#nellabentleybuns

[nellabentleybuns-blog]

It’s been a lot of work getting Bentley healthy. 

+ The first step was fixing sticky poo. Bentley had too many cecal pellets that he wasn’t eating, and, because he does not pick up his bum all the way when he poops, they all stuck to his butt which gave him a horrible rash and put him in a lot of pain. I groomed him daily and gave him butt baths nearly twice a week. 

I also changed his diet completely, I cut out a lot of fiber. He was offered unlimited timothy hay, as well as botanical and orchard hay. I never gave him more than a half cup of pellets (and always checked his droppings afterwards). Fruits and veggies were completely out of the question, since he always got sick afterwards. 

+ I went through a lot of litter box materials to find the right one for him. I originally used unscented, non-clumping litter and hay, when that didn’t work, I changed to all-hay, then I finally changed to what I used today: newspaper, paper shavings, and hay. This has done the best to keep him clean.

Bentley then lost a lot of weight and I had to put some kg’s back on him, and he loved it. He is finally healthy and can be exposed to more foods so we put him on a high-fat diet. This included A LOT of alfalfa hay, organic oats, and lots of encouragement. 

And now, after having Bentley in my family for 6 months, he is finally 100% healthy!!!

[nellabentleybuns-blog]

Rabbits are very easily litter box trained, because they are naturally very clean animals! 

I have three litter boxes, and they all have 3 things:

+ Newspaper lining

+ Paper bedding 

+ Timothy Hay

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Nella and Bentley are both litter box trained and do very well. My buns pee in their litter box 100% of the time (unless I put it in the wrong spot...) and poo in their box 60% of the time, and my bunnies poo in their cage 99% of the time. 

Nella has never had a problem keeping clean but Bentley came to me very unhealthy. As in, his back legs were stuck together with hardened poo that was never cleaned off. Getting him healthy has been a major task, and litter box training/finding the right litter box materials has made a major impact.  

Message me if you ever need more ideas for litter box materials!

[nellabentleybuns-blog]

Grooming

Grooming is a very important part of owning a rabbit. In most cases, bad hygiene, especially matted hair, makes for a very grumpy bunny - and grumpy bunnies act out.

Certain rabbits need to be groomed more often than others. Long haired rabbits, like Nella, need to be brushed everyday to keep the hair tangle free. Other rabbits are just lazy groomers. Or, in some cases, rabbits will have dietary issues and this will case urine or poo to stick to their fur, this should always be cleaned immediately to prevent health issues. 

About once a month, claws should be clipped carefully, most rabbits hate this and are really complicated; a vet usually does it for free with a check up.

Some rabbits need A LOT of cleaning, so you may need to give a bath to your bunny. This task must be done carefully, because rabbits can have really adverse reactions to baths. It is important that you NEVER fully submerge your rabbit, this can lead to hypothermia or shock. Rabbit fur is very thick and fine, so it holds a lot of water for a long time, and can even grow mold. Before you begin your bunny bath, get rabbit-specific shampoo and microfiber towels. Clean a small sink area with safe cleaners and fill with water to a level just under your rabbits belly (do not let your rabbit under running water). Put the shampoo in small amounts on your hand and scrub specifically the dirty areas. Be very gentle and be sure all the shampoo is rinsed off. Dry your rabbit with microfiber towels and check on them every so often after the bath.