Do any of you have 'perfect buns'

I was just thinking last night about all our bunnies, and the health situations they have to live with, and was wondering... has anyone had, or do any of you have a bunny that has needed no long term care or prolonged short term care? I'm not talking about the odd case of mites, of one-off gut stimulation, but generally? I realise that on a forum for rabbit lovers, we are likely to hear more about buns that are being properly cared for, rather than the other options of them dieing, or being PTS for health probs, but something Theo told me a while back niggles me - that there are buns who live alone in hutches, being fed museli, never seeing a vet, and living to 10 years plus.

I wonder if the domestication of the rabbit, bad breeding and the limitations is puts on their natural behaviours etc is partly responsible? Any thoughts?

My bunnies all live in there own cage, well sleep because they are out during the day. All mine are in good health apart from the fleas which are now gone thats all was wrong with them and Paris who battles with her weight now in her old age but is perfectly fine and acts normal and loves being hand fed. That is strange that a bun living alone in a hutch can live 10 years plus but I think its more about what life you want to give your bunny. In a hutch alone with probably barely any attention or maybe a slighty shorter life but where it has had constant attention and so much love.

Well I know it's a different animal, but someone I work with told me his girlfriend has a russian hamster..and it's lived way past it's life expectancy, they think because they hardly handle him and he can get on with his life and he doesn't get stressed out.
I can see how that can be a valid point because even when us humans get stressed out, it causes health problems. I don't know if the same could be considered for bunnys....
Both my buns are fairly young so I haven't seen many health issues as of yet...they both seem in good nick.

It is an interesting point, Jay, but Ive heard more commonly of hutch-bound bunnies living 4-6 years. I assume the 10yrs+ are an exception rather than a rule.

My bunnies are coming up to 2.5 years at the most and none really have had anything major, mites, and afew teeth problems in my smaller buns, but otherwise all good.

Even the half-starved little girlie that is Daisy is fine beyond having been starved (And mites)...

This is really interesting. I thank my lucky stars that Bruce hasn't ever had any health problems (touch wood). He was abandoned when he grew too "big" for his owners, had previously been kept in a small cage and fed just muesli, but he was fine (besides being quite chubby and never exercised).

I think age and luck have a lot to do with it. We think Bruce is 2 - which is not old at all. It makes sense to me that as they grow older they develop longer-term problems. Maybe they are like humans - as you grow older, you are more likely to develop long-term problems such as arthritis or heart problems, etc etc. An 80 year old with no ongoing health problems is VERY rare, while a 50 year old is much more common, and yet you still hear about 10 year olds with bad hearts or other such problems (presumably linked to genetics or bad luck)

And there are always people who are in the best of health until they die. I think those buns (who live forever in horrible conditions) are the kind that aren't genetically predisposed to health problems. Like the 80 year old man who has no issues.

I know I am tempting fate by writing this, but Wolfgang has had absolutely nothing wrong with him since he arrived. He has had his regular jabs and that is all.

Gloria gets much more stressed by life and regularly goes into stasis - in fact I think she is on the verge of another bout due to her snuffles.

Felix has a problem with a growing peg tooth, but apart from that and a short bout of mites, he has been fine too.

All live outside, are fed and cuddle for a short time when they are fed twice a day, but then just get on with it.

Thanks for you replies. I'm well aware, through my work, of the effects of stress on the human, which is why I got thinking about this really. I'm lucky to have both a bunny medical specialist and a bunny behaviourist/psychologist as friends, and they work together to look at a more holistic approach to rabbit care and welfare. I think it's a good combination, and something that we should also embrace, as other cultures do.

As with us, there are always gonna be exceptions - people who smoke and drink lots and live to be 90, for example, but it's well know here that the poorest people in our society have a shorter life span, by an average of 10 years.

Bertie, for example, had arthritis in his spine at just over 2 years old - that's not right is it? Anne thinks it was most likely caused by poor handling, in his infancy, or housing that was so cramped he couldn't stand up in it, and his natural behaviours weren't met in this respect.

I really think that the animal welfare act needs a lot more strengthening, authority given to implement it, and sentances that will make people think again. We are known as a nation of animal lovers. Love and welfare are two very different things that sometimes come together (like on here) but when they don't, the effects can be disastrous for the animals.

This is a question that gets to me too. Remember my first ever bun Bugsy? I got him at 7 and a half years old from someone I had known for years who I never realised had a rabbit. She never mentioned him and when I said I would take him as I was so horrified at the fact that she never bothered with him, Icouldn't beleive the state he was being kept in. For 7 years he had lived alone in a tiny indoor hutch, in a dark shed. He had muesli and water and that was it. He had even had an abscess that was left for 6 months and still survived?!?!?

When I got him it was a pattern of continuing abscesses til he eventually died 18 months later. How cruel that felt. And yet I gave him the best of everything.

I strongly agree that the animal welfare act needs addressing promptly, so much cruelty is still permitted.

As in the bunnies themselves they are all perfect to me

With my current bunnies- Brmble, Charlie, Annie, Hazl & Opal touch wood they are all fine, health wise, apart from Charlies partial sight, which doesnt bother him at all.
My previous bunny, Xander, had to be PTS at 2 years old because his back teeth were pushing his eye out from inside It all happened within a very short space of time

Luckily, as I say, touch wood, everyones fine here

This really is an interesting topic, I have rescued bunnies living in the most horrendous situations, so bad that I really don't know how they have survived and then they come here and hve the best of everything and all the illnesses come out, it's quite bizarre really, it's almost like they are living their lives on auto pilot and then when they are rescued they can relax and be themselves and the defences go down and then they are ill.

I wish more investagating was done in to this

I believe that the rabbits are perceived to be healthy because their owners are more than likely to be uneducated in spotting the signs of an ill bunny.

I have had rotten luck with bunnies - Hermy passing from a spay, rehoming George, Noisettes constant illnesses, and now poor Oscar is so arthritic he finds it difficult to hop I don't know if it's me or what???? I don't want bunnies again after my pair have gone, it's just too heart breaking.

Obviously there are happy healthy bunnies out there, but there will be factors which make some bunnies more prone to illnesses

NickieM wrote:I know I am tempting fate by writing this, but Wolfgang has had absolutely nothing wrong with him since he arrived. He has had his regular jabs and that is all.

Gloria gets much more stressed by life and regularly goes into stasis - in fact I think she is on the verge of another bout due to her snuffles.

Felix has a problem with a growing peg tooth, but apart from that and a short bout of mites, he has been fine too.

All live outside, are fed and cuddle for a short time when they are fed twice a day, but then just get on with it.

Just came across this. Poor wee soul was at the bridge the following week.

Often I think I have had horrible luck with bunnies because of what happened to my beautiful Peanut Butter, but in reality I am very lucky, and I know that.

Jelly has has 2 bouts of stasis and one dental and she is over four years old, but on the whole a very healthy happy girl. She has never had recurrent problems, she gets frightened with noises which were both her stasis episodes, so now when its fireworks they come into the indoor boarding room for two weeks, (as you always get some idiot doing fireworks early and late!)

Pebbles got her head stuck in her run which was a freak accident - but she was fine, and she had a skin reaction to her vhd jab, but she has never been poorly, I know she was under six months when I adopted her, and its been over three years.

Domino may be a fat little monkey but hes always been fine, and he is three and a half years old. He has never been to the vets for anything other than vaccines.

When I think about it, i am lucky to have such healthy bunnies, I lost one way too early, but I am hopeful my remaining three will continue to be healthy - I have to hope that or it will drive me crazy.

NickieM wrote:

NickieM wrote:I know I am tempting fate by writing this, but Wolfgang has had absolutely nothing wrong with him since he arrived. He has had his regular jabs and that is all.

Gloria gets much more stressed by life and regularly goes into stasis - in fact I think she is on the verge of another bout due to her snuffles.

Felix has a problem with a growing peg tooth, but apart from that and a short bout of mites, he has been fine too.

All live outside, are fed and cuddle for a short time when they are fed twice a day, but then just get on with it.

Just came across this. Poor wee soul was at the bridge the following week.

These littel things get you sometimes Nickie, I still find things like that xx

Hugs Nickie. x

[b]Ruffin has touch all the wood I can find had no problems health wise long term just the odd stomach upset probably due to her diet of chairs wallpaper and carpets my last bunny Jake died suddenly not sure why

coco wrote:I believe that the rabbits are perceived to be healthy because their owners are more than likely to be uneducated in spotting the signs of an ill bunny.

I think that might have a lot to do with it. If a bunny never sees a vet things like dental issues probably won't be picked up until its too late and those owners might think the bunny has been healthy up until an older age, but there could have been ongoing problems that were just never noticed or treated. I am sure there are rabbits who have a bad diet and a small hutch and never get sick, but off all the ones we do hear about I think more of them probably did have something wrong than didn't

I am so lucky with Trip and Scarlett, neither of them have ever been ill and my vet is always pleased with them at their health checks. I remember me and SJ were saying at the Watership Down meet how lucky we felt that none of ours had ever been ill and it wasn't fair that so many people on here care so much and do everything right but still have sick bunnies x