Bunny Meets Bunny

Choosing a Rabbit-Savvy Vet

2010-04-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

One of the most important things you can do for your pet rabbit is to choose a rabbit-savvy vet. Especially if you already have a vet for your cat or dog, don't just assume your rabbit will be fine seeing him, too. "But my vet SAYS he sees rabbits!" you say? Still, be cautious, and take my story as a warning ...

I spoiled my first bunny Loki like you wouldn't believe. He actually refused to eat veggies, since he was so used to getting crackers as treats almost every day (the equivalent of a Big Mac for a bunny!). He was seriously overweight (okay, obese). Then one day he stopped eating. He droppings were tiny, and he didn't want to come out of his cage at night. Since I didn't have a vet already, I took him to the vet that my brother-in-law used for his cat. I told the vet that he'd lost a LOT of weight, probably half his body weight, and wouldn't eat. She said that it was probably just because he was lonely because I'd been gone for a few weeks for summer school. He died in less than a week, from the most common killer of pet rabbits: GI Stasis.

A rabbit-savvy vet would have recognized the symptoms immediately. But your typical cat or dog vet wouldn't necessarily, because rabbits are "exotics" with a very different metabolism. Be sure the vet you choose specializes in rabbits.

So, how do you find a specialist rabbit vet? Don't wait until you have an emergency; instead, call around to a variety of vets and ask who they refer their clients to for serious rabbit cases. Then, don't just ask if they'll see rabbits since many will say "yes," meaning "yes, I'd like to have your business" rather than "yes, I'm specially trained in rabbit care." Ask the "trick" rabbit questions ...

Ask how many rabbit clients they currently have.
How many rabbits has the vet has spayed/neutered and the success rate (the loss rate should be almost none ... 99.5% is average success rate for specialists).
Does the vet withhold food and water prior to surgery in rabbits? (The right answer is no. Rabbits can't vomit, so there's no risk of that during surgery, and rabbits should never be allowed to have empty digestive tracts because of the risk of GI Stasis.)
Ask if they know which antibiotics are dangerous for rabbits (amoxicillin and most of the "...cillin" drugs like penicillin).
What's the best way to prevent hairballs? (Answer: Provide your rabbit with hay every day, preferably 24 hours a day. Provide daily exercise and brush frequently.)
You might also want to ask which conferences they've attended lately that had talks about rabbit medicine and what journals they read. You want your vet to be up on the latest in rabbit treatment.

You can find these and other questions on the House Rabbit Society's FAQ on finding a good vet and questions to ask before spaying/neutering . The HRS also keeps a recommended vets list that might be helpful, and your local rabbit rescue group likely keeps a similar list.

Finding a rabbit-savvy vet is worth the effort. I drive an hour across the city to get to mine, but I rest easy knowing that my bunnies get the best care possible. After all, paying a vet who doesn't specialize in rabbits is just throwing your money away, and can cost the life of your pet.

On the Importance of Spaying/Neutering

2009-08-26T13:15:00.000-05:00

Probably the number one thing you can do to make bonding work is to spay/neuter your rabbit. Why? you ask. Well, for many reasons ...

Unfixed rabbits are sexually aggressive animals. You'll never see two rabbits meet for the first time and start playing together, like dogs in a dog park might. In the best cases they stay warily at opposite sides of their space. At their more typical they lunge at each other, bite, mount, and pull out fur. Watching your beloved Thumper become part of a roiling ball of teeth-gnashing fur with another animal is not fun, believe me.

Fixed rabbits are calmer, less prone to destructive behavior like digging and chewing, they don't spray urine, they're easier to litter train, females have a drastically longer life when the 85% risk of uterine cancer is removed ... and of most interest to us is the fact that they're less aggressive when the urge to mate is removed. That means less hormone-induced biting, lunging, circling, and growling, and so an easier bond weather it be with a rabbit or with another pet like a cat or dog.

Plus, by spaying/neutering you'll be sure not to accidentally contribute to the rabbit overpopulation problem ... remember that rabbits are the third most abandoned pet after cats and dogs.

For more information on the importance of spaying/neutering as it relates to bonding rabbits, visit www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

And for info on choosing a rabbit-savvy vet, see www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html (I'll be writing more on this topic soon!).

Wanted: New Guest Poster

2009-06-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

Now that our first episode is winding down, Bunny Meets Bunny is looking for our next guest poster. Did you recently adopt a rabbit into an existing rabbit family, do you have some solid bunny knowledge, and are you moderately computer savvy? Then want you to be our next poster! All it takes is writing up a quick summary of your bonding experience every week or two. It can actually be very fun and really rewarding. Email me at MeetsBunny@gmail.com if you're interested. Thanks!

GI Stasis: The Silent Killer

2009-06-27T14:20:00.000-05:00

A while back I was replying to a comment on the Dog Meets Bunny site, and realized that it might be worth talking about GI Stasis here, too.

When under stress (as when being bonded to another animal) or if they have other health problems, the gastrointestinal system of a rabbit can shut down as a reaction, which can lead to death. Symptoms are refusing to eat, weight loss, sluggishness, and very small droppings in their litterbox. This can come on VERY quickly ... just in a manner of a day or two. Rabbits are designed to eat almost all the time, which is why having free access to hay at all times is so important ... that constant eating keeps the GI tract moving. If your rabbit hasn't eaten in a day, seek medical attention from a rabbit-savvy vet immediately!

And remember, rabbits are an "exotic" pet with a very different metabolism than cats or dogs. Be sure the vet you see specializes in rabbits. Don't just ask if they'll see rabbits since many will say yes when they shouldn't. Ask the "trick" rabbit questions ... see the House Rabbit Society's article on this for suggestions.

I lost my first rabbit to GI Stasis, so I try to tell people about it when I can. See Dana Krempels' excellent article on the subject for more info.

On the way to being bonded

2009-03-17T14:36:00.002-05:00

Maggie and Thor have made leaps and bounds (no pun intended). Ever since I have been bringing them on a car ride in the carrier together they have gotten closer. We are now able to let Maggie and Thor out in 'Maggie's territory'. They have been busy exploring each others cages. I have even seen them in the same cage together without altercation. For some reason Thor's hay tastes so much better then Maggie's hay! It's fun to watch them chase each other around the coffee table and spread out when they are both tired. They have been laying next to each other while Maggie grooms Thor's head and ears (OH BOY! Does Thor love the grooming!). A big thing we did when we decided to try letting them out in 'non-neutral territory' is take away the boxes and toys that Maggie considered 'her toys'. Originally these were distracting and Maggie felt like she had to protect 'her stuff'. Now we have bought a few new items that the bunnies can both mark as there own. They have both been mounting each other (but not in an aggressive way) so we just keep an eye on that. It's funny because Maggie will mount Thor's head and Thor will buck her off. All you see is a little black bunny head under a little black bunny tail. Thor likes to return the favor by mounting Maggie. Then Thor will chase Maggie and he will binky in the air (oh what fun!). It is very cute to see them playing and snuggling together. NOW we are getting somewhere. It's been about 9 weeks since we first adopted Thor so we are on track.

Now the only problem is trying to introduce Riley. We have been busy and haven't had time to dedicate a chunk of time to making a trio. I am hoping that come April we will have more time to devote to this.

A good date tonight

2009-03-08T22:05:00.002-05:00

Tonight was a really good date between Thor, Maggie and Riley. Riley snuggled up right next to Thor (who didn't seem to mind) and Maggie snuggled on the other side of Riley. The little bun was the pickle in the middle. Dave and I pet all three bunnies so they would stay calm and it seemed to work. Maggie groomed Riley as well as Thor. There was teeth grinding (somebuns happy) and a pretty relaxed atmosphere. If only every date would be so easy! It seems to have been working for us not to date continuous nights in a row. It seems that when we do it every other night, the dates seem to go better. We continue to do what works and what doesn't. Stay tuned.

A trio?

2009-03-02T16:07:00.002-06:00

Maggie and Thor have been getting along better. Bringing Thor along with Maggie to her bunny agility classes has helped. I think the car ride has brought them closer. I thought that Maggie was the dominant bunny, but realized over the weekend that Thor is. When Thor pushes his head under Maggie he EXPECTS her to groom him, and she does. Maggie's tongue is going to get tired from all those kisses she is giving.

Just when things are going well, why not throw a third bunny into the mix. I saw Gadget on the MCRS website and fell in love. Those cute lop ears and gray and white marking. I spoke with his foster mom about him and found out what a great boy he has become. Then I started wondering if I would be able to take on a trio. So I met Gadget at a bonding class and brought along Thor and Maggie. The 'date' went well. Gadget seemed more interested in Thor then Maggie, but all was good. Gadget just smooched into the pile-o-buns.

That was neutral territory. We tried dating them last night and it was chaotic. Gadget started mounting Thor and he didn't like it. So we put them all next to each other and pet them all. They were pretty content and Maggie even groomed BOTH bunnies. Then I left to get the camera and Dave shouted 'Taryn, I need you!' Gadget started mounting Maggie and Maggie didn't like it then Thor was going wild and Dave needed three hands. So we tried to calm everyone down and end the date on a good note.

Will have to see how this week goes. I was just getting the hang of this dating thing and now a new bunny has been added to the mix so we will see what happens.

Just to give you an idea, Gadget is 1/3 of Maggie and Thor's size. I just picture that one day Gadget will happily be smooched in between her two black beauties!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-20T20:59:00.004-06:00

It was a happy Valentine's Day for Maggie and Thor! There was lots of snuggling and no biting. Love was in the air. There date went really well.

I decided to try putting them both in the same carrier and bring them on a little car ride. There was no fighting in the carrier and they stayed next to each other. I brought Thor along for Maggie's bunny agility class to keep them together. Wherever Maggie goes, Thor will go (Thanks for the advice Barb!). Thor had a little free run time at the end of class and he was very curious and not the least bit afraid of any of the other bunnies. Maggie kept an eye on him while he explored his surroundings and marked everything as his!

At the end of class I put them in the same carrier and drove home. Success! If they go through a rough patch at not getting along I am going to take them for a little drive which seems to help. This way they can rely on each other.

Dates have been good so far. We can't put them together yet but they are getting closer to being bonded. Onward and upward!

Good Date after a slew of bad ones

2009-02-11T15:47:00.003-06:00

Last night was a great date between Maggie and Thor. There was lots of snuggling (and it didn't have to be forced). It's the best date it's been in awhile. No fur pulling or thumping. The environment felt really good and relaxed. I was very happy. Now if only this great dating could continue.....

Maggie even resumed grooming Thor (a little bit) but grooming none the less.

The adventures continue!~

Can we be friends?

2009-01-29T16:52:00.004-06:00

It will be 3 weeks this Sunday since Thor was adopted into our family. The last couple dates between Maggie and Thor have been good. Both bunnies seem to be getting more and more comfortable with each other. We also have been letting them out to exercise BEFORE we date them so they aren't so crazy and are a little more tired. No fights in the last couple days and I am crossing my fingers that it just goes up from here. It's fun to see Thor's personality coming out. He is a sneaky little devil.

Oh and we thought he was thumping because he was mad or warning Maggie.....but we think now he is thumping because he wants attention. We noticed this when we were dating the other night. We stopped petting to see what would happen and Thor started thumping, but once we paid attention to him he stopped. Can you say spoiled brat? HA!

We are getting there.

We must have patience

2009-01-23T16:07:00.003-06:00

We did a date last night and it was the same as the last couple nights. Maggie and Thor will snuggle and are happy as long as you are petting them. Once one or the other or both start to hop around a fight breaks out. Nothing to serious, just some fur being pulled out. I was feeling discouraged last night when my husband said "we need to let them get to know each other on their own terms, when they are ready to hop around together without fighting we will know they are ready." It has only been a couple weeks so I am not to worried. I just wish I knew what was going on in their little bunny brains.

We will push on.

Fighting and Cuddling

2009-01-19T09:36:00.002-06:00

Wow! What an interesting weekend. The dates were going well until Thor started thumping and Maggie didn't like it and they went at each other. No injuries, just some fur flying. I had to break it up, but was able to calm them down. I didn't want it to end badly so I put them semi-close together and pet both of them and soothed them with calm words.

Last night the date went well. I think that Thor is still learning to trust another bunny (he came from a confiscation where bunnies weren't nice to him, so I can't blame him). Thor doesn't want Maggie nipping him and will let her know. I 'assume' she either wants him to groom her or she is asserting her dominance?

One day Maggie is grooming him and the next she is nipping at him. At least they can cuddle together and eat carrots together so that is a good sign. They have just been keeping an eye on each other. There cages are next to each other and I noticed that Maggie has been laying on the side so she is close to Thor (very cute!). She wants to cuddle!

Thor does know how to groom! Last night while I had him out he groomed my sweatshirt, now if he could just do that to Maggie she would LOVE it.

It could be a lot worse!

A good date!

2009-01-16T14:15:00.003-06:00

There was grooming and cuddling! I am trying not to get to excited because things could change (patience, patience, patience). Maggie decided to groom Thor's head and ear instead of nipping. Thor enjoyed it, but was still guarded. Thor did thump a couple times, but we think he may have been 'warning' Maggie not to nip at him (or at least letting her know he doesn't like it when she does that). Thor did put his head down under Maggie and Maggie decided she wanted to snuggle right on top of him! He didn't seem to mind. They cuddled together for awhile, even after we stopped petting both of them. We ended with a raisin for each and more pets. The cuddle ended with them head-to-head and side-by-side, it was very cute!

One hop forward, two hops back

2009-01-15T14:16:00.003-06:00

Maggie and Thor had a good date when they first met. Maggie couldn't stop grooming him (although she did groom every bunny she met). They even stretched out nose-to-nose. The last couple days have been a little different.

Monday: The first date at home in the bathroom (neutral territory). A pretty good date. Maggie groomed Thor with no grooming in return. They were curious about each other. Each got a carrot treat and the date ended on a good note.

Tuesday: Thor started off the date by thumping. Maggie decided instead of grooming Thor she was going to nip at his face. I pet them at the same time to let them know they could be friends. Thor was just tense all over and I couldn't get him to relax all the way. Ended the date by petting both.

Wednesday: Similar to Tuesday's date. Started off the date by putting Thor and Maggie next to each other and giving full body pets. They both enjoyed this and settled in, but as soon as the petting stopped Maggie nipped at Thor's face. Thor didn't nip back, but backed away from Maggie as to say 'that wasn't very nice'. Thor got curious and explored the bathroom a little bit, but Maggie kept her eye on him. Ended the date by petting both.

We have their cages close to each other so they can see each other, but Maggie gets all excited and anxious when she sees me petting Thor. I have been trying to give them both the same amount of attention, feeding at the same time, if one gets a treat so does the other.

We may have to try a car ride (when it warms up) or laundry basket so they 'have' to be friendly. I know it will take time, but am hopeful. I just want them to be friends!

Our First Story

2009-01-14T09:05:00.003-06:00

We have our first poster for Bunny Meets Bunny!

Taryn and Dave had an easy time of bonding their bunnies Maggie and Peanut. But they recently lost Peanut to an e. cunniculi infection, and are ready to find a new friend for Maggie. Thor will be joining their family after having been the best of several "dates" with Maggie. Taryn and Dave haven't done a bonding in a long while, and Maggie and Peanut's bond was a piece of cake, so they likely have some learning to do. We'll see what happens!

THE CAST

Maggie: Looking for Somebun New

Thor: Wary But Willing

Taryn and Dave: Their Hopeful Humans

A New Story

2009-01-13T17:17:00.006-06:00

Two years ago my friend Amy adopted a German Shepherd and then bonded him with her two bunnies. Amy wanted to help other people who were trying to bond dogs and rabbits, so I created a website where she could chronicle the process ... dogmeetsbunny.blogspot.com. As the story progressed, we got a lot of comments from people who really appreciated seeing a first-hand narrative of Amy's experience ... a kind of diary of her individual experience.

After Amy finished bonding her pets, we started up several new stories with different posters, and a sister blog called Cat Meets Bunny. But I want to see it grow even more! This is where I'm hoping you'll come in. This new website is for multiple bunny bonds, and expands from where Dog Meets Bunny left off. We're looking for someone who recently adopted a rabbit into an existing rabbit family, who has some solid bunny knowledge, and who is moderately computer savvy. We want you to be our first "guest poster." All you'd need to do is write up summaries of what you're doing and how things work out each time you introduce them. Amy actually had a lot of fun doing it, and it can be really rewarding.

If you're interested in being a part of the Bunny Meets Bunny project, or if you're considering bringing a new bunny into your dog or cat household and would like to be considered for Dog Meets Bunny or Cat Meets Bunny's next opening, please email me and tell me a little bit about yourself. Thanks, and good luck with your bonding!

Welcome!

2009-01-13T17:17:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Bunny Meets Bunny. More info is coming soon!