Sunday, January 24, 2010

Anyone had experience with a blind rabbit?

Our 10 year old male bunny is going blind due to cataracts in both eyes. Due to his age and the fact that he has had pasteurella for 4 years, he is not a candidate for surgery. He continues to eat well and responds to our voices. We are wondering if he can still have a quality remainder of his life or if it would be best to put him to sleep.Anyone had experience with a blind rabbit?
If he's still enjoying his treats and cuddles, still eating and pooping ok, there's no reason to euthanise. I've never had a blind rabbit but I have had a couple that got pretty sick and I had to make that decision. One had cancer and the other arthritis. In both cases I made a deal with them that when they were ready they would refuse their nightly sultana treat. I know that might sound silly but it worked for me. We focussed on reducing any pain, keeping them as comfortable as possible and enjoying the time we had left. When the time came that they didn't run over for their sultana, I said my goodbyes.





Your bun isn't in those kind of dire straits but you can use the same triggers. After 10 years you know him pretty well, if you can honestly say to yourself that he is still enjoying life then leave him be. Remember a rabbits eye sight isn't the best to start with, they rely much more on their sense of smell and hearing. Good luck, I'll keep you all in my thoughts.Anyone had experience with a blind rabbit?
He's fine and he's a good quality of life from what you describe.


I think animals generally less reliant on sight than we imagine because of their more sophisticated sense of smell.


So long as you don't change his environment believe me,he's a happy bunny
he will have slowly gone blind so wil have had time to adjust i would confine where he can go tho so he cant fall and hurt himself.that is a very good age for rabbit you are doing summat right.as long as he can find food and water he should be ok.
keep doing what your doing .your doing a good job 10 is pretty old.


make sure you keep him in the same cage so it doesnt cause confusion. keep is food and water in the same place. and just in general keep him happy.


when you can see that is is NOT happy. then i think its time to get him put down.
I sympathise with you... I had a one-eyed rabbit a couple of years ago. She went missing, we think she was caught by a fox.





Rabbits with impaired vision are more susceptible to predators so the best advice I can give you is to build a secure environment for your bunny, perhaps keep him inside and give him the run of the kitchen, put some turf in there for him.





Don't put him to sleep, that animal still knows you're there and loves you. If he's 10, then just give him the very best last years of his life. Good luck :)
yes, a rabbit that is blind can have a good quality of life. my suggestion is that you dont move anything around in his cage or make any sudden cage movements until he gets used to the area that he is living in. this way he can memorize where everything is at and avoid obstacles easily. the same goes for blind humans and any other animal. routine is best.

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