My rabbits are a state

[Charliebun]

Please no judgment, I’m just feeling down and reaching out for advice. I’m going to post the problems with my rabbits and what I have tried to do. They just don’t seem healthy/cared for and I don’t know what to do anymore. Two bonded Lionheads aged 5.

They are fat and they don’t move -
They live in the spare bedroom which is a good sized room. They have things to hide under/in, litter tray, toys cardboard boxes etc. They are home alone in the day and I leave the door open but they don’t come out other than to occasionally hide under the bed in the main bedroom. If we bring them downstairs they run straight back up, if we put them in the garden they hide under something and stay there. Since they were tiny they have had so much space but they have never been interested in exploring etc. They just want to stay in the spare room sitting.

One of them has a bottom problem -
He gets poo stuck in all the fur round his bottom sometimes covering his anus. Once a week I have to very carefully clean it and cut off the big lumps. I’ve tried all different tweaks with food, including ordering expensive hay and hay pellets from a small, company, and cutting things out to try to eliminate triggers. My other rabbit doesn’t get this at all. They get matts round their bottom and previously I’ve had the vet remove it, it’s really hard to brush round there, they will tolerate for a few mins but this time is usually used up by bottom cleaning.

Fleas -
They get fleas this time of year, i flea treat every three weeks and I Hoover daily, it’s like a constant war between me and the fleas in summer.

Honestly I feel they are fat, matted, dirty bottoms and fleas and I’m at my wits end. I have tried so hard to give them what they need.

I am financially comfortable so always use vets and have them flea treated etc. I spend a lot of money on hay and toys which are often untouched. They have a whole bedroom but they rarely move, I go in and spend time near them every day, but they are uninterested.

It just seems they have no quality of life and don’t know what else to do. Any idea what is going on here?

 

[JBun]

How long have they been with you? Have they always preferred staying in their room, or has that changed at all from when they first came to live with you? Have they ever been more interactive with you? Has the poopy bum always been a problem or did it start later, and how long ago did it start?

Can you go into more detail about their current diet. What brand/type of pellets do they get and what amount do they eat each day? What hay are they fed, what cut is it (soft, coarse, mix of soft/coarse) and what amount do they eat each day (eg pile the size of their body)? Does one rabbit eat more hay than the other? What veggies/greens/forage are they fed, any sugary or high carb foods, any supplements?

What foods have you tried changing or eliminating? Have you tried a grass hay only diet at any point, and if so, for how long? Any improvement at all with the poopy bum issues, with any of the diet changes?

Have they ever had a fecal float test done to check for parasites? Have they ever had a blood test done to check liver and kidney values?

 

[beachpaws]

Please no judgment, I’m just feeling down and reaching out for advice. I’m going to post the problems with my rabbits and what I have tried to do. They just don’t seem healthy/cared for and I don’t know what to do anymore. Two bonded Lionheads aged 5.

They are fat and they don’t move -
They live in the spare bedroom which is a good sized room. They have things to hide under/in, litter tray, toys cardboard boxes etc. They are home alone in the day and I leave the door open but they don’t come out other than to occasionally hide under the bed in the main bedroom. If we bring them downstairs they run straight back up, if we put them in the garden they hide under something and stay there. Since they were tiny they have had so much space but they have never been interested in exploring etc. They just want to stay in the spare room sitting.

One of them has a bottom problem -
He gets poo stuck in all the fur round his bottom sometimes covering his anus. Once a week I have to very carefully clean it and cut off the big lumps. I’ve tried all different tweaks with food, including ordering expensive hay and hay pellets from a small, company, and cutting things out to try to eliminate triggers. My other rabbit doesn’t get this at all. They get matts round their bottom and previously I’ve had the vet remove it, it’s really hard to brush round there, they will tolerate for a few mins but this time is usually used up by bottom cleaning.

Fleas -
They get fleas this time of year, i flea treat every three weeks and I Hoover daily, it’s like a constant war between me and the fleas in summer.

Honestly I feel they are fat, matted, dirty bottoms and fleas and I’m at my wits end. I have tried so hard to give them what they need.

I am financially comfortable so always use vets and have them flea treated etc. I spend a lot of money on hay and toys which are often untouched. They have a whole bedroom but they rarely move, I go in and spend time near them every day, but they are uninterested.

It just seems they have no quality of life and don’t know what else to do. Any idea what is going on here?

Hi
I’m so sorry you are going through this. I have two lion head girls who are sisters and bonded to each other. They have no interest in spending any time with anyone but themselves. I love them dearly and provide the best of everything with no expectations. I just wanted to share that not all bunnies are interested in human interaction unless it’s chow time.
As far as fleas, my vet prescribed revolution for them and I have never had one flea on them at all and they have an outside play house with grass around it! They frolic in the grass but the fleas stay away. I would suggest talking to your vet about. Revolution.
I don’t have any experience with the poo problem so I can’t offer any advice there.
Just posting your issues proves that you are a good pet parent trying to provide the best you can!

 

[New2RabbitsDonna63]

I agree. No judgment here. I am first time bunny owner. I have considered getting a second rabbit for Peatys companionship but I know that with cats, tropical birds etc if they are a pair they prefer their own kind over a human.
We got our bunny from the Humane Society. Hw was 2 years old. He was part of a pair but were separated upon surrender.
I'm sad for my boy but he is very interested, affectionate and happily settled as an only child.
What do the other members think about splitting up the bunnies? Would that be cruel or possibly they would be more active and interactive when single?

 

[Charliebun]

Hi
I’m so sorry you are going through this. I have two lion head girls who are sisters and bonded to each other. They have no interest in spending any time with anyone but themselves. I love them dearly and provide the best of everything with no expectations. I just wanted to share that not all bunnies are interested in human interaction unless it’s chow time.
As far as fleas, my vet prescribed revolution for them and I have never had one flea on them at all and they have an outside play house with grass around it! They frolic in the grass but the fleas stay away. I would suggest talking to your vet about. Revolution.
I don’t have any experience with the poo problem so I can’t offer any advice there.
Just posting your issues proves that you are a good pet parent trying to provide the best you can!

Thankyou that’s reassuring. I don’t mind them doing their own thing, like you I have no expectations, I just worry it’s not much of a life sitting there all day. I will look into the revolution. Thankyou for being kind, I do try but I just feel they don’t look great. I wish mine would frolic in the grass!

 

[Charliebun]

How long have they been with you? Have they always preferred staying in their room, or has that changed at all from when they first came to live with you? Have they ever been more interactive with you? Has the poopy bum always been a problem or did it start later, and how long ago did it start?

Can you go into more detail about their current diet. What brand/type of pellets do they get and what amount do they eat each day? What hay are they fed, what cut is it (soft, coarse, mix of soft/coarse) and what amount do they eat each day (eg pile the size of their body)? Does one rabbit eat more hay than the other? What veggies/greens/forage are they fed, any sugary or high carb foods, any supplements?

What foods have you tried changing or eliminating? Have you tried a grass hay only diet at any point, and if so, for how long? Any improvement at all with the poopy bum issues, with any of the diet changes?

Have they ever had a fecal float test done to check for parasites? Have they ever had a blood test done to check liver and kidney values?

Thankyou for replying, I’ll try to answer the questions in order.
We have had them for 5.years since they were small. They have always preferred their own space and never been too interested in us, however they did used to be more lively, they would chase eachother round the room, they would go into other upstairs rooms when we were not around, for example once they found a loose bit of wallpaper and stripped the bottom of the wall within a couple of hours, obviously this is not ideal but it’s a throwback to being more lively.

The poopy bum has been a problem for the last few years but not as a young rabbit. Your questions have made me reflect and now I’m thinking it’s possible the poopy bum started when he started to put on weight, I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but if that’s the case then maybe he cant clean the bum? But it’s odd that the other rabbit is fine and they are both a bit fat.

They have Burgess excel adult rabbit nuggets, and I just pour a bowlful. I’m aware I’m possibly going to face judgement here but I’m open to constructive criticism as I really do feel that I have two animals that don’t look great and I’m highly uncomfortable and worried about it. They look fat and matted again on the bottom and just genuinely not great at all. I found a specialist hay company on Etsy and tried all sorts, second cut hay, meadow hay, orchard hay, milled Timothy hay etc. they didn’t show any more interest so I’ve stuck with a cheaper hay from supermarket they have a litter tray set up with a built in hay feeder, so I’m not sure how much they eat. They are picky with veg and won’t touch anything other than leafy greens. They have kale, Cavalo nero, various types of cabbage. They have 2 treat biscuits each at night time, it’s the only time they get exited and they crowd round my feet for them, these are tiny friends farm carrot crunchers and say they are made with grains and vegetables. I have tried eliminating pellets with no difference and vegetables which made a small improvement.
I haven’t tried a hay only diet. I feel I would struggle with it as food is the only thing they feet exited about and I’m worried about quality of life.
They have never had fecal or blood tests. They have been to the vets for sorting matts and cutting claws, and the vets have never mentioned it.
Thankyou again for taking the time to reply.

 

[JBun]

Even when rabbits are overweight, that doesn't necessarily affect poop sticking to their bum, as you can see with your other rabbit not having the same problem. Most often mushy poop sticking to the bum is from the rabbits cecotropes not forming properly into the normal blackberry type clusters, and coming out semi-formed or pasty. The exception to this is when they do come out properly formed, but the rabbit doesn't consume it and it gets stepped on and smooshed afterwards. Which can sometimes happen when rabbits are overweight and have difficulty reaching down there, but usually the cecals get smooshed into the feet and not as much the bum.

https://bunssb.org/bunnies/guide-bunny-poops/

This also has to be differentiated from true diarrhea, where there aren't normal fecal balls being produced really, but the fecal balls are mushy or watery (or mixed with mushy) as well. Which this is usually an emergency when this happens.

But mushy cecotropes, or intermittent soft cecotropes, is usually not an emergency and is usually due to a diet issue. Most often it's caused by a diet too high in sugars/carbs, and too low in fiber, but sometimes there can be other causes like a sensitivity to a particular veg/greens or fresh early growth grass that's too quickly introduced or fed too much of, the hay is too soft and too rich of a cut (eg third hay cutting), excess stress, or sometimes health issues like intestinal parasites or a problem with the liver. But when there aren't other indicators of a health issue being the cause and the rabbit isn't overly stressed by anything, it becomes a matter of trying to figure out which part of the diet might be the cause.

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952892

It could be your rabbit is sensitive to one or more of the veg you're feeding, or it could be the pellets and treat are giving your rabbit too many carbs in the diet and not enough fiber. You said you tried eliminating pellets, and then the vegetables. This was done separately at different times? How long were these cut out of the diet? Were they completely eliminated for that period of time? What about the little treat you feed? Have you ever tried eliminating that as well? How big of a treat is it (half teaspoon, teaspoon, etc)? Give as much detail about this diet elimination as possible, as diet is likely the cause of the mushy cecotropes and it will help to work out which part of the diet is triggering this.

 

[Diane R]

Vicious cycle, get fat, less inclined to exercise, get fatter,... They don't need more than 1 tbsp pellets a day. I would cut out pellets altogether for a good few weeks at least, until the poop is consistently normal. It takes weeks or months even for the gut to rebalance. You do need to make sure they are eating lots of hay. A hay only diet, absolutely nothing else, would be best. Get a variety of good quality grass hay.

 

[Charliebun]

Thankyou for replying, I’ll try to answer the questions in order.
We have had them for 5.years since they were small. They have always preferred their own space and never been too interested in us, however they did used to be more lively, they would chase eachother round the room, they would go into other upstairs rooms when we were not around, for example once they found a loose bit of wallpaper and stripped the bottom of the wall within a couple of hours, obviously this is not ideal but it’s a throwback to being more lively.

The poopy bum has been a problem for the last few years but not as a young rabbit. Your questions have made me reflect and now I’m thinking it’s possible the poopy bum started when he started to put on weight, I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but if that’s the case then maybe he cant clean the bum? But it’s odd that the other rabbit is fine and they are both a bit fat.

They have Burgess excel adult rabbit nuggets, and I just pour a bowlful. I’m aware I’m possibly going to face judgement here but I’m open to constructive criticism as I really do feel that I have two animals that don’t look great and I’m highly uncomfortable and worried about it. I found a specialist hay company on Etsy and tried all sorts, second cut hay, meadow hay, orchard hay, milled Timothy hay etc. they didn’t show any more interest so I’ve stuck with a cheaper hay from supermarket they have a litter tray set up with a built in hay feeder, so I’m not sure how much they eat. They are picky with veg and won’t touch anything other than leafy greens. They have kale, Cavalo nero, various types of cabbage. They have 2 treat biscuits each at night time, it’s the only time they get exited and they crowd round my feet for them, these are tiny friends farm carrot crunchers and say they are made with grains and vegetables. I have tried eliminating pellets with no difference and vegetables which made a small improvement.
I haven’t tried a hay only diet. I feel I would struggle with it as food is the only thing they feet exited about and I’m worried about quality of life.
They have never had fecal or blood tests. They have been to the vets for sorting matts and cutting claws, and the vets have never mentioned it.
Thankyou again for taking the time to reply.

Vicious cycle, get fat, less inclined to exercise, get fatter,... They don't need more than 1 tbsp pellets a day. I would cut out pellets altogether for a good few weeks at least, until the poop is consistently normal. It takes weeks or months even for the gut to rebalance. You do need to make sure they are eating lots of hay. A hay only diet, absolutely nothing else, would be best. Get a variety of good quality grass hay.

I know you are probably going to tell me I’m ridiculous and I know your advice is right.
I feel a bit mean to suddenly only give them hay, I feel like food is the only thing they really enjoy. Also if they suddenly have loads of energy what will they do? The room is quite large and they do have access to whole of upstairs in the day. They are not that interested in toys apart from cardboard boxes and these little wicker balls they chew up.
I know you are right I’m just really struggling with the idea of just hay, I feel like they do nothing all day and now they don’t even have food to enjoy?

 

[Charliebun]

Even when rabbits are overweight, that doesn't necessarily affect poop sticking to their bum, as you can see with your other rabbit not having the same problem. Most often mushy poop sticking to the bum is from the rabbits cecotropes not forming properly into the normal blackberry type clusters, and coming out semi-formed or pasty. The exception to this is when they do come out properly formed, but the rabbit doesn't consume it and it gets stepped on and smooshed afterwards. Which can sometimes happen when rabbits are overweight and have difficulty reaching down there, but usually the cecals get smooshed into the feet and not as much the bum.

https://bunssb.org/bunnies/guide-bunny-poops/

This also has to be differentiated from true diarrhea, where there aren't normal fecal balls being produced really, but the fecal balls are mushy or watery (or mixed with mushy) as well. Which this is usually an emergency when this happens.

But mushy cecotropes, or intermittent soft cecotropes, is usually not an emergency and is usually due to a diet issue. Most often it's caused by a diet too high in sugars/carbs, and too low in fiber, but sometimes there can be other causes like a sensitivity to a particular veg/greens or fresh early growth grass that's too quickly introduced or fed too much of, the hay is too soft and too rich of a cut (eg third hay cutting), excess stress, or sometimes health issues like intestinal parasites or a problem with the liver. But when there aren't other indicators of a health issue being the cause and the rabbit isn't overly stressed by anything, it becomes a matter of trying to figure out which part of the diet might be the cause.

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952892

It could be your rabbit is sensitive to one or more of the veg you're feeding, or it could be the pellets and treat are giving your rabbit too many carbs in the diet and not enough fiber. You said you tried eliminating pellets, and then the vegetables. This was done separately at different times? How long were these cut out of the diet? Were they completely eliminated for that period of time? What about the little treat you feed? Have you ever tried eliminating that as well? How big of a treat is it (half teaspoon, teaspoon, etc)? Give as much detail about this diet elimination as possible, as diet is likely the cause of the mushy cecotropes and it will help to work out which part of the diet is triggering this.

Thankyou so much for your detailed reply, it’s really informative and makes a lot of sense.
I tried eliminating the pellets for a few days, but substituted it by feeding extra greens etc.
I also eliminated the greens for a few days.
It sounds like I need to try eliminating them for a longer time period? I eliminated the pellets and veg at different times, but I felt bad so they did get more of the of the other types of food.
If it’s the that have to many carbs etc, why doesn’t the other rabbit get it, do you think one is just more sensitive? I once gave them carrots and his bottom exploded.
The treats are about the size of two teaspoons, a biscuit in a carrot shape. They get two in the evening and it’s the only time they ever get excited. I also often hide extra treats, for example filling a small cardboard box with packing paper and hiding the treats in it.
To be honest reading your reply makes me wander if I should try the elimination did again. I do cook chicken and rice which the dogs go mad for.

 

[Diane R]

I know you are probably going to tell me I’m ridiculous and I know your advice is right.
I feel a bit mean to suddenly only give them hay, I feel like food is the only thing they really enjoy. Also if they suddenly have loads of energy what will they do? The room is quite large and they do have access to whole of upstairs in the day. They are not that interested in toys apart from cardboard boxes and these little wicker balls they chew up.
I know you are right I’m just really struggling with the idea of just hay, I feel like they do nothing all day and now they don’t even have food to enjoy?

I would never say you are ridiculous! I have lived with house rabbits for 25 years and I still find it very hard. They are really complicated and fragile. I know it is really tough to stick to a hay only diet but you have to think of the long term benefits. If you feel guilty about it (I did when I had to do that), get really nice hay, several types and give fresh hay several times a day. You really do need to make sure they keep eating though. As they are overweight and not young you are not going to see a huge increase in activity levels but hopefully the dirty bum problem will be solved and they will be healthier. In a few weeks, if they are both OK, you can gradually introduce very small amounts of other foods.

 

[Bluemush]

Sounds like you love your bunnies very much. I had a couple of ideas as I read all the posts above. My bun is 2yrs old, I only have 1 and I give him everything and he hates to play with me, it has taken a long time to build trust so he only comes to me when he feels like it and that’s not often (when he wants some cuddles, his meal times which I stick to the schedule, when he is feeling particularly in need of some companion ship he will come and flop on my foot). To increase bonding and activities, I have used his favourite snacks to train him so he gets some movement such as hopping over my hand, hop onto my shoulder, giving high fives, standing on his tippy toes, turn around in ️, all these encourage movement. I live in a humid country and he stays in an ac room, so he doesn’t come out and run around as much as I want him too either.
So I usually let him out early in the morning or late at night which is when he comes out, lights are off (because otherwise he hides in his hidey house). As for the poopy bum issue, i think it’s the diet. My Peter has had gut issues too, so I totally stopped fruit treats, reduced the amount of vegetables and changed his hay to a high fibre one. All these changes I made over a few instances where is poop reduced in size or he would move his belly towards the floor or wouldn’t run around as much (learned these lessons hard way, through vet visits and gut stimulants and critical care at times). Too many worried instances and sleepless nights, so as painful as it was, I’ve had to make changes to his diet.
maybe you can slowly leash train them? Use their fav snack (carrot shaped biscuit) to get them to become more active. I hope what I have shared helps in some way.

 

[JBun]

It usually takes much longer than a few days of being off a triggering food, for gut microflora to return to normal. Especially if pellets/carbs and insufficient fiber are the cause, as the sugars can really alter that microflora. But a sensitivity to veg will usually resolve more quickly once the offending food is stopped. Plus, the longer the gut imbalance has been going on, the longer it can take to restore to normal.

Unfortunately removing all foods but grass hay is sometimes a necessary evil. You have to get down to basics, and the one food known to be the best for a rabbits gut health and the least problematic, is good grass hay. I know cutting out their tasty foods is hard, but it's necessary until you get this sorted and figure out which food is the likely cause.

Though there are a few ways you can go about this. I would start first with removing the veg. If the veg is the cause, you're likely to see pretty immediate improvement in a few days. If this happens and you start seeing the mushy poop clearing up, then you know one of the veg is the likely cause, then it just becomes a process of elimination to figure out which veg. And then you won't need to remove pellets or their little treat completely. Though I would agree with Diane R and still reduce their pellet amount to 1 tbsp each, per day, and reduce the treat amount to maybe half a piece, twice a day (or less). But this can be done gradually over a couple of weeks, so it's a less stressful and drastic change for them.

With the reduced pellets, you're likely to see them being more active, or at least actively eating hay much more often. They actually will spend a majority of their time and energy, just eating hay. Hay is less caloriclly dense than pellets, so it takes longer for a rabbit to eat the equivalent bulk in loose hay.

But if removing the veg doesn't really cause any or much of a change, removing or reducing pellets to 1 tbsp each, per day, and stopping their carrot treat, is the next step. Whether to just reduce, or stop pellets completely, will depend if you see improvement after reducing to a tbsp. If you don't see much or any improvement after a couple of weeks, then temporarily removing pellets would be my next step. And this can be necessary for several weeks to a month or two, for the gut microflora to return to normal. Though once you see improvement being off pellets and treats, as mentioned veg could probably start to be gradually added back in at that stage, since it will mean the pellets and/or treat, are the likely cause. But do only one veg at a time per week, starting with a small amount and only gradually increasing if there are no signs of digestive upset. And I would stick with herbs and leafy greens for a while, as these usually are the best tolerated.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/greens--veggies.html

www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Food/Herbs/herbs_en.htm

www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Food/Veg/Veg_en.htm

Yes, some rabbits can just develop a sensitivity to excess carbs in the diet. It can happen from the time they're young, or they can develop the issue as they get older. I've had rabbits that could pretty much eat anything and be fine, and others that couldn't even tolerate the smallest amount of pellets or treats without getting sick, from when they were young, or developing the sensitivity later in life.

If you're worried about suddenly stopping or reducing pellets, and their carrot treat, being too upsetting, this can be done gradually over a couple of weeks. There doesn't seem to be an immediate urgency to stop these foods right away, since this has been going on for quite some time. And a gradual change would be less stressful and upsetting to them. Also offer a salt lick when pellets are stopped, as they won't be getting their necessary dietary sodium from their pellets anymore.

There are a few things you do need to closely monitor whenever changes to the diet are made. Like Diane R mentions, you need to make sure they start eating more of their hay and are eating it really well. As you decrease the pellets, their hay consumption should increase. They should be eating a pile of hay the size of their body, per day at a minimum, but will likely eat more than that as their pellet amount gets down to 1 tbsp. Their hay consumption might be easier to monitor by placing their hay on the floor or in a corner of their litter box. Just somewhere it's easy for them to eat it, and easy for you to see the amount being eaten. And it can help encourage more hay eating to add a little bit of fresh hay to the pile a couple of times a day.

And there should always be hay available, so not let it run out, and not including any hay that might be soiled in their litter box, as being available. So free fed, but you can put a small pile in to be able to monitor amounts consumed, then just topping off through the day, as you get a feel for how much they're actually eating.

The other thing to keep an eye on is their weight and body condition. Right now it's not an issue as they need to lose weight, but you just want to make sure that this levels out and no unhealthy weight loss occurs. It's important to monitor body condition any time changes to a rabbits diet are made.

Monitoring your rabbits weight

Hay quality is also important when rabbits are on a reduced or no pellet diet. You want good quality grass hay (no mold, no noxious weeds, no chemicals), and it's best if the hay is a medium coarse hay that's a mix of soft strands and hard stems. The reason being is that a very coarse hay is too devoid of nutrients when rabbits are on a limited pellet diet, and this could lead to serious health complications from the lack of sufficient protein and nutrients. And with feeding a really soft grass hay like third cutting, this can sometimes be too rich of a hay cut and lead to poop issues from the excess nutrients and minimal indigestible fiber. I've found a second cutting, that's mostly soft strands but a good amount of crunchy stems, has the best balance of indigestible fiber and necessary nutrients. But of course this also depends on what hay your rabbits will eat well. As long as it's not too coarse of a hay, it's sometimes whatever hay the rabbits will eat well.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Hay

So this is what I'd suggest and is also what I've done to resolve my own rabbits GI issues. It's always worked for me.

 

[Orrin]

One of our six rabbits would have one episode of poopy-butt after the other. We switched to timothy-based pellets (instead of alfalfa-based) and that eliminated the problem, immediately.

Shop around for timothy-based pellets. Our local pet store supplies them; but, we found a reliable and reasonably-priced supplier on line. They cost a bit more than run-of-the-mill pellets; but, in the long run it is the best way to go.

As for the behavior, make sure that your buns have places to hide everywhere they go. Obviously, they feel safest where they spend the most time. If they don't have "hidey holes" they won't feel safe. Cardboard boxes are all you need; just be sure to have two openings so they won't feel trapped in them.

 

[Orrin]

As for the behavior, make sure that your buns have places to hide everywhere they go. Obviously, they feel safest where they spend the most time. If they don't have "hidey holes" they won't feel safe. Cardboard boxes are all you need; just be sure to have two openings so they won't feel trapped in them.

I might add that we coax our rabbits out and about with daily rituals that take them from one room to another. For instance, at breakfast time we call them and when they come they are rewarded with bits of banana. They love it!

Just before bedtime I break a few Meadow Loops into pieces and hide it in their hay. It's yet another thing they look forward to; they love coming out of their room to search the hay. You might not have a way of letting your rabbits outdoors; but, for us we open the door bright and early every morning. They look forward to it and are usually waiting at the door before I even get out of bed.

All of our buns have daily routines that they look forward to and give them incentives to go places.

 

[Jennifer1111]

Please no judgment, I’m just feeling down and reaching out for advice. I’m going to post the problems with my rabbits and what I have tried to do. They just don’t seem healthy/cared for and I don’t know what to do anymore. Two bonded Lionheads aged 5.

They are fat and they don’t move -
They live in the spare bedroom which is a good sized room. They have things to hide under/in, litter tray, toys cardboard boxes etc. They are home alone in the day and I leave the door open but they don’t come out other than to occasionally hide under the bed in the main bedroom. If we bring them downstairs they run straight back up, if we put them in the garden they hide under something and stay there. Since they were tiny they have had so much space but they have never been interested in exploring etc. They just want to stay in the spare room sitting.

One of them has a bottom problem -
He gets poo stuck in all the fur round his bottom sometimes covering his anus. Once a week I have to very carefully clean it and cut off the big lumps. I’ve tried all different tweaks with food, including ordering expensive hay and hay pellets from a small, company, and cutting things out to try to eliminate triggers. My other rabbit doesn’t get this at all. They get matts round their bottom and previously I’ve had the vet remove it, it’s really hard to brush round there, they will tolerate for a few mins but this time is usually used up by bottom cleaning.

Fleas -
They get fleas this time of year, i flea treat every three weeks and I Hoover daily, it’s like a constant war between me and the fleas in summer.

Honestly I feel they are fat, matted, dirty bottoms and fleas and I’m at my wits end. I have tried so hard to give them what they need.

I am financially comfortable so always use vets and have them flea treated etc. I spend a lot of money on hay and toys which are often untouched. They have a whole bedroom but they rarely move, I go in and spend time near them every day, but they are uninterested.

It just seems they have no quality of life and don’t know what else to do. Any idea what is going on here?

You just totally spoke my mind. I too have a Lionhead (just 1 though) with the exact same poo problem and fleas. The poo I think I’ve figured out though. Fruits. I was giving my bun a blueberry a day as a treat and after I subtracted that, the poo issue cleared up. Bunnys need a dry diet so perhaps it’s something you’re feeding your hoppin beauties too?

The fleas though. Omg. My nightmare. My bun has full run of our home (only pet) and since the fleas started coming around, he’s been confined to his play yard in the living room. I feel your aggravation with that. Vacuum, vacuum, Vacuum is all I seem to get done on the daily.

 

[New2RabbitsDonna63]

I like the idea of putting on a harness and leash and seeing if they would move around outside.

Sounds like you love your bunnies very much. I had a couple of ideas as I read all the posts above. My bun is 2yrs old, I only have 1 and I give him everything and he hates to play with me, it has taken a long time to build trust so he only comes to me when he feels like it and that’s not often (when he wants some cuddles, his meal times which I stick to the schedule, when he is feeling particularly in need of some companion ship he will come and flop on my foot). To increase bonding and activities, I have used his favourite snacks to train him so he gets some movement such as hopping over my hand, hop onto my shoulder, giving high fives, standing on his tippy toes, turn around in ️, all these encourage movement. I live in a humid country and he stays in an ac room, so he doesn’t come out and run around as much as I want him too either.
So I usually let him out early in the morning or late at night which is when he comes out, lights are off (because otherwise he hides in his hidey house). As for the poopy bum issue, i think it’s the diet. My Peter has had gut issues too, so I totally stopped fruit treats, reduced the amount of vegetables and changed his hay to a high fibre one. All these changes I made over a few instances where is poop reduced in size or he would move his belly towards the floor or wouldn’t run around as much (learned these lessons hard way, through vet visits and gut stimulants and critical care at times). Too many worried instances and sleepless nights, so as painful as it was, I’ve had to make changes to his diet.
maybe you can slowly leash train them? Use their fav snack (carrot shaped biscuit) to get them to become more active. I hope what I have shared helps in some way.

 

[Diane R]

 

[Blue eyes]

I agree that a leash/harness is not an effective way for a rabbit to get exercise. I go into more detail here at my site on the reasons and the potential dangers. Rabbits get their best exercise where they are comfortable and feel safe. A room (or more) that has decent floor traction will allow them to run, binky, and dash about.

 

[bright_eyes]

I don’t mind them doing their own thing, like you I have no expectations, I just worry it’s not much of a life sitting there all day.

You've received some great info here on the issues you guys are experiencing, so I'll try and avoid being redundant, but I wanted to chime in on this comment.

Rabbits are prey animals, and while they are intelligent beings with souls, they are also still very primitive and instinct motivated. Rabbits just want to feel safe and most of them appreciate quiet time. Having the ability and confidence to just "sit around" and not be in a constant state of hypervigilance is a big deal (and blessing) for a prey animal. If you're giving them the option to hop around on flooring with great traction, getting control of their diets to manage their weight since they're more sedentary, it's okay that they're content to relax for most of the day. They're not old by any means, but they're also not juvenile bunnies who need to play and race around all the time.