Being Real
The things you do as a bunny companion are not always glamourous or fun. In fact, you might never have thought you would do these things before your bunny came into your life.
But our hearts can see farther than our imagination.
Before Honey – our first rabbit – graced our home I never expected to:
Pick up dry round jelly-bean size poops with my bare hand and think nothing of it. Like not even freak out to wash my hands right away. And I’m germophobic.
Replace wet puppy pads twice a day and lay down new dry ones to save our disabled bun from urine burn and the smell in the house.
Hold a bunny’s butt under a warm tap and pick the poop out of her back legs and bottom so they can have free roam of the house and not leave poop stains all over.
Surf the web to find the right calcium level for the treats my buns can have. Rabbits with bladder sludge problems (like ours) should not have treats high in calcium -- no parsley for sure but many other veggies have too much calcium. If your rabbit has a white discharge when urinating, it may be a sign of sludge that you should confirm with your vet. It can be painful and eating the right food can help keep it in check.
Give regular sub-cutaneous fluids to our buns to combat bladder sludge.
Measure the water my fur babies drink. Most of the time I give them a full bowl, but when someone is not peeing enough, I begin to measure how much they are drinking from the bowl. They get some water from their greens but not always enough.
Give belly rubs when they have gas. I had to learn how to do it properly, since rabbits are very delicate internally. It is imperative to their gut that they get some help eliminating gas. Simethicone helps but an educated, soft belly rub can mean the world to their comfort.
It is All Part of the Love
These things might seem more than you expected to do. But the love of your companion makes these tasks routine. People who have not had the joy of a house rabbit expect them to sit in a cage and take care of themselves. Just add food and water. But we know from experience that they are living beings who can feel poorly and have physical and age-related issues, just like us.
Check with your vet on the next annual exam to see what else you can do to make life easier for your bun.