Skin and teeth problems! Help!!!!

[Lewis]

I also did a quick search on this form. I'm sure if you dig a little deeper you'll find more information
https://rabbittalk.com/threads/angora-wool-production-on-a-natural-diet.31454/page-2#post-316397 ahhhh! mites everywhere

 

[Cosima]

Actually I have contacted a vet and he has a injection that kills them so probably this week I will go and till then I am going to put a oil union and salt mix on him to manage it.

 

[eco2pia]

He can live just fine as a pet with crooked teeth Cosima. It is just that you will HAVE to keep them trimmed as Ladysown points out. I work with a variety of rodents and it is a weekly project to check and trim teeth if you are going that route, so you will want to make it a strong habit or he will starve or injure himself.

The burrowing mites are also treatable, but I would be using the strongest stuff you can get and isolating him and yourself from the other rabbits or treating them all. That kind of pest can be very hard to get rid of and as you have experienced they are no fun and are easy to pass around. For a pet the teeth are a non issue, but you really want to get the mites under control as soon as you can. Every day you wait they multiply and hide more places. Use the strongest chemicals you can tolerate using--I realize most of the time we say use the least required amount of intervention possible, but mites have such a high rate of reproduction in this case you run the risk of creating a stronger strain if you only do a half way job of it. Definitely time for the big guns, whatever those are for your family.

Ah! I see you have it under control! good job.

 

[arachyd]

I had a rabbit with malocclusion that I ended up keeping as a pet. Having things to chew doesn't help if the teeth aren't lining up. I also used one of those nipper/wire stripping things like in the video Lewis posted to snip the excess growth and had to trim his teeth every two weeks. Do not breed the rabbit as it is genetic and may skip a generation or two before showing up again. Also, please do not send the rabbit to someone else who won't know how to care for it or worse, might let it reproduce. Malocclusion causes problems with their ability to eat and to groom themselves.

 

[Cosima]

I had a rabbit with malocclusion that I ended up keeping as a pet. Having things to chew doesn't help if the teeth aren't lining up. I also used one of those nipper/wire stripping things like in the video Lewis posted to snip the excess growth and had to trim his teeth every two weeks. Do not breed the rabbit as it is genetic and may skip a generation or two before showing up again. Also, please do not send the rabbit to someone else who won't know how to care for it or worse, might let it reproduce. Malocclusion causes problems with their ability to eat and to groom themselves.

No worry I am not going to send him to someone else and if I do they will have to be experienced in this. I am pretty sure I can keep the schedule and keep his teeth under control. Is the brown stuff on his teeth a concern or is it normal?

 

[eco2pia]

No worry I am not going to send him to someone else and if I do they will have to be experienced in this. I am pretty sure I can keep the schedule and keep his teeth under control. Is the brown stuff on his teeth a concern or is it normal?

no big deal it is staining because the teeth are not being rubbed enough to wear down.

 

[Cosima]

unfortunately we have been to busy to clip J’s teeth and these are the consequences.

At 5 pm ish J crashed and I found him on his side in his cage. turns out he hasn’t been eating (even though I have seen him eat) and he is skin and bones. every since I realized I have been syringe feeding him coconut water since he is to weak to eat. I haven’t cut his teeth yet because I didn’t want to stress him. any suggestions?

 

[MaggieJ]

That's the thing ... you can't be "too busy" to attend to the needs of a helpless pet who depends on you. You just can't.

I suggest you get him to a vet and see if he can be saved. He is probably dehydrated as well as starving. The vet could also show you how to trim his teeth.
If you can't do that, I suggest you give him the "final kindness" and end his suffering.

I don't want to be hard on you, Cosima, because I know you are a caring, goodhearted person who loves animals. This is a lesson most of us have to learn the hard way. Keeping animals -- livestock or pets -- requires us to be tough sometimes as well as gentle and caring.

 

[Cosima]

i know. And I will do something right away next time but it is to late now he died last night.

 

[Cosima]

I just wish I did something

 

[MaggieJ]

I'm sorry to hear you lost him, Cosima. It's very sad losing a pet you love. See the cat in my avatar? Her name was Marilla and I had her for more than ten years. I loved her so much, but when she suffered total kidney failure and the vet recommended euthanasia, I agreed. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but I couldn't let her continue to suffer. So I do understand your feelings.

(((HUGS)))

~ Maggie

 

[Cosima]

I'm sorry to hear you lost him, Cosima. It's very sad losing a pet you love. See the cat in my avatar? Her name was Marilla and I had her for more than ten years. I loved her so much, but when she suffered total kidney failure and the vet recommended euthanasia, I agreed. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but I couldn't let her continue to suffer. So I do understand your feelings.

(((HUGS)))

~ Maggie

That must have been so hard but I probably would have done the same. I was devastated when Blitz (a cat) died and I only had her for a year. I can’t imagine losing a cat that has been with me for ten years. (((Hugs)))

 

[Cosima]

Do you think that I can boil J (with fur) to kill the mites or would that make the fur come out.

 

[Preitler]

I'm not sure I understand the purpose of that question. If it's for keeping the pelt, yes, I'm pretty sure the fur would come off - and kill the mites. If it's about just killing the mites, I would bury him, mites can't live that long without a living host, and they sure can't dig their way up.

 

[Cosima]

I was talking about both

 

[MaggieJ]

Cosima,

Please, just bury J with dignity and plant something pretty on his grave. Trying to save the fur of a rabbit with mites isn't likely to work. And certainly boiling will spoil the fur and the skin that holds it.

~ Maggie

 

[Cosima]

in that case I will bury him under a papaya tree that has fruits. That way he can feed us another way.