head tilt

Not sure if you can help on this I had a rabbit with tilt head and it was that severe I had to have him put to sleep, my concern is that he had a brand new hutch, I am wanting another rabbit but wondering if this hutch will be ok. The hutch is only 2 weeks old as I only had the rabbit for 2 weeks. If there is anything I can clean it with could you let me know.

Hi and welcome to the forum.   

I am very sorry to hear about your bun. Did you vet say whether it was pasturella or E.C.?

Also is your hutch lined or painted inside with anything?

I am working on the likelihood that it was E.C. (e.cuniculi) that caused the head tilt in your bun. It is an illness that it is believed that most buns have in their system but only becomes active in buns that are stressed in some way such as when they go to a new home. The spores are spread in urine.

In most cases a weak solution of biological washing detergent will be an adequate cleaner for e.c. in a hutch as long as the bun was using a litter tray so there is no saturation into the wood. If the wood has been directly covered in urine then I would get rid of it. The whole hutch will require cleaning thoroughly as urine tends to get padded around a bit on buns' feet. One the hutch has thoroughly dried I would recommend that you line the floor of the hutch with some sort of vinyl flooring and I would also recommend that you paint the walls with some safe paint such as the garden shades paint. This will both protect the wood from urine soaking and make it more easily cleanable as the wood won't be as porous.

Hi there and a warm welcome to HH,   
So sorry for what you experienced with your bunny and glad you decided to get another one. Regarding the cleaning of the hutch Cheryls advise is sound. We have some info in the infirmary too that might be interesting. Hope it will all work out well and we get some pictures to look at. We love pictures.    

Thanks all. The vet said it was EC. This was his hutch so if I just clean the wood and then the sleeping part has a tray that you pull out, I'll give that a good clean too

I tried to upload a photo of the hutch but doesn't look like I am doing it right

Hi Gill, welcome to HH. I am very sorry to hear about your bun. If there is anything we can help with, please let us know.

In the info sections of the forum there is lots of handy bunny info that you might find helpful, also please feel free to join in any of the chat and ask any questions you have x

You should also give the run a good clean too.

you need to upload by popping the picture into a site like photo bucked and then copy and paste the IMG code.

Welcome, I am sorry to hear that you lost your bun, EC is a horrible disease   and is still not fully understood I think. If it was EC then as Cheryl has said it is passed on bu spores that are shed in urine. Spores can be inactive for up to 4 weeks in dry conditions so there is the potential for spores to be present in the floor of the hutch.

I seem to think that the only way to kill EC spores is using bleach (a !0% solution) or by steam. It may be an idea to bleach clean the hutch to be on the safe side. If the floor is badly wee stained, then I would as Cheryl said replace it.

No its not stained at all he was only in the hutch for around a week as we had little cage that we kept him in when he became ill as the hutch was to big as he was falling all over the place. I get my new bunny in 4 weeks so if I clean it out every weekend before he comes with bleach will that be ok.

If it is not stained then I would think that one clean with the bleach should suffice. I would then seriously consider Cheryl's suggestion of lining the hutch floor with something that is easy to wipe clean. I have used offcuts of lino in the past. This make it so much easier to keep clean and protects the wood. Carpet shops quite often sell off bits of lino cheaply.

Would you mind if I ask if your new bunny is coming from the same place as the one that you sadly lost? A rescue or pet shop?

I bought a mini lop 3 years ago from a breeder called cheshire mini lops, but unfortunately he got attacked in September by a rat, we think so had to have him put to sleep. I wanted another in March for my birthday but cheshire mini lops had none ready so I found another breeder, the set up wasn't the best but loved the rabbit so we went for him and unfortunately had him 2 weeks before he had to be put put to sleep.

The sleeping part is not a wood base it's like a cleanable tray

I hope you will not be offended but can I suggest that if you were not particularly happy with this breeder's set up that maybe getting another rabbit from the same place may not be a good idea. I would hate the same thing to happen again to you.

Our first pair of rabbits came from a breeder 7 years ago. At that time I had no idea of the number of unwanted rabbits in this country. Since then we have adopted six rabbits from rescues. Have you considered adopting from a rescue? Rescues would normally suggest you adopt a pair of rabbits if they are to live outside as rabbits do need and thrive on the company of another. Seeing a pair of rabbits interact is wonderful to watch. Another plus is that rescue rabbits are also come neutered and vaccinated.

Generally rescues charge an adoption fee for a rabbit but this is usually much less than what a vaccination and neutering would cost. They also would want to ensure that the rabbit housing is large and secure enough.

If you wanted to consider this possibility I am sure one of us could point you in the direction of a rescue in your area.

I'm not going to the same breeder I got the last one from I'm going back to the original breeder where I got the one from that got attacked. I am wanting a baby rabbit

There's lots of baby rabbits in rescues gailandmike, rescues often get adult pregnant rabbits dumped on them. I would also add that having a single outdoor rabbit is not an ideal solution, even if you spend lots of time with them they still spend the majority of time alone, the best set up is one with two rabbits (both neutered to avoid breeding). I would get in touch with your local rabbit rescue and see what they have - going to a breeder does not ensure a healthy rabbit (as you know).

I have a rabbit who had E.C, it is truly a very nasty disease and he was lucky to survive it, the head tilt is such a distressing thing to see it really is.

Can I ask where about you are based, we may be able to help you find a rescue if thats a route you want to go down. Whereever you choose to get your rabbit from you will always be welcome here, we don't judge. But a rescue is a good choice because theres over 30,000 in rescues across the country.

X

I am based in Leigh in Lancashire

Hello then - I am in Horwich

My friend who works at Mypetsvets in Leigh runs a small rabbit rescue, Hollie and Rosie came from her. Spring came from the Society of Abandoned Animals in Sale, I can recommend them as a rescue too. They have loads of gorgeous bunnies at the moment - I was there last week.

Thas the vets I use, that's where I have had Elmo cremated

They are wonderful vets - I just wish they were nearer to Horwich!

Whats your friends name as I have to go this week to collect Elmo's ashes. Do they have baby mini lops do you know?

Hello and welcome to HH

I am really sorry to hear about your loss

I can only echo the above advice re: cleaning and getting a bun from rescue

Hello gailandmike   

I'm so sorry to hear you lost your little guy to EC   Our Taffy beat it last year only to suddenly pass away from other complications. It is a very distressing thing to witness and try to help the bun recover from.

I would also ask that you at least visit a rescue before making a firm decision on any bun. The most amazing bun to have come into our lives is Layla. Jack had lost his wifebun and was grief-stricken, so we took him dating at a rescue a mere 5 days later. We were in no state to choose a bun, so asked for the doe who had been there longest and nobody else had wanted. That was Layla. She got on with Jack so came home with us, and has turned out to be the most affectionate, daft, flooffy clown of a bun who thoroughly enriches the warren. We were so, so lucky that all those months in rescue so many people had chosen other buns.

Sometimes, you don't pick the bun. Sometimes, the bun picks you  

Well spoken Sparky   
Sure you will find the right bun for you, but if it would be a rescue it will be a total enrichment for all of you!,

gailandmike wrote:Whats your friends name as I have to go this week to collect Elmo's ashes. Do they have baby mini lops do you know?

It is Kay that you need to speak to at the vets - I will PM you her mobile number too. She does have a few lops in at the moment, including a bonded pair. They are not babies but offering a home and a second chance to a previously unwanted rabbit is very rewarding. Knowing that you have made a difference to a rabbit's life is a great feeling. And as an added bonus it also frees up rescue space for another unwanted bun.

Also you miss all the teenage angst. When a baby goes from youngster to adult they can get really stroppy and start with lots of annoying behaviours. When Bruce was going through his teenage stage he would suddenly leap over the end of the sofa bite me on the boob and run off. And although rescue buns often seem more expensive they are actually cheaper in the long run as they will usually be neutered and vaccinated which is normally a cost of around £100 at your local vets. And as the others have said a pair of neutered rabbits are normally the happiest especially when they are kept outdoors so can't have your constant attention.

There is no hiding the fact that we are very pro rescue here, although I think we all understand that not all buns come from rescues for whatever reason. I would say that it is worth looking into the health issues which are particular to a breed (and there are loads) and also into the general temperament of the breed and make a decision from there. But as Sparky said sometimes a bun picks you regardless of all your homework.

Quite and when this happens...
Is there anything more amazing or fulfilling??  

For me - there is nothing more amazing than seeing my rescues happy xx