's not alone will cause that fear again as she can never hear us approaching so jumps out her skin every time, plus if she's asleep then it's a big shock for her. Any thoughts on this?

My other rabbit was not spayed as I was worried about the high chance of death under anaesthetic. She died of uterine cancer & wasn't even 2 years old for a few more months, so it was a nasty shock. (I know for sure her exact age as got her as a baby)

I would imagine that not pooing in the hutch is a behavioural issue. In my experience most rabbits are very particular about where they poo. My rabbits have three identical litter trays placed in separate areas, plus a cardboard box of hay. They don't poo at all in one of the litter trays, nor in the box of hay. I would persevere with putting the litter tray in the hutch at night with several of her droppings. It's concerning that she is refusing carrot, which was previously a favourite food.

I hope she starts to eat more soon, but until she does, if you are concerned that she is not eating enough, I would give her a top-up syringe feed every day. Also if she continues to eat only small quantities, I would take her to a vet for a full examination and advice.

Managing a deaf rabbit is possible, by always trying to making sure that she is not surprised by events around her. Not easy to start with, but becomes easier over time and also she should become more tolerant of what's going on around her.