Update on our new Holland Lop

[albrst]

Well, Lego (that's the rabbit), still isn't eating a ton of pellets. He just nibbles a few here and there but yesterday we tried not doing hay and he ate almost nothing. So we gave him hay back today and he has eaten hay like crazy and is much more energetic and happy. We also added a ramp to his cage that we made and he is loving it tonight. I am sitting here with him working in the floor and he is going in and out of his cage. He is still so skittish of us that if we move quickly or if there is a sudden noise he runs back to the cage. I put the litter pan back and he is using it a lot. I also added hay to the cardboard tube he was eating and he loves that. I got him some plastic baby toys things to have when we are watching him. I also got him some apple sticks (like little limbs they had at walmart for rabbits). Thank you all for your advice.

I know I am probably just paranoid but how do you know if your rabbit has sore hocks. On the very back of one of his back legs, he has a little tiny pink spot. It's not sore because I can touch it and he does nothing. He is hopping fine, not messing with it. It's almost like at the back of the "heel" (Okay he probably doesn't have heels but you know). Just wondering what the symptoms would be of a sore hock. He isn't in his cage much except at night honestly right now. He will be more as we are working but not since we got him. He has been hopping on carpet 75% of today.

Okay something else he has done today. (I really need to stop reading things online, it's always worst case scenario). Twice today when he has laid down he has done this twitching. It lasts for maybe 10-20 seconds (seems like a longer time) and then he stops. He has acted fine tonight. He has gone up and down the ramp over and over. He has eaten a ton of hay, drank water, pooping and peeing. I figure it's just nothing but thought I might ask.

Here is a picture of him...

 

[Dood]

If he likes hay better you can switch him to an alfalfa hay to be sure he is getting enough protein in his diet, just make sure he has a brown mineral/salt block as well.

He shouldn't have any bald areas on his feet and may be recovering from sore hocks from his last home. If the damage was bad enough he may have scar tissue and the hair will not grow back so you will need to be extra vigilant in checking his feet for red or sore areas.

As for the twitching - sometimes bunnies will sort of hyperventilate and smell the air really quickly, could that be what he is doing?

 

[albrst]

Here is a picture of his foot. I have no clue if it was there when we got him or not. I noticed it last night. The other foot is dirty and wet, he just stepped on piece of his poop and some water. LOL. And again, he doesn't act like it hurts. You can touch the spot and he doesn't do anything. He's not sensitive about his feet at all. He's in a wire cage now with two resting mats (rubber sink mats)so he isn't on the hard wire much.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Oh my word, he is the cutest thing EVER!!!

I wouldn't worry about him not eating much of his pellets. You can offer him some old fashioned oatmeal as well for now.

You can also start introducing him to small amounts of fresh greens and weeds. Just go slowly at first... maybe a piece of leaf that is an inch or so square, increasing the amount fed by a bit each day as long as his stool stays normal. The leaves of strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, and the weeds Shepherd's Purse and Plantain are all very good for digestion and are good for combating diarrhea, so if you have any of those available they would be good first greens to offer.

Fruit and root vegetables contain a lot of sugar, so should be considered "rabbit candy", and should be fed only as an occasional treat. This is a list of safe plants for rabbits that you might like to offer him:

safe-plants-for-rabbits-list-t55.html

That little spot of missing fur on his foot is nothing to worry about either. The sores develop on the sole of the foot. My Rex get them sometimes (they callous over) and they are located on the rear portion, usually about 1/2" in from the "heel".

:welcome: to the forum, by the way! We'll help you keep Lego healthy and happy, so don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions at all.

Just make sure to post lots of pics of Mr. Adorable as payment! :mrgreen: