Bunny care - Bunya feeling puny

When I got home Thursday, once glance at Bunya had me worried about him. His behavior was off. He did not come to the gate to greet me. He didn't come to the table for evening greens. Of course, if a bunny's feeling puny, my wife is out of town.

One way to tell how seriously your bunny doesn't feel well is offering them a treat they usually go bonkers for, like papaya for our bunnies. So, I whistled and made the usual kissy noises. Lucy & Ethel ran out and then hesitated, like they were waiting and asking "Where's Bunya? He always gets first bite!"

So then I went for the ultimate treat, a Probios. With these, just opening the lid usually has them scrambling on top of each other and the jar. Lucy & Ethel were front and center but Bunya didn't even come out of the pen. That's way bad.

I went and gave Bunya his piece of Probios through the fence and he did eat it, but very lethargically. So I was going to keep a close eye on him. When I sat in my chair and tried to spot him, I didn't see him at first. I looked around and found him in what we have dubbed the "mobile home" ("MB") because it's the smallest box in there and they move it where they want it. It has "windows" they can hop in and out of, but no real doors.

Bunya laying down in the mobile home,
peeking out the window, maybe at the TV.

When I went to peek in on him, he turned around and looked out the other window.
Another "not good" sign for a usually sociable bunny.

They are shedding and as they jump in and out
some of their hairs latch on to the opening.
When we clean the pen, we get these with a lint roller.

To give you some perspective of the "mobile home", here Ethel, the smallest of the three, is on top of it.

Well, Ethel sensed Bunya wasn't feeling well and hopped into the "MB" to keep him company for a while. It was very cute and I am sure crowded. Ethel, still the sweetest bunny...

When Bunya finally left the MB, he sequestered himself in their tunnel. I am angsting about how bad he is - bunnies can go downhill very fast. Because they are prey, they will give it their all so that they don't look like the weak one a predator would pick out. When they finally show they are sick, they can be pretty far along. Do I call the GHRS thebunnylady? Do I haul him to the emergency vet?

Later that night, Bunya finally hopped out of the pen. That he came out of his self-imposed seclusion was a good sign to me. He actually went up to a new box I put out for them in the cardboard playground (outside their pen) and gave it a couple of tentative tasting nibbles. No binkies or NASbunnnies. Eventually, he got around to eating a few of their pellets (meaning their food crumbles) - we had turned a corner on the road to recovery.

The next morning, Bunya was a the gate when I came in. He ran around around and just looked like he had a smile on his face. When I brought them their morning greens, he was kicking his heels and waggling his ears like usual. Whew! Yay!

This is another reason I like having the buncam. I have been looking in on them more than usual and see that he is not in hiding and often snuggling with someone or eating. Hopefully, this episode is over and he'll be fine.

Know and be aware of your bunny's personality, eating and pooping. These habits will help alert you when something may be wrong.