Soft bedding ideas for older rabbit?

[Rikku]

My mini Rex is 8, and I’ve not cared for a rabbit this old personally before (we had rabbits when I was younger, but my mom was the main caregiver and we didn’t have access to a lot of the info that’s out there now, so I worry that asking her what she did may be a bit outdated in what is currently suggested for older rabbits.) I give him a quick health look over every morning and I haven’t noticed anything alarming health-wise.

He’s definitely slowed down and prefers to nap on his ikea bed (with a folded up plush blanket as a mattress) most of the day, and will flop in his night time enclosure more than he used to. The floor of his enclosure is covered in blankets and towels and in his litter box I layer a dog pee pad, a layer of soft absorbent bedding, and hay.

I really would like to make sure I’m giving him good soft, cushiony surfaces since he’s laying down so much more.
Does anyone have suggestions for additional or alternative/better ideas to make sure he’s nice and comfortable? Any tips on older rabbit care are also greatly appreciated!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I have carpet samples in their hutches--none of mine are chewers.

 

[Lucas the Bun 💕🐇]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/730738...-1-1&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&bes=1&col=1https://www.target.com/p/tunnel-cav...-cat-bed-s-boots-38-barkley-8482/-/A-76162235You could get this
or if your good with sewing you could make it.

 

[Blue eyes]

It sounds like you're already providing plenty of soft places.

8 isn't super old for a rabbit. 10-12 years of age is considered 'old' nowadays. We've had RO members with rabbits that made it into their upper teens.

 

[Diane R]

Memory foam dog bed? Oxbow joint supplements might help.

 

[JBun]

Arthritis is a common old age ailment to look out for. If you see signs of this, it's worth talking to your vet about treatment options(if you haven't needed to already). Early stages, starting adequan injections could be very beneficial in helping with the joint stiffness. Also meloxicam as an anti inflammatory helps. Some owners have also found glucosamine to be helpful.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Bone_diseases/Osteo/arthritis.htm (arthritis treatments in rabbits)

At some point you may need to provide a low sided litter box if he starts having trouble getting in(if you don't already have this). I just cut the front edge off one of mine, but you can also sometimes find some made with low sides.

Keeping an eye on eating and body condition/weight is also important. As they slow down, they also tend to not eat as much and start to lose weight. When this happens it may become necessary to start adding in higher calorie foods to help with weight gain. Switching to a higher protein alfalfa based pellet works for some rabbits. However, that can't be done for ones with bladder and kidney issues so other options are needed. Regular rolled oats may also be an option, though the extra carbs could lead to mushy poop issues for some rabbits I tried oats for one of my old rabbits and this is the problem I had, so I used black oil sunflower seeds instead and this seemed to work well in helping with weight gain but not lead to poop issues.

With soft things, just keep in mind that too soft will actually make it harder for them to get on and off of. So it's finding just the right balance of soft for comfort, but not too soft.

This link has some good info for dealing with issues in older rabbits and also for certain disabilities.
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/seniors.html

 

[poopandpee]

Memory foam dog bed? Oxbow joint supplements might help.

my disabled girl LOVES her memory foam mat and I do give her the joint support as well! Not sure if it's doing any difference tbh as I never started giving her the supplements soon after I got her.

 

[JBun]

my disabled girl LOVES her memory foam mat and I do give her the joint support as well! Not sure if it's doing any difference tbh as I never started giving her the supplements soon after I got her.

If a joint support is working, you should see a difference in the rabbits ease of movement and activity level. When their joints hurt, they are more stiff when they hop, and more reluctant to want to hop around. When my old bun was put on meloxicam for her arthritis, I could tell it was helping her because her movement changed. She seemed more fluid and less tight in her hopping, and her activity increased. So there are subtle changes you can see if you watch closely. I did try adequan too, but by the time I started it with her, I think it was too late to help. Another RO member started his old bun on it and he said it made a huge difference with her. She because a lot more active again.

 

[poopandpee]

@JBun I did read good reviews on joint support yes, which was why I bought them for her.
Winter (bad for joints) has just passed and during that time her back legs were up and down, some days were really bad but she's still slugging around, some days she was good.

I took her to the vet las month and the vet says it seems her legs have gone worst.
For the past few weeks I have seen improvement, hopefully due to the warmer weather.