Seven days ago, Westley had his surgery - neuter, four front teeth removed and microchipping. We were mighty anxious about it as rabbits are very sensitive little creatures and the risk of something going wrong during an anesthetic is quite high. After dropping him off at the vets at sparrow fart I came home to wait - and a very long day it was too. I watched the clock all day and finally went back at 3pm to pick him up.
Everything had gone to plan except for the fact that one of his lower teeth had actually snapped off below the gum some time before the surgery so the vet wasn't sure that he had managed to get the root out. This means that it is possible that the tooth may grow back. If this happens (and it is quite likely according to Dr Robert) Westley will have to have another operation to remove it. Poor bunny .... I guess the only consolation is that it will only be for one tooth, not all four as well as a neuter.
Because it is winter and Westley had had quite a shock to his system, we decided to set him up in the garage in a vacant hutch rather than put him in his outside hutch. We put a Snugglesafe heat pad in with him and covered the hutch with an old feather duvet in an effort to keep him a bit warmer as he recovered. He was a very sad boy indeed but managed to have something to eat and drink which was great because a rabbit's gut is designed to have food in it all of the time and if they stop eating they can get into serious trouble very quickly.
On the second day I popped into the garage to check on Westley and this is what I saw -
I think it is safe to say that he likes the heat pad LOL!
I was relieved to see him using it as the warmth would not only have been soothing but would be helping with the stress and shock of the surgery.
In the photo, you can see how swollen his poor little mouth is. His eyes and nose were also running a lot and the vet explained that this is because the roots of the teeth are very close to a rabbit's sinus' and tear ducts.
Westley remained very subdued for the first 3 days and although we didn't pick him up we did visit him very frequently for gentle strokes and air hugs. On the 4th day, we took him back to the vet for a post op check up which he passed with flying colours. He had really turned a corner so once we got home we let decided to let him have a run around outside in the garden and to spend the day in his outside hutch. He just loves his garden sessions and zooms around throwing binkies (a rabbit's 'jumping for joy' aerial ballet) all over the place.
Nights; for the foreseeable future will still be spent in the garage hutch as his outside hutch isn't really warm enough in my opinion. You see, a wild rabbit spends its night down a cosy, insulated burrow with other bunnies to snuggle up to for warmth. Most captive rabbits - especially solitary ones, aren't provided with enough shelter and warm bedding to stay truly warm and comfortable. Also, as is the case with many hutch rabbits - especially when they are living in a hutch that is too small, Westley has decided to use the 'bedroom' portion of his hutch as his toilet which means he sleeps out in the area which is open to the weather. In this part of the hutch there isn't enough room to set up a nest box which means, in my opinion, that the hutch inadequate for long term use for a rabbit. My long term plan had always been to provide larger accommodations for Westley and to the use his old hutch for hoggies, so I have been having a good think about alternatives.
Initially 'The Plan' was to have Westley spend his nights in his existing hutch and his day times in a 6m long run that I was going to build at the back of the garden. However, we have been letting him out twice a day in the early morning and early evening; the time when rabbits are naturally most active, for a good hour each time. Then in the evening, Geri has been bringing him in for cuddles before he goes to bed in the garage. This arrangement seems to suit all of us very well and the fact that Westley is more than happy to snuggle with Geri for hours at a time seems to indicate that he is getting enough exercise and 'natural rabbit' time. Once he has a bigger hutch which has multiple sleeping/lounging areas, shelter and plenty of room to potter around I will be much happier and he can move back outside full time. This will also mean that on those days that we can only let him out in the evening - like when we have to go to Auckland for hospital appointments, he will still be a happy bunny.
The cats have decided that Westley is ok and he loves to chase them - especially Miss Effie, who isn't quite so enamored with that particular 'game' hehe. Lisbeth is slowly overcoming her suspicion and even sniffed him when he was on Geri's lap last night. Coco has given him the odd bop on the head when he has gotten too cheeky and Tyrion just follows him around the garden looking perturbed.
This morning during his play time, Westley discovered the open dining room door after following Effie me back inside from the washing line. He happily hopped inside, had a look around and then took himself back out to the garden. Once he has worn himself out running, chasing, raiding the vege garden (parsnip seedlings are da BOMB) binkying, grazing and binkying some more his Lordship takes himself back to his hutch for a feed of pellets, a big wash and then a nice long sleep.
We are just SO lucky that this wee man has come into our lives...
Everything had gone to plan except for the fact that one of his lower teeth had actually snapped off below the gum some time before the surgery so the vet wasn't sure that he had managed to get the root out. This means that it is possible that the tooth may grow back. If this happens (and it is quite likely according to Dr Robert) Westley will have to have another operation to remove it. Poor bunny .... I guess the only consolation is that it will only be for one tooth, not all four as well as a neuter.
Because it is winter and Westley had had quite a shock to his system, we decided to set him up in the garage in a vacant hutch rather than put him in his outside hutch. We put a Snugglesafe heat pad in with him and covered the hutch with an old feather duvet in an effort to keep him a bit warmer as he recovered. He was a very sad boy indeed but managed to have something to eat and drink which was great because a rabbit's gut is designed to have food in it all of the time and if they stop eating they can get into serious trouble very quickly.
On the second day I popped into the garage to check on Westley and this is what I saw -
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| Westley wearing his 'sad face' |
I was relieved to see him using it as the warmth would not only have been soothing but would be helping with the stress and shock of the surgery.
In the photo, you can see how swollen his poor little mouth is. His eyes and nose were also running a lot and the vet explained that this is because the roots of the teeth are very close to a rabbit's sinus' and tear ducts.
Westley remained very subdued for the first 3 days and although we didn't pick him up we did visit him very frequently for gentle strokes and air hugs. On the 4th day, we took him back to the vet for a post op check up which he passed with flying colours. He had really turned a corner so once we got home we let decided to let him have a run around outside in the garden and to spend the day in his outside hutch. He just loves his garden sessions and zooms around throwing binkies (a rabbit's 'jumping for joy' aerial ballet) all over the place.
Nights; for the foreseeable future will still be spent in the garage hutch as his outside hutch isn't really warm enough in my opinion. You see, a wild rabbit spends its night down a cosy, insulated burrow with other bunnies to snuggle up to for warmth. Most captive rabbits - especially solitary ones, aren't provided with enough shelter and warm bedding to stay truly warm and comfortable. Also, as is the case with many hutch rabbits - especially when they are living in a hutch that is too small, Westley has decided to use the 'bedroom' portion of his hutch as his toilet which means he sleeps out in the area which is open to the weather. In this part of the hutch there isn't enough room to set up a nest box which means, in my opinion, that the hutch inadequate for long term use for a rabbit. My long term plan had always been to provide larger accommodations for Westley and to the use his old hutch for hoggies, so I have been having a good think about alternatives.
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| Nom, Nom. I likeee Dandelions! |
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| Snuggle time |
This morning during his play time, Westley discovered the open dining room door after following Effie me back inside from the washing line. He happily hopped inside, had a look around and then took himself back out to the garden. Once he has worn himself out running, chasing, raiding the vege garden (parsnip seedlings are da BOMB) binkying, grazing and binkying some more his Lordship takes himself back to his hutch for a feed of pellets, a big wash and then a nice long sleep.
We are just SO lucky that this wee man has come into our lives...
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