I know I KNOW , no two bunnies are alike. I get that but...
I have a bun and my boyfriend has one. We live next door to each other and the buns are kept separate most of the time. Occasionally he'll bring his bunny to my house for a play date. The bun's have a very similar life. Both are male and fixed. They have the exact same diet. Both live with a cat. They are as different as night and day (which is funny since one is white and one is black).
My Bunny is overweight. His bun is lean and mean. My bunny sleeps all the time, even when he's not in his cage. His bunny is very active.. nearly hyper-active.
His bunny has to be in the same room as the people. He loves to interact and play with humans. My bun will stay under his favorite chair for hours and hours, coming out only to eat and poo. He doesn't mind if I crawl under there with him for a cuddle, but he rarely comes looking for me.
My bun has no interest in toys, wether store bought "bunny toys" or phone books and cardboard boxes while his bunny LOVES that stuff and will amuse himself for hours.
My bunny is dirty all the time. I actually had to bathe him recently. I know it's not a good idea, but he left me no choice. My boyfriends bunny is very clean. He never stinks.
The only real difference I can see is that my boyfriend lets his bun run around the house all night and cages him while he's at work during the day. My bun spends the night in the cage and most of the day free (but sleeping under his favorite chair.)
So my question: Should I worry about the health of my dirty, fat, lazy rabbit? I love him to peices and spend lots of time petting and brushing him. He gets NO excercise and I suspect the reason he's so stinky is that he too fat to clean himself properly!
I have a bun and my boyfriend has one. We live next door to each other and the buns are kept separate most of the time. Occasionally he'll bring his bunny to my house for a play date. The bun's have a very similar life. Both are male and fixed. They have the exact same diet. Both live with a cat. They are as different as night and day (which is funny since one is white and one is black).
My Bunny is overweight. His bun is lean and mean. My bunny sleeps all the time, even when he's not in his cage. His bunny is very active.. nearly hyper-active.
His bunny has to be in the same room as the people. He loves to interact and play with humans. My bun will stay under his favorite chair for hours and hours, coming out only to eat and poo. He doesn't mind if I crawl under there with him for a cuddle, but he rarely comes looking for me.
My bun has no interest in toys, wether store bought "bunny toys" or phone books and cardboard boxes while his bunny LOVES that stuff and will amuse himself for hours.
My bunny is dirty all the time. I actually had to bathe him recently. I know it's not a good idea, but he left me no choice. My boyfriends bunny is very clean. He never stinks.
The only real difference I can see is that my boyfriend lets his bun run around the house all night and cages him while he's at work during the day. My bun spends the night in the cage and most of the day free (but sleeping under his favorite chair.)
So my question: Should I worry about the health of my dirty, fat, lazy rabbit? I love him to peices and spend lots of time petting and brushing him. He gets NO excercise and I suspect the reason he's so stinky is that he too fat to clean himself properly!
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Re: a tale of 2 bunnies
Thu, July 5, 2007 - 9:00 PMwhat has been his mainstay diet all of these years? I've fed him Timothy pellets and Timothy hay the last four years I had mine.
When my bunny was young and before he was neutered at 2 he was hyper and very curious, now that he is older 6 before he got sick with head tilt, he became mellow. -
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Re: a tale of 2 bunnies
Fri, July 6, 2007 - 2:31 PMBoth are just a little over a year old. They get a wide variety of fresh veggies twice per day (kale, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, parsley...), timothy hay and pellets and treats (carrots, apples, berries). My bunny just loves alfalfa hay as well and gets just a tiny handful once a day or every other day.
He definately had more energy before he was fixed. My boyfriends bun is about the same as beofre he was fixed.
Ooh, wht is "head tilt"? that sounds scary! -
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Re: a tale of 2 bunnies
Mon, July 9, 2007 - 3:49 PMHave you had his thyroid checked? Don't know if there is even a doc that would know how to check or medicate for that - but I had a dog with that problem before. Just over a year old sounds pretty young for a slothy bun. Very curious. -
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Re: a tale of 2 bunnies
Mon, July 9, 2007 - 4:16 PMNO... I'll look into that. We don't have any bunny expert vets on island. There are two that are willing to work with buns, but I'd be surprised if they do anything beyond the basics.
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Re: a tale of 2 bunnies
Tue, July 10, 2007 - 7:35 PMYour bun sounds a lot like my Chester was at the end of his life (he had a stroke at age 7 1/2). Sorry...not trying to scare you!
Like your little guy, my Chester needed weekly "butt baths" because he couldn't clean himself or eat his cecotrophs (not sure how to spell that).
How long has your bunny been like this? Did you notice a specific point that his behavior changed (last winter? this summer?). Are there any other physical symptoms that you've noticed? Problems hopping? Getting in/out of a litterbox?
Definitely get your little guy on a "diet": if you're using alfalfa-based pellets, switch to timothy-based pellets (both Oxbow and Kaytee make timothy varieties). That will cut down on lots of calories. Check out the House Rabbit Society website for other suggestions. I know that giving buns kale and spinich everyday aren't good because they can cause goiters and other problems. I'm also not sure about the cauliflower. That might be a once-in-a-while veggie.
But, just like people, get your bun in to see a good vet and go over all these symptoms and your concerns.
Those are my two-cents :o) Good luck with everything! If there is any kind of actual health problem going on, I'm sure you'll get it solved. If not, you've recognized that not all buns are the same, and that is definitely good to know! -
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Re: a tale of 2 bunnies
Thu, July 12, 2007 - 4:49 PMIt is kind of hard and often expensive to find a bunny doc. There is only one I've heard of in LA! I agree with Noya about going to the vet and maybe cutting back on the high iron kale and spinach, the treats and try to get him interested in more hay. If he has been this way from day one - well perhaps he's just, well...special. I had a mentally retarded cat (PC in the pet world?) and he had all of these traits. And I had never heard of a cat that didn't groom himself. Maybe you just have a very sweet little chubby bunny and nothing to worry about. I hope you find out the answers. Please give us an update. Maybe you could start a little workout program with him - the all new "buns of steel"? -
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Re: a tale of 2 bunnies
Thu, July 12, 2007 - 5:47 PM>> the all new "buns of steel"? <<
HaHa! That's silly! And not too far from my own thinking. While he has always been chubby and stinky, he hasn't always been this lazy. We used to play a little game at bedtime where I'd tell him to get in the cage and he'd run across the room, I'd go after him and he'd run behind the cage (not scared, playful) this could go on for quite a while. If I quit playing before he got in the cage I'd get an ankle nudge. But since he's gotten so lazy he just goes in the cage when I tell him too.
SO last night I told him to go in the cage, but first I closed the door! I know that sounds a little mean but it worked. It took him a minute to figure out what I was doing but then he got into it and actually played with me! Yay.. maybe he's coming back.
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Re: a tale of 2 bunnies
Tue, July 17, 2007 - 5:17 PMYippie! Maybe he just needs more evening play. Perhaps he was depressed or even jealous of his new playmate. I've discovered that rabbits have very deep emotions. I've often seen my bunny scowl at me for putting toys where they don't belong, and their capacity for play is enormous. Good luck with him.
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