Quinnie and Wallace
Hello again readers,
Today we wanted to talk about the resident rabbits. We have to admit, we were incredibly nervous about taking in rabbits - we knew how much hard work they were. Once we knew they were coming, we read a lot of books and websites about them, but it is nothing like the having real thing. You can research everything and anything there is to know on a subject, but in most cases experience is vital.
We pride ourselves on our high quality care. Quality of life is one of our top priorities, we like to have the correct pristine accommodation, good general knowledge, regular handling, and everything else in between. However, in this case, we had no housing built, no stock, no experience, no nothing. Although, we are happy to say that we have built up some stock, and both bunnies are happy and healthy. We've been gaining more and more experience as the days goes by. We have learnt an awful lot about rabbits in a short space of time, and it has been a huge eye opener to the amount of rabbits that are also neglected.
Since Quinnie arrived, she has been a handful, to say the least. She is now known by everyone for being a little bit of a diva. It is her bold personality which makes you love her... we think.
Quinnie has been through a fair few lifestyle changes, and it has undoubtedly been overwhelming for her. The first thing we needed to sort was her diet. We swapped Quinnie from her previous muesli diet over to some pellets. We drastically upped her hay intake, and introduced timothy hay, alongside other added hay varieties mixed in with her usual hay to keep things interesting. The next thing we had to do was introduce her to some greens. However, not long after we started to introduce some greens, Quinnie came down with a sudden, but mild, case of GI stasis.
We know GI stasis (gastro-intestinal stasis) is a silent killer - we've previously lost a resident to it. So, we took Quinnie straight to the vet. She was given a Metoclopramide injection to try and help kick things back into gear. The injection did help Quinnie produce some movement, but nowhere near enough, so she had to go back again.
She was then put on a Metoclopramide (Gastrointestinal Prokinetic) syrup alongside some Meloxicam/Metacam (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) to try and help improve her symptoms. The vet then re-checked Quinnie's teeth. Her incisors were completely fine, but the molar abnormality (spurs) which had been initially picked up upon had since worsened, and she was going to need dental work under an anesthetic. We all decided that it would've been sensible to spay Quinnie at the same time so she only had to go through the one anesthetic - therefore posing less of a risk. We were also told that Quinnie could regularly need dental work for the remainder of her life, but we were to play it by ear.
A weekend later, Quinnie's GI stasis was a lot better, and she was ready to be spayed and have the dental work she required.
Thankfully, Quinnie pulled through the surgery and everything went exactly as it should've. She was given a MPS (medical pet shirt) so she didn't have to wear a cone (meaning she could eat and drink as she pleased). She was also sent home with some Meloxicam and had to carry on with some of the Metoclopramide syrup for a little while too.
Quinnie had a smooth and easy recovery. She handled the whole thing much better than we thought she would've! After Quinnie suffered with GI stasis, we decided it would be best to only give Quinnie fresh herbs and forage (alongside hay and pellets) instead of other 'gassy' vegetables, hopefully being a lot gentler on her stomach.
With Quinnie's diet adjustments out of the way, her bouncing back from being spayed, and recovering from GI stasis, it was time for the next phase of Quinnie's lifestyle change; a husbun!
We didn't rush into finding her a friend, and obviously gave Quinnie a chance to fully heal/hormones to settle down. We knew we wanted to rescue a rabbit in need, but at the same time we knew he had to be just right for Quinnie, especially with everyone being amateurs in both rabbits, and rabbit introductions.
Once that was all done and dusted, we then allowed Wallace and Quinnie to free roam on either side of a chicken-wired baby gate so they could see and smell each other, but without there being any risk of them hurting each other.
It wasn't long at all before they started to show really positive behaviours.
Over the next few weeks, we allowed Quinnie and Wallace to play together for short periods on neutral ground. Each introduction went smoother than the last, and they began to tolerate each other for longer.
If you follow us on Instagram, you'll know that everything went according to plan, and Quinnie and Wallace eventually became a fully bonded pair. They now free roam together, and have a wonderful indoor enclosure which contains 24/7 access to hay, littler, toys, shelter, and water - all of which meets the requirements of the RWAF.
Quinnie continues to have some-what regular dental work.
Today we wanted to talk about the resident rabbits. We have to admit, we were incredibly nervous about taking in rabbits - we knew how much hard work they were. Once we knew they were coming, we read a lot of books and websites about them, but it is nothing like the having real thing. You can research everything and anything there is to know on a subject, but in most cases experience is vital.
We pride ourselves on our high quality care. Quality of life is one of our top priorities, we like to have the correct pristine accommodation, good general knowledge, regular handling, and everything else in between. However, in this case, we had no housing built, no stock, no experience, no nothing. Although, we are happy to say that we have built up some stock, and both bunnies are happy and healthy. We've been gaining more and more experience as the days goes by. We have learnt an awful lot about rabbits in a short space of time, and it has been a huge eye opener to the amount of rabbits that are also neglected.
Quinnie:
Quinnie came to us after an old friend could no longer keep her due to unforeseen circumstances. She was fully vaccinated, but not spayed. Quinnie was taken to the vet upon her arrival to be given a thorough health check. She was entirely healthy, minus a slight abnormality with her molars which wasn't causing any complications, but could cause problems in her later life.Since Quinnie arrived, she has been a handful, to say the least. She is now known by everyone for being a little bit of a diva. It is her bold personality which makes you love her... we think.
Quinnie has been through a fair few lifestyle changes, and it has undoubtedly been overwhelming for her. The first thing we needed to sort was her diet. We swapped Quinnie from her previous muesli diet over to some pellets. We drastically upped her hay intake, and introduced timothy hay, alongside other added hay varieties mixed in with her usual hay to keep things interesting. The next thing we had to do was introduce her to some greens. However, not long after we started to introduce some greens, Quinnie came down with a sudden, but mild, case of GI stasis.
We know GI stasis (gastro-intestinal stasis) is a silent killer - we've previously lost a resident to it. So, we took Quinnie straight to the vet. She was given a Metoclopramide injection to try and help kick things back into gear. The injection did help Quinnie produce some movement, but nowhere near enough, so she had to go back again.
She was then put on a Metoclopramide (Gastrointestinal Prokinetic) syrup alongside some Meloxicam/Metacam (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) to try and help improve her symptoms. The vet then re-checked Quinnie's teeth. Her incisors were completely fine, but the molar abnormality (spurs) which had been initially picked up upon had since worsened, and she was going to need dental work under an anesthetic. We all decided that it would've been sensible to spay Quinnie at the same time so she only had to go through the one anesthetic - therefore posing less of a risk. We were also told that Quinnie could regularly need dental work for the remainder of her life, but we were to play it by ear.
Thankfully, Quinnie pulled through the surgery and everything went exactly as it should've. She was given a MPS (medical pet shirt) so she didn't have to wear a cone (meaning she could eat and drink as she pleased). She was also sent home with some Meloxicam and had to carry on with some of the Metoclopramide syrup for a little while too.
We didn't rush into finding her a friend, and obviously gave Quinnie a chance to fully heal/hormones to settle down. We knew we wanted to rescue a rabbit in need, but at the same time we knew he had to be just right for Quinnie, especially with everyone being amateurs in both rabbits, and rabbit introductions.
Wallace:
We saw Wallace being given away as a neutered and un-vaccinated indoor dwarf rabbit, but he was being separated from a female friend, and as we had a female who needed a friend, it seemed like a no brainier.
Wallace is an incredibly timid rabbit, and it's clear hasn't had much socialization. The first thing we did was book him straight into the vet to be vaccinated and to check if he actually had been neutered. Thankfully, Wallace was signed off with a clean bill of health as a fully vaccinated, neutered bunny.
We got to know Wallace's character over the next few weeks and tried to help build his confidence around us humans. We also worked on adjusting Wallace's diet to the correct proportions of hay, fresh food, pellets, and healthy treats.
Bonding:
We have attached a great link with some information on bonding rabbits.
It wasn't long at all before they started to show really positive behaviours.
Over the next few weeks, we allowed Quinnie and Wallace to play together for short periods on neutral ground. Each introduction went smoother than the last, and they began to tolerate each other for longer.
If you follow us on Instagram, you'll know that everything went according to plan, and Quinnie and Wallace eventually became a fully bonded pair. They now free roam together, and have a wonderful indoor enclosure which contains 24/7 access to hay, littler, toys, shelter, and water - all of which meets the requirements of the RWAF.
Quinnie continues to have some-what regular dental work.
You can keep up with Quinnie and Wallace on our Instagram.
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