Squishy

Question

Squishy, Fluffy Bunny.   QUESTION: My Sister(Ariel, 18) Ariel Went To A Flea Market Yesterday With Her Boyfriend Brandyn(18). And Ariel Found A Cute Bunny In The Animal/Pets Section So She Ask Brandyn To Buy It. So He Did. We Named Him/Her 'Squishy'. We Do Not Know The Gender, Age, Nor Breed. But I Included A Picture. We Are Currently Feeding Squishy Pellets That Brandyn Bought From The Flea Market, And Kaytee Timothy Hay With Carrots. We're Also Using CareFresh Ultra In White. Umm.. Squishys Ears Were Very Warm Last Night Before I Went To Sleep. Is Anything Wrong With 'It'.? Is Too Much Timothy Hay Bad For Squishy.? We Can Tell That Squishy Is Young. Definitely Not An Adult. My Mom And Ariel Cleaned Squishy Booty Cuz Alot Of Poop Clumped Together Was Stuck To His Butt And Tail. They Got It Off So Now Hes Super Clean. Squishy Has Nibbed At My Finger Alittle Bit. But I Barely Felt It. How Long Do Yuh Think Squishy Will Like And Why Do Bunnies Poop... Alot.? Thanks.

ANSWER: Hi Nirvana,

Squishy looks like a large breed rabbit but she is some sort of mixed breed so it is impossible to tell what she is.  She does look as though she is not 8 weeks old due to her size which means that you are going to have to be very careful to make sure she has the proper diet.

The mushy poop on her bottom could very well be from the fact that she was weaned to early and she was fed an improper diet.  Warm ears can indicate a fever.  A normal body temperature for a bunny is between 101 and 103 and often times the first sign of fever is excessively warm ears as well as lethargy.

A bunny should be allowed to eat as much timothy hay as they want however I would not be feeding timothy hay with carrots in it.  Carrots are ok for an occasional treat in an adult rabbit but have far to many carbohydrates for a bunny this young.  She needs a diet of high quality pellets such as those from the Oxbow Hay company you can find here:

http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=1543

Some rabbit savvy vets will carry Oxbow products and some higher end pet stores will carry them as well.  Our local Petsmart actually carries Oxbow products but not all of them do.

I STRONGLY recommend an examination by a rabbit savvy vet to make sure that Squishy is in good health.  Rabbits picked up at flea markets may be cute but you have no idea what kind of situation they came from.  You can find a list of rabbit savvy vets here:

http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html


Did you mean to ask how long will Squishy nip at your fingers or how long will she live?  Rabbits can live to be well into their teens if they are properly cared for.  Rabbits need to be spayed and neutered as soon as they are old enough and they need to be handled gently and as often as possible.  Gentle nips generally mean they are trying to tell you they want to be put down.  Nasty bites mean that it is time for behavioral modification.  This bunny is to young to be biting for hormonal reasons but if it is not handled and used to being around humans at a young age it may end up not being a candidate for rehabilitation.

Good luck with Squishy

Pam

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank Yuuh Ms./Mrs. Enve.! Can I Feed Squishy Yogurt Drop Treats.? How Can I Train/Teach Squishy 'Its' Name, IsThat Possible.?

ANSWER: No  you should not be feeding Squishy those treats.  They are dangerous.  Squishy is far to young for any treats.  Squishy is just a baby and most likely was taken away from its parents to early.  When a baby rabbit is weaned to early the pH balance can be thrown off and normally the mothers milk helps to offset this.  Since Squishy most likely did not have its mothers milk long enough you are going to need to do everything you can to maintain his/her delicate GI system.

Please only feed Squishy the timothy hay and the pellets made for juvenile rabbits.  If you start giving Squishy treat food Squishy is likely to develop enteritis which is very dangerous in young rabbits.

I strongly recommend you go to this site to learn more about how to care for Squishy

http://www.rabbit.org

Keep calling Squishy by his/her name when you are feeding her or giving her attention and eventually she will realize that that word means good things.  Rabbits generally don't know their names but they will eventually come to realize that when they hear the name that it means they are about to get something they really want.

Again I suggest that you get Squishy an appointment with a rabbit savvy vet.  They can instruct you on the proper care of rabbits.

Good luck

Pam

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank Yuuh Again Ms./Mrs. Enve.! And My Mom Was Wondering Why Squishy Sits In 'Its' Food Bowl,Alot. Is That A Territorial Thingg.? Cuz There Is No OtherPet In That Cagee.!

Answer
Is Squishy in a wire cage?  If he is that is probably why he is sitting in the food bowl.  However even rabbits that aren't on wire cages will sit in their food bowl.  It is not a territorial thing they apparently just think they are comfortable.  Rabbits also like to eat where they poop.. strange I know but this might be the reason she is sitting in the bowl and eating and pooping so much as you asked previously.  If Squishy is in a wire cage be sure to get him a cage without wire floor.  This will help his feet to feel more comfortable.  Also if he doesn't have enough bedding in his cage it may be slippery and it feels safe in the food dish.

Truthfully I really have no idea why they sit in their food bowl.  All baby rabbits do it and even some adult rabbits do it.  There is nothing like finding your 10 pound bunny all scrunched up inside its food dish.  You can attach a commercial J-feeder to his cage and he will not be able to sit in there.  They are attached to the side of the cage a few inches from the floor and they reach up to get the food out of them.

Hope this helps.

Pam