Sebastian's Fashions

[JBun]

It can take some buns a little time to get used to their new homes. Sounds like he's coming around.

 

[holtzchick]

Sebastian is beautiful! I also think Belgian Hares have an elegance to them! I don't know too much about them so off to google that. Looking forward to many more posts!

 

[agnesthelion]

I love his ears!!!

And yes my buns are REALLY lazy in the afternoons. It's like their both drugged

 

[ldoerr]

He is BEAUTIFUL!! It might just take him a little while to get used to you. It takes time and effort on your part, and working with him on a daily basis.

 

[MLS]

I've been sitting by his cage for bits at a time everyday(and sitting on my bed a lot, he's more comfortable with me on the bed than down on the floor strangely enough), he comes out sometimes and will go about his bunny business and I've managed to get a few pets in. I'm trying to have his cage door open as much as I can( all day today ) and I've covered my floor in fleece and blocked off my closet but he hasn't been brave enough to come out for more than a second. I've got a bit of hay to tempt him out so hopefully he'll learn that he's allowed out soon enough. I'm trying not to rush anything and just sticking to hanging out near his cage for now.

Should I be doing other things as well to convince him I'm not going to eat him? lol Like I said, I sit by his cage and talk to him and I'm in my room/on the bed for awhile every day. I'm pretty happy that he's comfortable enough to be grooming and eating in front of me and even laying down so no problems there, just wondering if there's other things I can do

As for new happenings, today I changed his litterbox and vacuumed and he took it like a champ. Ran into his boxhouse but came out shortly after everything was put back and didn't seen too put off by it. He sneezed a bit after I vacuumed, do rabbits sneeze from stress like rats do? I only ask because rats tend to get sneezy when stressed and I was wondering if it was a similar reaction in bunnies or if he just happened to have a tickle in his nose.

 

[Imbrium]

could easily have been a little dust kicked up by the vacuum or something

 

[qtipthebun]

Those ears!! He's so adorable! I wish Q-tip would take some lessons from him where the vacuum is concerned!!!

 

[MLS]

His ears are really the silliest thing to me lol Yesterday night he actually came out of his cage and had a bit of free time so hurray for that. However, his sneezing hasn't stopped ( though it has slowed down ) and I'm getting a little concerned ( over paranoid new mom syndrome lol ) so I think I'll be calling the vet's office tomorrow and getting an appointment for next weekend. I was planning on getting a general wellness check done soon anyway so this isn't too big of a deal. I'll try and get a better look at his nose today if he'll let me. Here's hoping he hasn't caught something already!

 

[ldoerr]

Hope that he is ok

 

[Kipcha]

Peace sneezes a lot as well, but whenever we have taken him in to the vet he has never been diagnosed with any kind of URI or anything. I remember people mentioning a few times that Belgian Hares have a much more narrow chest cavity then most rabbits, so we have wondered if that can play a part in it. Is there any dischage or any sound of congestion? Peace will go through dry fits of sneezing, mostly when he gets mad when we're cleaning his cage, but nothing is wrong with him as far as illness goes.

 

[MLS]

( Ooops computer mess up posted the same thing 3 times )

 

[MLS]

( Ooops computer mess up posted the same thing 3 times )

 

[MLS]

I've got a vet appointment set up for Thursday, and even if he wasn't worrying me I would have taken him in for a general wellness check.

I don't think there's any discharge from his nose however, I tried to pick him up earlier to check closer and he was absolutely terrified so I put him back down before getting a really good look. Once he was back down while he was breathing hard you could hear a bit of squeaking so there might be a bit of congestion. He's still eating and drinking but I noticed he hasn't really touched his toys at all today whereas before he would shred a good deal. Here's hoping he's just got a slight funk and I'm just overreacting.

Can rabbits have allergies to different foods? I'm trying to think of anything that had changed before the sneezing started and really the only thing is cleaning out his cage and starting to transition him onto Oxbow pellets from what his breeder was feeding him.

Also, do any of you think taking away his cardboard house for a bit would help him feel more confident? He tends to just disappear into it as soon as I walk into the room. Sorry if that's a silly question but I'm more used to rats and for untame/flighty rats a bit of "forced" socialization does wonders for their trust in people. I'm not going to force anything on Seb, but would giving him less of an option to hide help him be less afraid when I walk into the room?

 

[agnesthelion]

I have no idea about allergies in rabbits. It's good you have a vet appt. to get his sneezing checked out. I hope it's nothing!

As far as him being scared, I would not take away the hide box. I do see your theory with forced socialization, but not sure that's a good idea for rabbits. They need to FEEL secure to bond so taking away a security or hiding box could work against that.

I think it's his breed. Belgians are just spooked easier than other breeds. I've read that keeping a radio or TV on can help acclimate them to noise. Also, is his cage where he can see you alot? Sometimes it helps rabbits to see you go about your day and that you aren't a threat to them. Otherwise, I would just encourage more time and patience. Sounds like he just may take awhile to trust you.

 

[MLS]

Thanks for the reply His cage is right by my bed so there's no real shortage of him seeing me around. I'll try to keep the bedroom door open a bit and maybe him seeing us going around the living room will help spook him less than the door suddenly opening and BAM people. Noise doesn't seem to bother him, I can have a movie playing or a car alarm can go off and he doesn't even blink but its just seeing movement that immediately sends him running. Once I know he's not sick, I'll be way more at ease with letting him warm up to me at his own pace. Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I'm not doing anything horribly wrong!

 

[agnesthelion]

Don't apologize for the questions I ask a million on here too! Its great to get other rabbit lovers perspectives on things.
You aren't doing anything wrong at all. You can tell that you care very much about his well being.
Since I've gotten a second rabbit it has really put it in perspective how different each and every rabbit is. Their personalities are so unique. You never know, he could just be a more on edge guy. My Archie is definetely like that more as compared to Agnes who is so chill.
Keep doing what you are doing and I'm sure Sebastian will end up being the best he can be

 

[JBun]

double post

 

[JBun]

If there's room, you could try sitting in his playpen with him. Just sit in there and read or use your laptop, and just ignore him, and see what he'll do. If he gets veggies, you could try hand feeding him his veggies, or if that's too much for him, just put his veggies in a bowl next to you, so he'll have to approsch you to get them. Don't try to touch or pet him yet. You just want him to feel brave enough to approach you.

 

[ldoerr]

Jenny's idea sounds like a good idea to me.

 

[MLS]

Hi everyone! Just a quick update, vet visit went wonderfully and Seb is all clear. The sneezing is just random sneezes, he's got no congestion nothing. And he was also complemented on his nice coat and teeth We got an estimate for a neuter in a few months and I'll have a longer update soon as there's actually a funny vet story.