Petfinder.com forums :: View topic - Rabbit Adoption & Care w/Joanna Campbell!! Feb. 15-21st [ ]

We are so excited to welcome back Joanna Campbell of the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society!! In honor of February's Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month, Joanna has graciously returned to answer all your questions on rabbit care and training.

Joanna has had pet rabbits for over 30yrs. She got the rabbit bug after a fellow student brought rabbits to class for show and tell. Since then, she has continuously had a variety of rabbits, from Dwarves to Flemish Giants. Joanna first became acquainted with the House Rabbit Society in 1997. She went on to become a nationally certified HRS educator, HRS fosterer and served on the House Rabbit Society Board. At the same time, she founded the Minnesota House Rabbit Society now called the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society, where she currently serves as the group’s president.

So join us with your many bunny questions from February 15th to the 21st and welcome back Joanna!!

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 7:48 pm Post subject:

Jumping in early...

Welcome Joanna, and thanks for being here.

I an not considering a rabbit as a pet, but I did have a few questions anyway.

I had some questions regarding bunny-proofing an area, to make it safe.

How would that differ from dog- or cat-proofing?

Are there anythings that would be of particular danger to a bunny that people may not realize are dangerous?

Also, what would you expect your vet to "do" as part of an vet visit? What kinds of shots would be suggested? What testing, if any, would be performed as part of a regular health exam?

What health benefit does neutering your rabbit provide?

Do I ask too many questions?

Joanna's Answer:

For someone not considering a rabbit as a pet, you ask some great questions!

In terms of bunny-proofing, probably the biggest difference is that bunnies can get into and under things much smaller than most dogs and cats. So, in addition to the usual things you'd do for dogs and cats, you want to get down on the floor and look at the world as a bunny would see it. You might not have noticed there is room under your dresser, your couch, or your cupboards for a bunny to get into! You want to either block access to these things or find a way that the bun can interact with them safely. Maybe you don't mind if the bun gets under the couch - and that's fine then (until you want the bun to go back into their cage for the evening and they refuse to come out, of course). You wouldn't be the first bunny owner to have to move the couch to get the bunny out.

Also, probably more than most dogs or cats, the two things a bunny will do often is dig and chew. Digging is a natural behavior for them - especially in corners or covered areas. This is especially hard on carpet, but not always nice on hardwood floors, either. Chewing can occur on literally anything, but is most common on wood, fabric, plants and electrical wires. If you don't want it chewed on, best to cover it or remove it from the bunny's area. There are lots of tips on the internet on specific bunny-proofing strategies, depending on what you are trying to protect.

And once you think the area is bunny-safe, you let the bunny out under supervision as they will quickly point out any areas you might have missed! Smile

The most common things bunnies encounter that people often don't fully realize the dangers are houseplants and electrical wires. Most houseplants are toxic or poisonous to rabbits, so the safest route is to keep them away from bunnies. Electrical wires can deliver quite a zap to a curious bunny and the remaining wires are then damaged creating a potential fire hazard to humans. Plus, they are hard to completely remove from the bunny's area and are often on the ground in the perfect chew zone. Best to cover them with plastic and check them frequently to make sure the plastic doesn't need to be replaced.

Having said all that makes bunnies sound horribly destructive, which isn't really fair to them. Chewing & digging come naturally - they just need suitable diversions for these behaviors. There are all sorts of toys for bunnies that help channel these behaviors appropriately. Bunny-proofing is more to keep the bunny safe.

Vet visits -
Normally during a 'well-bunny' exam, a vet will check the bunny from nose to tail for any abnormalities. They will look for discharge from eyes/nose, check the ears, check the teeth (which grow continuously), check their genital/tail area, and a general once over on the rest of the body. They also palpate the abdomen, where they can feel a number of things about how the internal organs are. They also usually ask the owner a lot of questions about diet and normal behaviors as well. There are no shots required (or given) to rabbits in the US - although in other parts of the world, there are different vaccinations either required or given routinely. However, an annual exam is still recommended both because it is good to have a relationship with a veterinarian prior to having a health crisis and because bunny teeth grow constantly and a problem can develop that you are unaware of til it hits a crisis point.

In terms of tests, that depends somewhat on the age and general health of your rabbit. In general, if your rabbit is otherwise healthy, we don't routinely do any tests until the buns get to be 7 or 8 yrs old. Then, we like to do a senior blood panel for a baseline. Sometimes, we will also do a full-body Xray to also establish a baseline. Then, there is a basis for comparison if there are future health problems.

Other tests that are commonly performed on rabbits to help diagnose health problems:

* blood tests - help show how well specific internal organs are functioning
* fecal float - can diagnose intestinal parasites
* urinalysis - another diagnostic for specific internal organs as well as to determine if there might be infection present
* culture & sensitivity - usually done when infection is present. You culture to grow the bacteria and then do a sensitivity test to determine what antibiotics are effective at killing the bacteria present.
* x-rays - can show an internal picture of the bunny's organs/bones to help with diagnostics

Health benefits of neutering -
There are many benefits - some directly related to the bunny's health and some that humans greatly appreciate as well. First, while neutering is often used to refer to sterilizing a male, let's assume the more general use of it and include sterilizing females (often referred to as spaying). Then, let's consider what rabbits are best known for - reproducing. As such, the hormonal drive in rabbits is very high. It can literally rule their world in many ways. Male rabbits that are not neutered have been known to mount anything & everything. Female rabbits that are not sterilized can be aggressive (defending their 'nest'). I often liken being an unsterilized female rabbit to having PMS 24/7. Ick.

So, neutering helps calm these hormones which simply has to add a level of sanity to the bunny's existence. Plus, because they are less territorial, they are more likely to successfully use their litterbox and not leave marking poops/pee all over. They can also find a companion rabbit to live with without annoying the companion continuously with mating behavior, without making more bunnies, and with less likelihood of fighting. Having a friend hasn't been proven to have health benefits, but it certainly can't hurt.

And in addition to all those general benefits, there are also specific health benefits - especially for females who are at high risk of uterine cancer. Uterine abnormalities are very common in rabbits and the risk increases with age. We've had rabbits as young as one year old discovered to have uterine cancer when they were spayed. The good news is - if the cancer is still contained in the uterus, spaying is curative and eliminates the risk of future issues as well. In males, cancer is less of a concern but still a possibility (testicular, not uterine, of course). The more common reason to sterilize a male is because they are more inclined to spray, which is generally unappreciated by humans. Both male and female rabbits are less stinky after being sterilized as well. Rabbits themselves are clean animals, but despite what they might think, their pee and poop do smell - less so once they are sterilized. Wink

Hope that helps some. You ask great questions, so keep them coming if you have more! Smile

Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 11:13 pm Post subject:

Hi and thank you so much for being here! I have a mini rex and am considering adopting a second as companion. What is the best way to do an introduction? Once adopted is it best to house them separately for awhile? During the introduction any behavior that I should be cautious of?

Joanna's Answer:

Hi, bunbun -

Getting a friend for your single bunny is a great idea! First though, you didn't mention if your bun is already sterilized (spayed/neutered). If not, that is the first step as the hormones really play havoc on the bonding process. Plus, hormonal bunnies are less welcoming of a new friend onto their "territory" as well. You'll want to wait about 30 days after sterilization before proceeding with meeting new friends. This gives the hormones time to abate.

Assuming your mini rex is sterilized already, the best way to find a friend for you bunny is to let your bunny pick. Bunnies are every bit as opinionated about their friends as us humans are - so you can imagine that they don't usually appreciate any bunny that we happen to bring home to them. Hopefully, you live somewhere near a rabbit rescue or rabbit-knowledgable shelter where someone can help you by supervising introductions to a few potential companions. You'll bring your bunny and they'll do a bunny version of speed dating - meeting several potential companions in sequence. Based on those interactions, you'll have a better idea of which bunnies are a definite no-go and which have potential. You may need to try a few times as there is a limit of how many bunnies your bunny can stand to meet in any single session.

Generally during introductions, you'll see one of three things happen:

* Immediate dislike - within a minute or two, the buns will be clearly aggressive towards each other. This is a definite no-go. This happens only about 10% of the time.

* Love at first sight - the date is peaceable, the bunnies snuggle and groom, the choose to be with each other more than apart, its like they were finally united with their long lost best friend. This happens only about 10% of the time.

* Cautious civility - by far the most common interaction on being introduced. This can vary from virtually total avoidance to cautious approaches to investigate. Most humans find these dates boring, but that's not bad from the bunny perspective.

In any of the scenarios, you will likely see some mounting behavior as that is about communication and dominance to the bunnies. They are trying to work out who will be the boss - and that will likely take an extended time. So, you may see either bunny mount the other while they work things out.

We generally start with an opposite gender companion, but some buns will prefer a same-sex companion. You really have to put two buns together to figure out if they have any chance of being compatible. I've been doing this for many years and I still have no brilliant insight into what makes one bunny like this bun but not that bun.

Once your bunny (and you!) have selected the new companion bunny, you will indeed want to house them separately for a period of time. Ideally, you'll set them up side by side, where they can see & smell each other, but not interact directly. This gives them time to get to know each other. Be sure whenever you interact with them that you keep things as equal as possible - feed one first one day, the other first the next day. If you give treats, they both get one. You now have two 'kids' and they will act jealous if one gets more attention, treats, etc. Keep meetings relatively short until they have developed a record of good behavior and let them meet only on neutral territory.

This is the point where all the 'science' behind the introduction process turns into more of an art. There are many possible scenarios and far too many possibilities to cover in any one article. I would hope you would have either a local rabbit rescue or shelter that could answer questions as you progress through the process with your bunnies, as each experience is unique.

The number one thing I'd recommend though, is patience. The most common mistake we see people make is to rush the bunnies through the process. Let them set the pace and do your best to be patient and neutral throughout. They will work it out - your job is to simply keep them safe while they do. Only after they can consistently play together for hours on end can you consider housing them together.

Some links to bonding resources:

* The basics: http://www.mn.companionrabbit.org/rabbit/care/behavior/bonding.html

* Helpful do's & don'ts: http://www.mn.companionrabbit.org/rabbit/care/behavior/bonding_dos.html

* You can also go to www.rabbit.org and type "bonding" into the search box to come up with a number of helpful articles on bonding bunnies.

* If you are currently working through the bonding process, join our BunnyBonding email list - simply send a subscribe email to BunnyBonding-subscribe@yahoogroups.com . This list also welcomes anyone who has already bonded and wants to share what they've learned with others.

Good Luck!

Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 12:29 pm Post subject:

I'd like to add to bunbun's question.

We have 2 one year old bunnies. They are a male & a female from the same litter. They were adopted from a local shelter at 10 weeks of age. They shared a cage for a short time then were moved apart until the male was old enough for neutering. Once he recovered & his hormones calmed down they moved in together again. Once his sister was old enough for a spay they were seperated while she recovered from her surgery. Once she was recovered I tried letting them be together again - it won't work. While neither of them has gotten hurt I've had some nasty bites breaking up fights. They seem to want to kill each other. We've been trying some supervised together time each evening in a neutral location - like living room.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Joanna's Answer:

Hi Keltoicrone,

It is not at all uncommon for littermates to not get along once they reach sexual maturity/adulthood. Think humans - while you may love your siblings, would you really want to live with them forever? Wink

While it does work for a few, in general, not so much. Same with bunnies.

Baby bunnies are generally pretty agreeable creatures. They like you, their siblings, and just about everything. Heck, they even seem to like to be handled! Then, they hit adolescence and suddenly they are opinionated, defiant, difficult, etc. Its no wonder that two adolscents fight with each other.

In general, we don't encourage bonded littermates any longer. We've seen too many "unbond" as they grow to adulthood. And really, if you could live with your sibling for life or pick your own companion, which would you choose? You simply have better luck with two adult bunnies that have chosen each other. For that reason, one of the things I didn't mention in the previous article is that we generally don't recommend attempting introductions/bonding with buns younger than six months of age. Too many additional variables and too much risk the bond will not hold long-term.

But you already have your two bunnies, so the question is whether you can live with them as separate bunnies or not. There are many people that believe *any* two bunnies can be bonded. While I think that is probably true, I don't think that every person is capable of accomplishing this. Most people simply don't want to put up with too much aggression or pay the vet bills for repeated injuries. Plus, at some point, you have to wonder what the purpose is? If it is so your bunnies can be friends, well, they aren't. You could probably push through that to a level of detente, but they won't ever be as lovey-dovey as they could be with a different rabbit as their companion.

So, your options at this point:

* Drop the expectation that they will be friends and have two single bunnies. (possibly letting them each pick a companion at some later time)
* Determine they must bond and accept it will be a difficult, lengthy process.
* If neither of those options appeals, find a new home for one of the rabbits.

If you decide to proceed with bonding, I would take a break for awhile and let things cool down. Keep the buns where they can see & smell each other, but not interact. If they each run in the same space where they are housed, you want to put a double barrier around the caged bun so they can't 'fence fight' through the cage wire. This creates animosity and they will hold the grudge until they have the opportunity to take it out on the other bunny. When you do restart the process, go back to basics - neutral territory, short dates, etc. And since you know they have a history of biting, etc, be sure to protect yourself before starting a date - long sleeves, gloves, etc. Your job is to keep the bunnies safe from each other and you can't do that adequately if you are worried about getting hurt yourself. Also, have a spray bottle loaded with water or a squirt gun handy to be an alternate form of discipline for bad behaviors.

Finally, because they have a history built up, you might try applying just a touch of household vanilla flavoring to each of their noses before the dates. I don't know why this works, but for some bunnies, it can really help. At the least, it would mask the scent of the other bun enough to help drop any grudges they may have built up. You can also try doing a similar thing with Rescue Remedy: http://feelbach.com/pets.htm . It is a homeopathic remedy designed to help animals relax in times of stress. Bonding is stressful, so applying a little of this to the bun just before a date may help.

But, as I said before, every bonding process is unique and your best bet is really to find someone knowledgable who has Been There, Done That, to be a resource. If you don't have a local rabbit rescue, and your local shelter can't help, try our online email group on BunnyBonding. Just send an email to BunnyBonding-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:08 am Post subject:

Hello and thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. I have a family member who recently adopted a young rabbit (not sure of the breed). While the new bunny is very sweet, he seems to spend a lot of time sitting in his litter box and sometimes nibbles on the litter. Is this something we should be worried about? Is there something we can do to get him to spend less time in the litter box?

Joanna's Answer:

Hi, Zero -

The first thing that comes to mind is that some bunnies like to recline in comfort and they deem the litterbox more comfortable than the floor of the cage. For these bunnies, you can often get them out of their litterbox by simply giving them a second litterbox as a "lounge". They will often designate one as the bathroom and keep the other one relatively clean for relaxing in. This pleases the bunny and the humans as the bunny is no longer laying in the same place where they poop & pee.

The nibbling on the litter isn't necessarily concerning - but that depends significantly on what type of litter is being used. If the litter is paper or wood-based, then it shouldn't hurt the bunny to eat some of it. If it is clay litter - that is very bad for the bunny and I'd definitely change the litter as it isn't good even if the bunny doesn't eat it. If it is corn or wheat-based, then I would also recommend changing to either paper or wood-based litter. Corn & wheat litters are only good for use with bunnies that *don't* eat the litter. Here's a great article on the various pros/cons of different litters: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html.

Our favorite litter is pelleted wood. There are several brands in the cat litter aisle (and some are even starting to appear in the small animal aisle), but the most value for your dollar is actually not in the pet store - but sold wherever fuel for wood pellet stoves can be found. Wood fuel pellets are most commonly hardwood (although some are softwood or softwood/hardwood mixes). They are just wood - no chemical additives. A 40 lb bag of wood fuel pellets typically sells for around $5. The equivalent amount of litter in a pet store is usually at least $20. In addition to being inexpensive, it is very absorbent and effective at controlling smell, too. And if bunny eats it, no big deal.

Another thought - you mentioned this is a young bunny. If the bunny is under a year, it is likely they are still investigating their world extensively - which is commonly done by tasting things. In this case, the bunny is probably taste testing a lot more than just his litter. This is a normal phase of development and will diminish as the bun grows and gains experience. If the bun is at this age, it is important to help guide the bunny to what is appropriate to chew and what isn't. There is nothing wrong with redirecting the bunny from chewing on clothing, people, etc. Still, bunnies (even adults) do chew so they need appropriate outlets - chew toys, cardboard boxes, dried fruit tree twigs, etc.

Finally, is there hay provided in the litterbox? If not, that would certainly give the bunny something appropriate to munch on while spending time in the litterbox. It also encourages good litterbox habits as buns tend to subscribe to the "in one end, out the other" approach to snacking, so they leave poop wherever they are when they are munching on hay.

So, to sum things up, both laying in the litterbox and nibbling on litter are not uncommon behaviors. As long as the litter is one of the kinds safe for bunny to eat, I wouldn't worry about it. If the bunny is social and interacting with his family normally, then his litterbox laying is probably just a personal preference of his.

Hope that helps!

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 7:15 pm Post subject:

Welcome Joanna!

I was wondering if it was advisable to introduce a dog to an adopted rabbit? If so, how do you introduce the two?

Joanna's Answer:

Hello, FurMom -

That's a great question! We regularly hear people say "I can't have a rabbit because I have a dog/cat" and that is not necessarily true. When talking to someone in this situation, I usually ask if their dog/cat has a history of killing things - catching birds or small animals. If they do, then I usually agree that its best not to pursue adding a rabbit to their home. But if not, then I think it is worth investigating further.

Dogs/cats and rabbits can certainly coexist successfully in the same home - the key is that not *all* dogs/cats or *all* rabbits will do well in this setting. Much like bonding two rabbits, it requires some initial introductions, careful supervision by the human involved and time/patience.

Most introductions between predators like dogs/cats and prey animals like rabbits start by turning the dynamic around. The tendency is to let the dog/cat sniff the rabbit while the rabbit is in the cage - but that can be perceived as threatening to the 'captured' rabbit and it doesn't really evaluate how the dog will react to the rabbit when it is moving around. A better way is to restrict the dog and let the rabbit hop around. Options would be to either put the dog in an exercise pen, on the other side of a baby gate, or have an adult hold them firmly by leash/collar a distance away from the bunny. You don't want the animals to actually be able to interact - just observe each other. I prefer to do this with two people - one to tend the dog/cat; one to tend the rabbit.

It is important to recognize that dogs have powerful jaws and it only takes a moment for them to inflict mortal damage on a rabbit. They may not even leave any external marks, but the internal crush damage can be fatal. So, always best to err on the side of caution on keeping everyone safe.

You want to observe both animals closely and progress based on their cues. Almost certainly your dog will be interested in the hoppy thing. Some dogs are so enthusiastic about wanting to meet the bunny it is easy to mistake it for enthusiasm to "get" the bunny. You will need to use your judgment on when to risk a fur-to-fur meeting - again, supervised and with the ability to remove the dog from the situation quickly, if needed.

Much like with bonding two bunnies, once you've gotten through initial introductions, how the process will progress is unique to everyone. You have to use your instincts and judgment, remembering that us humans tend to rush the process and allow too much too soon.

Many people have successful multi-species homes. Still, most will not allow their dog(s) and rabbit(s) to interact without some degree of supervision. After the initial introductions, they may not need to be directly watching constantly, but they wouldn't leave them both out free when they were out of the house, for example. Again, it really depends on the dog. A dog doesn't have to be aggressive to hurt a bunny and may very well have only meant to play with the bunny, but its all the same damage to the bunny.

Having said all that - don't be surprised, regardless of the size disparity between your dog and your rabbit, if the rabbit ends up ruling the roost! Rabbits have a tendency to be bossy and predators aren't used to a small creature willing to get right in their face.

I personally live in a household with a bonded quad of bunnies and two free-roam cats. The cats are interested in the bunnies, but non-predatory towards them. They do play together from time to time - but as long as there are no teeth involved and the bunny can quit the game when they want, I'm OK with that. The cats play very differently with the bunnies than they do with each other (thankfully!).

For some real-life experiences of people who have successfully introduced their bunny to another species, check out these blogs:
http://dogmeetsbunny.blogspot.com/
http://catmeetsbunny.blogspot.com/

As far as which dog breeds are best with bunnies, I will say the same thing we do about bunny breeds - it isn't the breed, its the personality of the individual animals. We have members that have bunnies successfully living in homes with greyhounds and beagles, both usually high on the list of no-nos for bunnies. But like I said at the beginning of this, that certainly doesn't mean that *every* greyhound or beagle is an option. Individual temperament as well as the willingness of the human to work with the animals are the biggest factors.

Hope that helps!
Joanna
MCRS

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