# RIP mummy bunny.. xx



## sarahbunny (Dec 12, 2013)

lost mummy bunny last night, due to blockage in her bowel.. didnt realise till that morning something was wrong , i left it too long thinking it was maybe her dodgey hip aching, then by the time i got to the vets by the evening realising it was serious i had to have her put to sleep.:tears2:. I am new to having bunnies and i feel completely and utterly to blame.. i cannot get out of my head her little cry before she went and feel terrible.. i could have done more, but promise her this i will not let the same happen to my other two.. i will learn, but it makes it no less painful to think i let her down... God bless bunny, you restored my love and trust in rabbits and will not be forgotten.. xxx:bunnybutt:


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## sarahbunny (Dec 12, 2013)

Just reading up i believe it might of been Bloat that she had, not the gi.. she had a very hard tummy and had eaten a fair few greens over the last few days.. i wonder if this was the cause.. i am so scared of it happening to the other two.. less greens more hay, (thy have hay for bedding and constant fresh but i believe i filled them up with too much dry pellets and greens..  anyone else experience bloat in their rabbits ?


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## Nancy McClelland (Dec 12, 2013)

We're so sorry for your loss. It's so hard to spot problems with bunnies as they hide them so well. Even though we keep a constant watch for any thing out of the ordinary, we still have lost bunnies both young and old. Rest in peace little one.


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## Imbrium (Dec 12, 2013)

I'm so sorry for your loss! Please try not beat yourself up over it because you feel you might've been able to do something to save her - it won't bring her back and it'll burden you a great deal. You did the best you could for her and gave her a wonderful life while she was with you... all you can do now is mourn her passing and learn what you can from it so that you're more prepared if something similar should happen in the future. I'm sure she wouldn't blame you and wouldn't want you to blame yourself - she knew you loved her and cared for her as best you could.

Binky free, little girl! :rainbow:


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## sarahbunny (Dec 13, 2013)

Thank you , i know i need to let go.. just buried her , now its time to move on and focus on the others.. i now have to bunnys who are now single ones so i will try to pair them up.. one is the child of mummy and another a young rescue.. i need to get them both spayed, so would it be a good idea to have them done yet or in the spring, and maybe should i get them done at the same time, would it make them bond the stress of it ? Many thanks again for your kind words.. i will really miss her bunny bum, it was the best, and her little gammy leg( the person before had broken it and left it to heal poor little girl) so she was all lopsided and tried to run and jump but was always all over the place.. will so miss her.. God bless xx


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## Imbrium (Dec 13, 2013)

Aww, poor girl! I know there's not always a lot that can be done for a broken leg on a rabbit, but if it was that bad then they should've at least gotten it set so that it healed better. It sounds like she was fortunate to find a new owner as caring as you.

As for the spays, how old are the two girls? If they're young enough to not be hormonal yet, it's possible to keep them together until their spays as long as they don't ever fight (mine were together from 7-8 weeks old until 5 mos old, then I got them spayed together) so that they form a "baby bond" and it's easier to get them fully bonded after their surgeries. In this case, it's absolutely best to get them done at the same time.

If they're already in the 4-6 mos range (when hormones kick in) or older, then it really doesn't matter if they're spayed at the same time as it won't be safe to let them recover together - it takes up to 3-4 weeks for females' hormones to be completely gone, so you shouldn't attempt to bond them until then.

As a note, recovering together can potentially cause fighting because the rabbits don't feel that great and are cooped up in a very small space together (they should have minimal room to run and be unable to jump/climb/binky for around 10 days after a spay) - my girls' bond was upset during their post-spay recovery and they had to be separated for most of it. Many juvenile pairs go through their surgeries together without issue, but there are exceptions (like my girls).

Depending on their age and behavior, it may be better to spay them sooner - if they display obnoxious hormonal behavior (aggression, for example), getting them spayed as soon as possible can prevent these behaviors from becoming "learned" and continuing even after their hormones are gone. Most vets will spay females as young as 4-6 mos old, depending on their weight (my vet wants them to be around 2 lbs before he'll spay - he says it "makes it much easier to find those darned ovaries that float around" when the rabbit is a decent size  - which is why my girls were done at 5 mos old instead of 4 mos). As long as their hormones aren't driving you crazy, though, there's no harm in waiting.


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## sarahbunny (Dec 13, 2013)

One of them is around 6 months now (approx she was a rescue so that is a near guess) and the other is much older i think around a year and half.. so would you get them done first seperately? Would it be ok to do it in the winter.. i suppose if i do them at different times i could bring in the rabbit and use my large dogs cage with a nesting box in to recuperate maybe then when they done do the other.. so they are not outside in the cold after being done.. or would they be ok after the initial first night.. just worried they will die if too cold after an op.. Thank you for your help and please let me know what you would do.. They have always lived in sniffing distance and touching distance and no sign of aggression tho they jump about a lot and run towards their wire divide when they see each other.. they have been living like this for about 2 months... any ideas or tips appreciated thank you all so far xx neither of them are aggressive towards me at all.. i have never seen them nip at each other.. they are very soft and loving no biting or nastiness to me tho.. how will i know if they are showing aggression towards each other thro the fencing would they nip noses.. i am new to rabbits (only had them over a year) have read a lot of info but it is so hard to put it in to reality lol.. thanks xx


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## sarahbunny (Dec 13, 2013)

Body language, the two left are the cream and grey lop in the two and the cream lion mane on the left.. they always seemed fairly happy with her around.. sniff each other a lot x Other tan coloured is lovely mummy now gone.


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## Imbrium (Dec 13, 2013)

I don't think it would matter if you got them done together or separately - whichever works best for you. They do tend to get chilly more easily for the first 24h (possibly first 48, I don't remember exactly)... I remember turning off the AC in the house and giving each of my girls a rice-filled sock that I'd microwaved as a heating pad. I would definitely bring them inside for the first day or two... after that, I'm really not sure. Hopefully someone with outdoor rabbit experience can chime in (and if not, I'm sure your vet could give you a good answer).

If they've always been in sniffing/touching distance of each other, it's quite possible that they're somewhat bonded - if you get them both done at different times, I would take them both to the vet each time so that one doesn't come home to the other smelling like "weird vet's office" (though of course keep them separated enough to not fight) and let the one who isn't recovering be in sight/smell range of the recovering bunny. If you have an exercise pen of some sort, you could keep the recovering bunny in the large dog cage and the other in a pen in the same room. If that's not an option, then it may be better to wait until spring to get them spayed.

(If you explain to the vet that the rabbits are somewhat bonded, they should be totally understanding about having a "tag along" when only one is scheduled to get spayed.)


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Dec 15, 2013)

I'm so sorry for your loss of your beautiful girl. You gave her an amazing life and I'm sure she would be grateful for it. RIP little girl. Binky Free!


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## sarahbunny (Dec 16, 2013)

Thank you , i like to think she was very happy, we will just miss her.. but i take comfort in these words xx
If a misfortune has already occurred, it is best not to worry about it, so we do not add fuel to the problem. Don't ally yourself with past events by lingering on them and exaggerating them. Let the past take care of itself, and transport yourself to the present while taking whatever measures are necessary to ensure that such a misfortune never occurs again, now or in the future. 

~ Dalai Lama ~
xx:bunnyheart


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## sarahbunny (Dec 16, 2013)

just booked the two single girls now in for neutering at beginning of jan.. i am going to get them both took in together and ask them to be kept close.. hopefully they can heal within site of each other and then pair them up when healed.. Hoping and praying it all works out for them both.. am quite scared now have heard some horror stories about being neutured..stitches and the like ... any tips on their recovery is appreciated xx


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## Imbrium (Dec 16, 2013)

Best of luck! You might find it helpful to skim through these two threads I made when my girls got spayed - there's info in there on what I did to get ready and on how I dealt with some minor post-spay issues 

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f14/big-day-70809/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f40/post-spaying-care-questions-70702/


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## sarahbunny (Dec 17, 2013)

Hi , that is great thank you so much, i will get the probiotics and the metacam.. any other ideas.. and can i ask did you buy that cage or did you make it up from a doggy crate, i cant see th pic very well.. great set up.. hope they all ok now xx


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## sarahbunny (Dec 17, 2013)

i have a dog pen which i could put a seperation down the middle but not sure what to use, i wlll have a good look and see what i can do.. on their outside hutches (they live outside) they can have the top part shut off so they can only use that for a few days.. so i will keep them in for two but then pop them back out.. i have some heat pads which are for rabbits i can keep in with them... see how they go and how well they are, if not i can keep them in... just worried about stressing them even more than i have to as they are used to living outside.. do i need anything apart from the probiotics (or is it prebiotics lol) and metacam, i have heatpads and sort them some blankets which i will put in with them for a few days before they go to take with them.. anything else? god im so nervous... its not till the sixth but just want it over with .. x


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## Imbrium (Dec 17, 2013)

I used leftover grids from making their NIC condo to make their recovery cage 

I don't remember where you live (assuming you've mentioned it) - I've met so many new folks since I got back to the forums a week or two ago, lol. I do prefer the kind with both probiotics and prebiotics... in the US, BeneBac Plus has both. In the UK, all major brands seem to have both.

Metacam comes from the vet - most vets send it home with you after spays automatically, but for some reason not all of them do... just make sure they give you some before you take them home. They shouldn't need it until the second day because they should get a pain relief shot at the time of their surgeries that lasts for 24h (but double-check to make sure).

~ It's good to have critical care food if you can find it (available though some vets, at some pet stores and can be bought online, though it can be hard to find... leithpetwerks sells it online, that's where I got mine...) - definitely go with apple-banana; I had a godawful time trying to feed the anise flavor to my bunnies and other people said their bunns hated it too.

~ You'll want a syringe (6-10cc is a good size) with no needle in case you have to force-fed.

~ Pedialyte is good to have in case they don't want to drink much.

~ If you use water bottles normally, it can be good to offer a bowl for the first day or two - easier for them to drink.

~ Vetwrap (no-chew bandages) and a couple gauze pads are good to have in case they won't leave their incisions alone (available online, at many feed stores and through most vets) - it's a great way to avoid needing to use an e-collar on a bunny.

~ Have some of their favorite fruit/treats on hand - my vet said to let them eat whatever they wanted for the first day or so, like a sick kid getting lots of ice cream.


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## sarahbunny (Dec 28, 2013)

inside cage ordered.. fibreplex biotics, bandages.. little blankets.. getting sorted for their upcoming surgery.. wish us luck guys only a week to go.. xx Then we can get them together so they arent lonely.. x:happybunny:


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## lovelops (Dec 28, 2013)

sarahbunny said:


> just booked the two single girls now in for neutering at beginning of jan.. i am going to get them both took in together and ask them to be kept close.. hopefully they can heal within site of each other and then pair them up when healed.. Hoping and praying it all works out for them both.. am quite scared now have heard some horror stories about being neutured..stitches and the like ... any tips on their recovery is appreciated xx



Just got my girls done together at the end of November. The stitches were fixed so they were internal so there was nothing to deal with. it was actually quite easy and most of the hair has grown back on Brooke.. I think Lady is picking when she cleans at the shaved area and some of the fur has grown back but not all. The vet I went to did not give meds after because she said she had fixed about 250 rabbits in her life time as a vet surgeon and saw more mistakes with people over medicating them and she would rather err on the side of caution and did not give any pain meds to give afterwards. Brooke was the first to come out of the surgery and was hopping around like nothing was wrong. LADY on the other hand was hurting and all I could do was stroke her and my husband was about to have a FIT about it... since he loves her and is taken with her. The next day she was fine. The first day if they want to eat give them food but def by the second day make certain they are eating. 

After that it was business as usual. I took them back in a month to my normal bun vet that Chico and Chica see and he thought they had healed well and were looking good. I would keep fav foods around for them in case they don't eat. I got Lady to finally eat the first day with Parsley, fresh... Brooke is the rabbit garbage disposal. She will eat left over food from the other rabbits...
so she was fine and playing right afterward..

Vanessa


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## sarahbunny (Dec 29, 2013)

Thanks vanessa that is good to know.. i am not far from vets if i get any trouble, but hoping that it will all be straight forward like your to lovelies.. glad to hear they recovered well xx:bunnyhug:


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