Understanding Dave

Taking on an already-adult bun really hasn’t been easy! Dave acts very differently to Chloe and Barney so I’m constantly anxious he’s ill or unhappy. I know very little information about his past and I really have to spend a lot of time monitoring him and trying to suss his behaviour out. There are a couple of things puzzling me about him and I wonder if anyone has any ideas?

• He won’t go to the toilet in his dog crate/ main base
Nope, not one single dropping or wee! He’s in the crate whilst he’s recovering from his op and then the plan is to bond him with Chloe and for him to go and live outside with her. He’s currently situated in the conservatory which unfortunately I can’t allow him 24/7 access to, however it’s the only place where he will actually go to the toilet. I have to let him out numerous times a day to go and it worries me that he will go all night without any output. Here he is on the toilet in his favourite spot:



I must admit I’m impressed with how quickly he’s taken to using a litter tray! His hutch was in a filthy state when I went to collect him.

• Cleaning/ Grooming
Dave is a bit of an excessive cleaner. He will nibble at one area (normally around the ankles or tummy) to the point where the fur ends up matted and falls out. He finished a three week course of mite treatment yesterday but I’m wondering if there is more to it?

• Eating
He is to and from his bowl throughout the day. He tends to go for fresh food rather than pellets and he isn’t the greatest hay eater. He’s lost some weight since I got him, he’s down to 5.9kg from 6.6kg which is quite concerning as it’s dropped off so quickly. I am trying him with lots of different foods to stimulate his appetite, yesterday I gave him readi-grass which went down well.

Chloe has always had a great appetite, as did Barney who ate food like there was no tomorrow

I think that’s it for now, sorry for rambling on but taking on a rescue is all new and different for me. Hopefully in time things will fall into place :thumb:

I wonder if the toilet thing is as simple as not wanting to go immediately where he has to live and because that's cramped at the moment, he'd rather wait? I have to say, I'd also be concerned he won't, therefore, go overnight. Is there any way you can fence off a bit of conservatory?

I've had bunnies who've gorged the whole bowl of food and those who graze. So long as he's getting enough, I've always thought it ok. I'd be a little worried about weight loss though. Again, maybe once "free" he'll be a bit more hungry?


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SJH said:

I wonder if the toilet thing is as simple as not wanting to go immediately where he has to live and because that's cramped at the moment, he'd rather wait? I have to say, I'd also be concerned he won't, therefore, go overnight. Is there any way you can fence off a bit of conservatory?

I've had bunnies who've gorged the whole bowl of food and those who graze. So long as he's getting enough, I've always thought it ok. I'd be a little worried about weight loss though. Again, maybe once "free" he'll be a bit more hungry?


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I have to agree about the toilet, esp since he is obviously a super clean little man. good move trying the readigrass. Sometimes bunnies do overgroom when stressed, especially around the wrists, Noodle did it when she got ill(er). I hope that isn't the case & he's just finding ways of keeping himself busy whilst waiting for life with Chloe. i'd try giving him access to his toilet, keep up with the readigrass, monitor him like you have been & maybe try a pet calming spray /diffuser. If he still loses weight I'd pop him to the vets or call them for a chat. he is so very handsome, like Barney before him

If you move the tray he usually goes in (without cleaning it) into the crate at night, will he use it then? If not then I think you might have to work out how to extend his access, maybe a puppy pen you can fold out at night to give him more access without space to anything he shouldn't?

What are the vets thoughts on his weight? If he was a little over the norm to start with then some weight loss on a healthier diet is a good thing. On the other hand if he's now under weight, that's more of a worry. I think hay can be a habit issue so it might just be a case of working on things to up his intake. Readi grass is a good idea, you could also try other brands - the Hay Experts do a sample pack. If he likes fresh foods then fresh grass would be a good one to try as that's all the benefits of hay but they tend to count it like fresh veggies. Feeding forage, if he'll eat it, would be good too as that tends to be more fibrous than human veggies.

The excessive grooming may be a habit from previous bad condition/stress. You might find once he's recovered, bonded and has more space it will naturally go away. In the mean time you might find giving him plenty of other toys/activities will help minimise it.

I take it the vets checked his teeth?

I did wonder if it was a space issue, I will have a think about what I can do to resolve it. I guess I didn't think it would be a problem for now, because of his previous accommodation.

Tasmin:

Nope, he will generally avoid the tray when it's in his crate completely! Although today he has been sitting in it, so that could be a move in the right direction.

The vet is aware of his weight change and wants me to offer him anything and everything for now instead of just providing him with healthy foods. She said the main thing is that he's eating and that I can sort out his diet at a later date. His previous owner said he likes carrot and strawberries, so today I've been grating carrot over greens. He was obviously on quite a sweet diet prior to coming here! I am off to get some strawberries and probably clean out the whole of Tescos fresh food aisle shortly. I am also sorting out an order for some different varieties of hay/forage. My aim is for him to at least maintain his current weight for his next appointment on Monday.

His teeth are fine and I agree that once he has a friend the excessive grooming may stop. I do hope so anyway

He is so handsome! Just had to say that, not much help though is it. :lol:

Aboleth was a bit of a pellet-grazer when she arrived, but soon realised if she left any Lopsy would hoover them up so she's become just as pellet-greedy. But both buffet-browse: eat some hawthorn, eat some grass, go back to hawthorn, have some hay, try some more grass, etc. ad infinitum They tend to be most attracted to new stuff but they're both happy to come back to it later once they're bored with it

We've also given them a new area so we're having (different) litter tray issues: we tried putting the normal one (big) in the tiny-hutch as they 'missed' with the little old one, but they weed on the floor of their house and tended to not really use the big one in the hutch, but were using the little one in there a lot. I think the fact that the litter tray filled the area might have been an issue! So maybe Dave feels it's encroaching on his clean space?

In that case some rolled (porridge) oats would be a good addition, they are great for weight gain and very tasty. You could also try mixing alfalfa in with the hay, it's higher protein/calorie so extra tasty and would be good fibre and help with hay eating habits. Another thing is to swap/mix the standard pellets with junior pellets, again they are higher in calories so he gets more but it's also a way to increase calories without actually increasing the amount of pellets.

keletkezes said:

Aboleth was a bit of a pellet-grazer when she arrived, but soon realised if she left any Lopsy would hoover them up so she's become just as pellet-greedy. But both buffet-browse: eat some hawthorn, eat some grass, go back to hawthorn, have some hay, try some more grass, etc. ad infinitum They tend to be most attracted to new stuff but they're both happy to come back to it later once they're bored with it

We've also given them a new area so we're having (different) litter tray issues: we tried putting the normal one (big) in the tiny-hutch as they 'missed' with the little old one, but they weed on the floor of their house and tended to not really use the big one in the hutch, but were using the little one in there a lot. I think the fact that the litter tray filled the area might have been an issue! So maybe Dave feels it's encroaching on his clean space?

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I think you could be right keletkezes. It will be interesting to see what happens when he moves out. I'm hoping he will copy what Chloe does.

Tamsin said:

In that case some rolled (porridge) oats would be a good addition, they are great for weight gain and very tasty. You could also try mixing alfalfa in with the hay, it's higher protein/calorie so extra tasty and would be good fibre and help with hay eating habits. Another thing is to swap/mix the standard pellets with junior pellets, again they are higher in calories so he gets more but it's also a way to increase calories without actually increasing the amount of pellets.

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Tamsin the oats are going down so well. He's at the vets tomorrow so it will be interesting to see what his weight is. His appetite has slightly improved over the past few days which is positive.

I'm glad to hear it. Oats are quite versatile so you can mix them with water and crushed pellets or smushed veggies or probiotics/vitamins or meds or banana etc. and they usually still go down well

Poor Dave. he has had a time of it. Going from someone who didn't care about him to someone who is loving him. He's moved home, been to vets and still being fussed over. It's a lot for a bunny to take in. My new two girls who had only ever been used for breeding and probably fed very little were terrified of everything to start with and ate every piece of food offered and were obsessed with food to the point of not coming out until the food was gone. Now they are happy to come out for a run around whilst leaving food in the dishes, they know it will be there when they go back. Everything is new and totally different for Dave. See if he likes raisins too. Like your vet said. Just get him what he likes and worry about the diet at a later date. Lots of love to Dave.

Dave has maintained his weight of 5.9kg, so I'm pleased with that. I think it will be a case of weighing him regularly from now on.

Fluffybunny54 Dave has definitely been through a lot in a short space of time! Hopefully things will continue to improve and he will have a nice life with Chloe

I'm glad Dave is improving, just came back to check in on him and I'm sure he will have a lovely life with Chloe


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Thought I would post an update. Dave is now eating well and is overall just wonderful. He reminds me so much of Barney

MummyBunnyEm said:

Thought I would post an update. Dave is now eating well and is overall just wonderful. He reminds me so much of Barney

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Thankyou for the update Really glad he's settling well and you like him too

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