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Rabbit not himself

Alicia

Alicia

Mama Doe
I wasn’t sure if this was health or behaviour but Beans hasn’t been himself the last few weeks. He feels like he’s lost weight, I have nothing to weigh him with so I’m going to take him to get weighed next week. He lives with another male and female (all neutered/spayed and have lived together for just over a year) the female, Jelly, seems to pick on Beans a bit, a bit of hair pulling and chasing. I have also seen the other male, Angus, mount Beans once before. I scatter feed them, and put Beans in 10/15 minutes before the others so he can get a head start on food and I’m going to order another hay rack today. Beans just seems sad and not himself, any advice?
 
Thank you, just to add this has happened before and he’s been to two different vets and they said there’s nothing wrong with him. It just seems like he’s really unhappy :( I’ve considered separating him from the other 2 and either keeping him inside with me or getting him a friend but I know separating rabbits is not normally a good idea and I’m worried I’ll make things worse
 
Alicia said:
Thank you, just to add this has happened before and he’s been to two different vets and they said there’s nothing wrong with him. It just seems like he’s really unhappy :( I’ve considered separating him from the other 2 and either keeping him inside with me or getting him a friend but I know separating rabbits is not normally a good idea and I’m worried I’ll make things worse
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I'm lucky in that all my bunnies have bonded and got on well together, I'm sure there will be someone who will come along that has experienced this and can give advice
 
If it were me I'm pretty sure I would take him out of the equation and get him a friend of his own. Are you able to bring him indoors with you for the moment until you've had him weighed and checked over by the vet again. If rabbits are unhappy (and it sounds as though he is being picked on) they will lose weight and be miserable. At the same time, if he is sick in some way, the others may be picking on him because of that. Its a horrible situation and I hope someone else may give you more help.
 
Just to add that many years ago I added another male into a set-up with a bonded male and female and it never really worked. I don't know whether I didn't bond them properly or whether the first male was very attached to me and definitely wanted to be 'top dog'.
 
Could it cause more problems taking him away from the others? I’m so worried about making things worse. I really wish they could speak and tell us what would make them happy!
 
Alicia said:
Could it cause more problems taking him away from the others? I’m so worried about making things worse. I really wish they could speak and tell us what would make them happy!
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What are you worried about would happen if you took him out?
 
I think I’m worried either Beans would get more unhappy or the other two would become unhappy
 
I would definitely get him checked out, including teeth. Meanwhile, can you separate him for a few hours a day so you can monitor his eating, output and general behaviour? It may help to narrow down any issues and give him the chance to eat in peace, without causing a major upset with the trio bond. I would also get some cheap scales so you can weigh him weekly. I use cheap digital kitchen scales on the floor or worktop, with a large plastic mixing bowl or small litter tray on to put the furries in. It's good enough for monitoring purposes and for working out some medications (eg wormers). You just need to get them still enough so you can take the reading, so a bowl works for my bunnies as it takes them a few seconds to figure out they can escape. It's also cheaper and less stressful than a repeat visit to the vet.
 
He’s been checked by vets, once was only just over a week ago and they can’t find anything wrong with him. I have kitchen scales but assumed he’d be too big for them, I’ll try that thank you
 
Has he had any pain relief? Sometimes it can make a huge difference fairly quickly, and it's worth asking if you can try it for a few days to see. If it does make a difference, it shows there is something wrong somewhere, even if you still don't know what it is.

Is his weight being checked at each vet visit?
 
He does get put on the scales but I haven’t asked whether it’s any different, last time I took him I was more concerned about his behaviour and it slipped my mind to mention his weight. I think perhaps another vets trip this week, I’ll ask about pain killers and go from there. Do you think I should separate him now or wait until he’s been to the vets again?
 
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