Advice for my blind bunny

Hi everyone, I'd love some advice! Today I went to the vets and they confirmed my little girl Chloe has cataracts. She has no vision in one eye (can't even see light apparently) and in the other eye she can see very little. They said within a few weeks or months she'll be completely blind in that eye too. They said there is nothing they can do, but that she is not in any pain.

My current set up is a indoor cage in my large hallway. The door has been removed from the cage and it is a bit like a bedroom for my two buns. They come and go as they please. They have rugs and boxes etc outside of the cage. And when I'm in the living room/bedroom doors are propped open so they can come and see me. Over the past week as her vision has got worse (it happened extremely rapidly) she seems to be struggling getting in and out of the cage. The opening is big enough, but I think she's struggling to see it. It takes her a while to figure it out and she seems stressed about it. So I'm thinking of getting rid of the cage altogether and just having lots of rugs and boxes for them both. Worried about water as they've both always drunk from a bottle but going to try a bowl (as well as bottle) this evening and see how it goes. Do people think this is a good idea? I know a change isn't going to be good for her, but while she still has a little vision it may be the best time to make adjustments so things are as easy as possible for her?

She's a rescue and apparently between 2.5 and 3.5 years old. She had a tumour on her neck before she came to me but they rescue place I got her from said it was tested and not cancer. The vet said this isn't an infection it's just 'one of those things'. They said she may have been born this way and have lived with a form of visual impairment for a while or even since birth but disguised it. She's always been shy and not one to explore much, but I put that down to the horrific way she was treated before she came to me. I do feel bad I didn't pick up on it sooner if this has been a life long condition, but it's only been the past week that it's been visible in her eyes.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Alice x

Sorry to hear your bun is struggling. I have a bun with a cataract that appeared suddenly, and other sudden eye conditions all due to ec, that has left him with minimal sight. He has a dog crate and tends to walk into the wire door, so I have covered it with a blanket. If the way in to his cage isn't solid, maybe you could put some cardboard over the wire so he knows it's there better.

Keeping the set up the same would help. My bun has had a bowl for a number of years, but when his sight first went, he tended to spill it. Be prepared for this if you introduce a bowl.

Bubble knows his way around the room, so is usually ok unless something has moved or someone is standing somewhere. He can occasionally get disorientated but once he's on his familiar path he is ok.

He your vet ruled out ec for your bun?

Rabbit's tend to like some sort of enclosed area to hide in, so if you get rid of the cage, I'd replace it with some sort of shelter - cardboard box would be fine. I think solid sides may be easier to navigate as I imagine detecting bars is more tricky. Another option - even a interim one - would be to just take the top off. The tray can be quite handy for filling with hay and still containing some of the mess. If they like the enclosed feeling you could then make it three solid sides with some plywood or cardboard.

She may also like tunnels as they are easy to follow from point A to B and start and end in the same place without worrying about navigating the gap between. They also feel secure if they are bunny sized - again cardboard works fine

Most rabbit prefer a bowl over a bottle - just pick a spot she won't accidentally walk though it and don't move it around. A heavy ceramic one will help make it more sturdy too.

Rabbit's tend to adjust well as their eye sight, particularly up close, isn't great anyway so they use their whiskers, hearing and sense of smell a lot. It might actually be more tricky at this point with part vision as things may look weird and be hard to identify and that could be more worrying to her than once she's adjusted to not seeing at all and is just relying on the senses which are all giving feedback that things are ok.

weedug said:

Sorry to hear your bun is struggling. I have a bun with a cataract that appeared suddenly, and other sudden eye conditions all due to ec, that has left him with minimal sight. He has a dog crate and tends to walk into the wire door, so I have covered it with a blanket. If the way in to his cage isn't solid, maybe you could put some cardboard over the wire so he knows it's there better.

Keeping the set up the same would help. My bun has had a bowl for a number of years, but when his sight first went, he tended to spill it. Be prepared for this if you introduce a bowl.

Bubble knows his way around the room, so is usually ok unless something has moved or someone is standing somewhere. He can occasionally get disorientated but once he's on his familiar path he is ok.

He your vet ruled out ec for your bun?

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Thanks for your advice. She doesn't seem too disorientated thankfully. They didn't test for ec, I didn't realise until I got back and did some reading that it can be a cause. I will ring and ask if they can provide a test.

Tamsin said:

Rabbit's tend to like some sort of enclosed area to hide in, so if you get rid of the cage, I'd replace it with some sort of shelter - cardboard box would be fine. I think solid sides may be easier to navigate as I imagine detecting bars is more tricky. Another option - even a interim one - would be to just take the top off. The tray can be quite handy for filling with hay and still containing some of the mess. If they like the enclosed feeling you could then make it three solid sides with some plywood or cardboard.

She may also like tunnels as they are easy to follow from point A to B and start and end in the same place without worrying about navigating the gap between. They also feel secure if they are bunny sized - again cardboard works fine

Most rabbit prefer a bowl over a bottle - just pick a spot she won't accidentally walk though it and don't move it around. A heavy ceramic one will help make it more sturdy too.

Rabbit's tend to adjust well as their eye sight, particularly up close, isn't great anyway so they use their whiskers, hearing and sense of smell a lot. It might actually be more tricky at this point with part vision as things may look weird and be hard to identify and that could be more worrying to her than once she's adjusted to not seeing at all and is just relying on the senses which are all giving feedback that things are ok.

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Thank you. I will see how the water bowl goes over next few days and if it works consider removing the top of the cage and just have the tray. It's quite big so could have a cardboard box in their too. Good idea to add walls around it but have one side completely open.

That makes sense. They said she'll loose the little vision she has in the other eye quite quickly so hopefully it'll become easier for her soon.

My rabbit has been blind for 2 years now and he did great, like everyone has said keeping the same set up helps.

I switched to a bowl of water and its much easier for him than a bottle. I actually put a bottle on the cage for the first time as back up (he was drinking a lot) a few weeks ago and was surprised to find him drinking from it one day - their senses are amazing.

If it wasnt for the fact he has suffered head tilt / loss of balance etc his blindness wouldnt have been an issue. He still knew how to get from the garden, up the steps, through the kitchen and into his room with cage when he was blind it was remarkable. If you have to change anything dont worry they soon figure it out but try keep things the same as much as possible.

lisaam said:

My rabbit has been blind for 2 years now and he did great, like everyone has said keeping the same set up helps.

I switched to a bowl of water and its much easier for him than a bottle. I actually put a bottle on the cage for the first time as back up (he was drinking a lot) a few weeks ago and was surprised to find him drinking from it one day - their senses are amazing.

If it wasnt for the fact he has suffered head tilt / loss of balance etc his blindness wouldnt have been an issue. He still knew how to get from the garden, up the steps, through the kitchen and into his room with cage when he was blind it was remarkable. If you have to change anything dont worry they soon figure it out but try keep things the same as much as possible.

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Thank you this was really comforting to read. She is doing really well so far, like you say their senses are amazing. And I guess she's used to looking at me when I speak or looking at where a noise comes from so she still does that. When I feed them I've been rustling the packet the foods in and she perks up then and knows it's food time. I think she'll adjust quite well!