Fur, feather, and scaly babies never get sick at a convenient time. It’s always on a holiday or after 5 PM on a Friday. As an example, see the picture of our Pippi above? The photo was taken on Boxing Day (December 26), 2021, when she got GI stasis. I noticed she didn’t want her dinner. Our trusted exotic vet was closed for the Christmas holiday until the next morning. I’m not a vet, but I am the Lead Instructor for our rescue’s Health Checks Class and a House Rabbit Society Educator-in-Training. Even after having bunnies for 2/3 of my life, I still get nervous when any of my babies get sick. So today, we’re going to talk about how to prepare for your rabbit not feeling well, but it's not an emergency, and you need to get them through the night until your vet opens.
Plan Ahead with Your Vet
Your trusted exotic vet and vet clinic is your most important ally. Don’t have a good vet? Check out our locator.
Talk through the following with your vet:
- Communication and clinic procedures for health issues.
- General rabbit health concerns and how to handle them.
- Your rabbit’s specific health issues and how to handle different scenarios.
- Receiving training and prescribing medications and supplies to handle rabbit health concerns.
- Emergency room recommendations.
Attend First Aid Classes
Many rescues like mine offer rabbit education classes online and in-person. Taking multiple courses ensures you’re armed with the education you’ll need with your rabbit not feeling well. While Small Pet Select doesn’t officially recommend these courses, if you don’t have one locally, try one of these:
Pippi feeling good as new with her BFFs.
Who You Gon' Call? Not Ghostbusters.
During this specific GI stasis episode with Pippi, her body temperature started dropping like a rock. I started freaking out as it was a holiday, and the closest ER that sees exotics was a 75-minute drive away in a southern Denver suburb. So, I called my dear friend, Carrie. Carrie is also the Lead Medic at our rescue. Carrie reminded me to put my pet-safe waterproof heating pad in a pet carrier. By putting Pippi on the heating pad for 30 minutes, her temperature returned to normal, and she started recovering.
My point is, have some rabbit-savvy friends who can talk you through solutions when your rabbit is not feeling well. I am happy to do this for my friends when they discover their rabbit not feeling well.
Planning ahead increases the chances of your bun successfully recovering when you’ve discovered your rabbit not feeling well. Your hippity-hop friend gives you unconditional love and counts on you. Using every asset available to you increases your confidence and ensures you’re the best bun pawrent you can be.
DISCLAIMER: The links and information are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Small Pet Select of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual.
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