❤️After Adoption!❤️
After adopting, you may have a new set of questions arising. How can I tell if my bunny is healthy or in pain? Is their fecal matter and urine healthy? What is their body language? What is GI stasis and all these other concerning health conditions and how do I prevent them? These are all important questions that need to be answered to ensure that you are going to be the best bunny owner that you can be.
Well don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with a plethora of additional helpful information, website links, info graphics, and more!
! Table of Contents !
❤️1. Urine and Fecal Matter
❤️2. GI Stasis and Other Health Conditions
❤️3. The Rule of Three
❤️4. How To Pick Up A Rabbit
❤️5. Body Language
Urine and Fecal Matter
Urine and Fecal matter can tell us a lot about what’s going on with a rabbit. It can tell us if they are healthy, unhealthy, and even dying. It’s really important to check their urine and feces (even if it seems gross to you!) because it can be crucial to their health.
An important thing to know about rabbit feces is the cecotropes. These should be eaten right from the anus to complete digestion. So please don’t try to stop your bunny from eating these!!
Please review these websites about rabbit feces!
BUNS- GUIDE TO BUNNY POOPS
BUNNY LADY- GUIDE TO BUNNY POOPS
Please review these websites about rabbit urine!
BUNNY LADY- RABBIT URINE
RABBIT URINE CHART
GI Stasis and Other Health Conditions
A Word From Our Founder:
“ Do you know how quickly a bunny can die? This is for a healthy bunny ages 1-4, not senior bunnies. If I may.. Gas takes 18 hours to end a life. Full stasis only takes 12. Blockage takes 12 hours. Impaction takes 18 hours. Dehydration takes 20 hours. Hypothermia takes a mere 4 hours. Hyperthermia takes about 8 hours. It is so important to see and feed your rabbit at least every 9 -12 hours. These souls are so gentle, and so fragile.”
- Jude
GI Stasis
Rabbits are very silent with their illnesses.. Which is unfortunate considering that they die so fast. That’s why it’s so very important that you learn about your bunny and what is normal and abnormal for them.
One of the most common problems rabbits have is GI stasis. GI stasis is the slowing of the passage of food through the GI tract. It can be fatal if not addressed RIGHT AWAY.
There are things you can do for a rabbit in GI stasis at home. Vets can be unavailable at times, or extremely far away from you. So, at home you should have critical care, emergency kit for rabbits, and appetite restore. These can save your rabbit’s life, so PLEASE invest in these! If you adopt from us, you will get the emergency kit. THIS DOES NOT MEAN TO NOT TAKE YOUR RABBIT TO THE VET. After you give the rabbit what they need to keep them stable and survive a car ride, you should be taking them to the vet ESPECIALLY if you don’t know the underlying cause of the issue. GI stasis can be caused by absolutely anything, including stress! PLEASE bring your rabbit to the vet!
Please review these websites about GI stasis:
VCA-GASTROINTESTINAL STASIS
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR RABBIT SHOWS SIGNS OF GI STASIS
Please plan on buying these products:
SHERWOOD EMERGENCY KIT AND/OR RECOVERY FOOD FOR RABBITS
AMAZON- CRITICAL CARE
AMAZON- SHERWOOD EMERGENCY KIT FOR RABBITS
AMAZON- APPETITE RESTORE
Rabbit Snuffles
Snuffles is like a human’s cold. It consists of a runny nose and eyes, sneezing, coughing, etc. Except rabbits don’t get colds. This is a bacterial infection that can lead to death if gone untreated.
Rabbits can also easily get respiratory infections easily which are like Snuffles, but a little different. If your rabbit has sneezing and/or coughing, then bring your rabbit to the vet! It could just be simple allergies, or a respiratory infection. Better safe than sorry!
Please review these websites for further information:
RABBITWELFARE- RABBIT SNUFFLES
PETMD- SNUFFLES IN RABBITS
Common Eye Conditions
To understand sick rabbit’s body language, go check number 5.
The Rule of Three
Okay, so you adopted a rabbit and brought them home.. They’re hiding in their hidey box constantly, it’s a celebration every time they finally come out of their box for a bit of food and water, and they’re uncomfortable around you or don’t let you pet them.. Sounds normal to me!
Rabbits, and any animal, need time to adjust in a new home. It doesn’t mean they hate you, it doesn’t mean you picked the “wrong rabbit” (whatever that means..), and it doesn’t mean that anything is necessarily wrong! It just means your rabbit is adjusting. Please look at the picture to the right to learn about the normal behaviors in 3 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months.
What we find really helpful with gaining your rabbit’s trust, is to simply just sit with them! Get on their level. Lay down, sit down, and just read a book or do something on your phone. They’ll get used to your presence and if they ask for some pets, then give it to them! If they nudge you, that’s progress (and they might want you to get out of their way)! If they are still hiding in their box, just leave them alone. Let the rabbit know that they have a safe space where you can’t bother them. Continue to sit and support them from afar. ❤️
How To Pick Up Your Rabbit
Picking up your rabbit can be intimidating and scary! But it’s all about having your rabbit be comfortable and confident with you.
Read through this image and take in the information. It won’t be easy trying to get your rabbit comfortable with this.. In fact, it might take them a while! Just be patient and calm. You got this!
Body Language
Rabbits can’t speak and make barely any noise. If there’s something wrong, they suffer in complete silence. It’s extremely important to figure out what is normal for your bunny so that when they do something abnormal, you notice it right away. You can save your bunny’s life just by noticing the slight differences. Catching an illness early on should always be your priority because rabbits decline VERY fast.
Here are a few things rabbits do that you should look for, or just be aware of!
Normal/Safe Bunny Behaviors
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Rabbits are able to leave their scent on things when they do this. They are claiming it as theirs!
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A rabbit will slam their foot down hard on the ground when they are mad or scared! Maybe your dog started barking, so the rabbit thumped because they got scared. Or maybe you’re cleaning the rabbit’s area and you moved their stuff, so they got mad and thumped!
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A rabbit does these when they are relaxed! They feel safe where they are. A rabbit’s purring could be little noises when you pet them, or gentle grinding of their teeth. So cute!
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The cutest thing a bunny does is binkies. They’ll jump up into the air and shake and run around! They do this when they are just so overwhelmed with joy. <3
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Maybe not the safest for you.. But a rabbit CAN growl. If you are in their area, touching their stuff, or bothering them, they will growl. Sometimes it will occasionally be followed up with a bite.. Some bunnies even growl at a broom if you are sweeping their area!
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Some rabbits stand on their hind legs to be able to easily survey the world around them. They might do this if they are looking for you, scared of something, or in a new area.
Unsafe/ Unhealthy Bunny Behaviors
There are a few ways to tell if a rabbit is unwell. They are hard to spot if you don’t pay attention to your bunny. A rabbit can die quickly, so it’s important to act fast if they show signs of an emergency. Examining their feces and urine (or lack of) can give you a quick answer. Please head back up to Number 1 if you are unsure if their urine or feces is normal. Please also look at the graphic to the left.
The Grimace Scale is very popular and commonly used. This is a scale from 0-2 to check on a rabbit’s facial expressions to help indicate if they are in pain or not. The scale examines the:
- Ears
- Whiskers
- Nose
- Cheeks
- Eyes
GRIMACE SCALE (WITH PICTURES)
It’s important to ask yourself these questions about your rabbit:
Are they not interested in their favorite food anymore?
Are they moving around less or playing less than usual?
If yes, please do yourself a favor and don’t waste time with the Grimace Scale and just rush your rabbit to the vet!