Liung
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2013
- Messages
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Before saying anything about how making your rabbit wear clothes is a bad idea and he'll hate it--I know. It's a bad idea. He hates it. He spends about 60% of his running around time vigorously grooming and tugging at the shirt.
But it's better than the alternative, which is allow him to become depressed and lonely.
This is Lahi and Delilah
They are a very dysfunctional rabbit couple.
Lahi is 7 years old, I've had him since he was a baby. His previous partner, his sister Picca, passed away last August. He's never in his life been alone, and he does really poorly the few times I've had to isolate him. He needs bunny cuddles like he needs air to breathe, apparently.
Delilah is 3 years old, I got her two years ago. Her previous owner badly neglected her, socially. She was given sustenance, and left by herself in their basement in one of those standard rabbit cages. She came to me certifiably insane and so badly socialized she had no idea how to behave like a rabbit. Sometimes she still doesn't.
Now those two dysfunctions are coming together in the worst way possible: barbering. In the past two months, she's started barbering him--that is, ripping his fur out. The normal causes of barbering, like stress or boredom, are certainly possible... however, the way she's doing it is simply as if she's forgotten entirely how to groom properly. And Lahi's so lonely and desperate for cuddles he lets her. And once his shoulders are completely bare? She starts grabbing skin.
This is Lahi on March 11:
It's happened once before, so I knew enough to not let it escalate to the point that she would start biting skin, but before it was a sort of dominance battle with Picca--they couldn't decide between them who was more dominant, so they both tried to dominate Lahi frequently, mounting him while grabbing the fur on his shoulders-- but it only happened when all three of them were together. Once I separated him from them, or them from each other, it was fine. She hasn't done it at all since Picca passed away, and shortly after that she was spayed. So for her to start now...
The worst part is she usually does it when I'm not around. I tried separating them, and Lahi became miserable. I'd had to isolate him anyway, because he was undergoing antibiotic shots that had messed with his appetite (whole other story that got written up over here) and I needed to stop her from hogging all the food... but separating him completely made him so depressed his appetite went down anyway.
The vet identified what Delilah was doing as "barbering", explained that there's almost nothing that anyone could do, other than separate them. Permanently.
But I refused to give up! Neither of them can handle being alone, and hell no was I going to give either of them up (not that they're particularly adoptable anyway, given Lahi's age and Delilah's crazy) and my family will NOT go for any more rabbits to give them companions.
Thus bunny clothes.
I spent a long time trying to find clothes that fit. I mostly failed. This little Canada shirt is the best so far, and I slip a bunny harness through the leg holes to hold it in place. And it's working!
April 12:
His fur grew back almost completely! The vet was extremely impressed with me, and congratulated me on such an innovative solution. I was also assured that it would do him no harm to wear it 24/7, his skin would be able to breathe just fine.
(Delilah then ripped a hole in the shirt right over the Canada symbol D: I patched it up but I am Not Happy with her. The patch is holding even better, and is slightly thicker which is good because when she can't grab his fur she'll sometimes scratch at his back in frustration. And poor Lahi just takes it.)
Except then this happened:
April 18
His shirt was on the whole time he was with Delilah! There were only a few days between his fur almost completely back and this!! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!
With all the fur loss he's been tested multiple times for medical reasons. He has no skin problems or pests causing it. The only think we can think of is that the harness over the shirt caused it to rub his fur off D:
I've since been searching far and wide for a shirt that will fit him better. Actually, I've been searching for clothes that will fit them for a long time, as Delilah in particular loves playing in the snow. But this is the first time that a good fit that he could wear long-term really mattered.
I found a knit shirt that has tummy and butt coverage.
I cut the sleeves off entirely, making an armhole that he wouldn't slip his foot up through every time he took a step. The harness, much looser this time, ensures that his feet don't slip out. The thicker knit ensures that the harness doesn't rub his shoulders.
And you know what happened? One morning not long after I put it on him I peered into the cage where he was cuddled up with Delilah, and though I thought I smelt a whiff of poo odour I dismissed it as their litter pan. That evening, the odour was worse, though I still couldn't see what was causing it, Lahi still looked fine, the sweater hadn't twisted out of place, his feet weren't caught inside it at all...
When I picked him up to examine him more thoroughly I discovered that one of his back feet had slipped in front of the belly band, which had then gone between his legs and caught all that day's poo in a awful mess.
The incriminating belly band:
Bunny bath time! (With warm water, gentle shampoo, a very thorough towelling with the hairdryer on low and a few hours relaxing in front of the fireplace, of course.)
So now I am trying very hard to find a better solution.
But it's better than the alternative, which is allow him to become depressed and lonely.
This is Lahi and Delilah
They are a very dysfunctional rabbit couple.
Lahi is 7 years old, I've had him since he was a baby. His previous partner, his sister Picca, passed away last August. He's never in his life been alone, and he does really poorly the few times I've had to isolate him. He needs bunny cuddles like he needs air to breathe, apparently.
Delilah is 3 years old, I got her two years ago. Her previous owner badly neglected her, socially. She was given sustenance, and left by herself in their basement in one of those standard rabbit cages. She came to me certifiably insane and so badly socialized she had no idea how to behave like a rabbit. Sometimes she still doesn't.
Now those two dysfunctions are coming together in the worst way possible: barbering. In the past two months, she's started barbering him--that is, ripping his fur out. The normal causes of barbering, like stress or boredom, are certainly possible... however, the way she's doing it is simply as if she's forgotten entirely how to groom properly. And Lahi's so lonely and desperate for cuddles he lets her. And once his shoulders are completely bare? She starts grabbing skin.
This is Lahi on March 11:
It's happened once before, so I knew enough to not let it escalate to the point that she would start biting skin, but before it was a sort of dominance battle with Picca--they couldn't decide between them who was more dominant, so they both tried to dominate Lahi frequently, mounting him while grabbing the fur on his shoulders-- but it only happened when all three of them were together. Once I separated him from them, or them from each other, it was fine. She hasn't done it at all since Picca passed away, and shortly after that she was spayed. So for her to start now...
The worst part is she usually does it when I'm not around. I tried separating them, and Lahi became miserable. I'd had to isolate him anyway, because he was undergoing antibiotic shots that had messed with his appetite (whole other story that got written up over here) and I needed to stop her from hogging all the food... but separating him completely made him so depressed his appetite went down anyway.
The vet identified what Delilah was doing as "barbering", explained that there's almost nothing that anyone could do, other than separate them. Permanently.
But I refused to give up! Neither of them can handle being alone, and hell no was I going to give either of them up (not that they're particularly adoptable anyway, given Lahi's age and Delilah's crazy) and my family will NOT go for any more rabbits to give them companions.
Thus bunny clothes.
I spent a long time trying to find clothes that fit. I mostly failed. This little Canada shirt is the best so far, and I slip a bunny harness through the leg holes to hold it in place. And it's working!
April 12:
His fur grew back almost completely! The vet was extremely impressed with me, and congratulated me on such an innovative solution. I was also assured that it would do him no harm to wear it 24/7, his skin would be able to breathe just fine.
(Delilah then ripped a hole in the shirt right over the Canada symbol D: I patched it up but I am Not Happy with her. The patch is holding even better, and is slightly thicker which is good because when she can't grab his fur she'll sometimes scratch at his back in frustration. And poor Lahi just takes it.)
Except then this happened:
April 18
His shirt was on the whole time he was with Delilah! There were only a few days between his fur almost completely back and this!! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!
With all the fur loss he's been tested multiple times for medical reasons. He has no skin problems or pests causing it. The only think we can think of is that the harness over the shirt caused it to rub his fur off D:
I've since been searching far and wide for a shirt that will fit him better. Actually, I've been searching for clothes that will fit them for a long time, as Delilah in particular loves playing in the snow. But this is the first time that a good fit that he could wear long-term really mattered.
I found a knit shirt that has tummy and butt coverage.
I cut the sleeves off entirely, making an armhole that he wouldn't slip his foot up through every time he took a step. The harness, much looser this time, ensures that his feet don't slip out. The thicker knit ensures that the harness doesn't rub his shoulders.
And you know what happened? One morning not long after I put it on him I peered into the cage where he was cuddled up with Delilah, and though I thought I smelt a whiff of poo odour I dismissed it as their litter pan. That evening, the odour was worse, though I still couldn't see what was causing it, Lahi still looked fine, the sweater hadn't twisted out of place, his feet weren't caught inside it at all...
When I picked him up to examine him more thoroughly I discovered that one of his back feet had slipped in front of the belly band, which had then gone between his legs and caught all that day's poo in a awful mess.
The incriminating belly band:
Bunny bath time! (With warm water, gentle shampoo, a very thorough towelling with the hairdryer on low and a few hours relaxing in front of the fireplace, of course.)
So now I am trying very hard to find a better solution.
