Our new Holland has problems...can anyone help?

kapfarm

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Ok so my son and I are in love with holland lops. We have been looking for some to buy for months. Found some on craigs list and picked them up last night.

When we let them out to run around the 1 year old doe basically was tripping and falling over, like her legs were too weak.Even her head seemed to heavy for her(that has improved). She got a bit more corrdinated (sp) after a while but even today she is still very "clumsy". When she trys to hop out of her cage that is on the floor she will somtimes end-up on her back.

The breeder (4-h leader) that we bought them from said they are very rarely handled except to show, and they are housed in 2'x2' cages (normal for show rabbits, right?) So I'm wondering (and be nice I'm new) could it be from lack of exercise? I never thought to watch the rabbits walk/hop around. I was happy I remembered to check teeth. And I guess when she was so free to let me check them and she set them on the show stand all looked good, though I suspect I've been a sap because she also talked me into believing that Holland Lops ears can take up to a year or more to flop... So needless to say they won't be show girls.

So does anyone know what the deal is? The younger one (about 10-12 weeks old) was doing the same thing just not as severe and seems already improved today. I would be very grateful for any advice. We originally wanted them for breeding/pets but is this hereditary?
Oh and she also told me hollands are harder to raise because the are not as fertile as most rabbits. TRUE?
 

ksalvagno

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Do you have a rabbit vet in your area? I would suggest taking the rabbits in to a good rabbit vet and have them do a once over. I don't breed rabbits but the babies that I have been involved with through rescue did not have problems like that. Hopefully a breeder can shed some more light on this.
 

dbunni

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We breed Hollands ... should not be cage issue. 2x2 is normal size for that breed (actually larger than many use).

GET TO VET! (That's the vet tech & breeder talking).
 

JoieDeViveRabbitry

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IF you cannot or just are not willing to get to a vet- (Some people just cannot fathom taking a rabbit or a chicken or other low cost animals to a vet and dumping tons of money into them, it's understandable) do the following:

Ivomec 1% injectable OR Ivermectin Horse Worming Paste...

The dose for the Ivomec is 1/10 of a CC (diabetic needle, available at any pharmacy or walmart) per POUND of body weight as per the website I just gave you above... Repeat in 7 days than every 3 months for prevention.

The dose for Ivermectin Horse Wormed Paste is one RICE SIZED glob of paste per FOUR POUNDS of rabbit as this is a higher dose of Ivermectin.
I usually put my dose on a popsicle stick or similar to ensure I am not overdosing.

Piperazine Wormer (Pin Worm Medication) as sold for dogs, you want liquid, not pills...

The dose per the website is 4 drops per pound of rabbit. Dose once and then again in 3 months for prevention.

Penicillin G Injection....
1/10 of a CC per pound of rabbit. THIS IS A HIGH DOSE for a rabbit.
Give this now, and then again in 48 hours ONLY for a total of Two Doses.

AcidPak Water...
To provide MUCH needed probiotics and electrolites in water...
Mix at a rate of a one tablespoon to one gallon of water.


If your rabbit is rolling, which is sounds like it is, you should also give Steroids per that website, but I am trying to find an easy source for them...

So your shopping list is:

Ivermectin (either 1% Injectible IVOMEC brand for cattle and swine, about $40, OR one tube of 1.87% generic Ivermectin Horse Wormer Paste, about $7)

AcidPak or similar, about $7.

Dura Pen or other Penicillin G injection (will be refridgerated), about $13.

Diabetic or similar syringes with needles, one CC sized. About $3 for 10.




Is she eating and drinking?


The very next thing I would do is to call your countys 4-H extension office and COMPLAIN to them about this "4-H leader" that sold you a sick rabbit and lied to you. I really hope you didn't pay much for these animals.
This person does NOT need to be a Leader or a Breeder...

It's sad but sometimes we learn the hard way. I had a friend at the last show purchase a beautiful Fawn Angora buck and then show him that day only to have him DQ'd over a mismatched toenail which she didn't inspect before purchase. She won't ever overlook nails again!
I suspect you won't ever buy another rabbit without seeing it's movement and all that first :( Sad to know people out there will take advantage of you like that but there are some slimey people.
 

JoieDeViveRabbitry

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The other thing is that she probably told you that line about them not being as fertile because this is a 1 year old doe who probably has never been bred... Sometimes if you don't breed a doe prior to a year they can put on "doe fat" that prevents them from ovulating and getting "in the mood", thus they can be harder to breed but once the doe loses some weight she's usually fine...

The more I read about this woman the more :somad I am!!!

It sounds like your little one might have a mild case of Wry neck too...
Treat the same as the more severe one.

What a shame :he
 

Bunnylady

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JoieDeViveRabbitry said:
To me this SCREAMS Wry Neck....
Ditto.

Hollands less fertile? Not that I've noticed! They don't have huge litters, but they aren't huge rabbits! IME, 4 - 6 is a typical litter, which is a perfectly reasonable number for such a small rabbit. And as for the ears - if they are going to go down, they will do so well before 1 year of age. I have seen lots of Hollands with narrow crowns that retain a certain amount of ear control, and manage to do a sort of "ear semaphore" when exited. A quality Holland will have a wide enough crown that the ears will go down, straight down, along the sides of the rabbit's head. Pre-juniors (bunnies that aren't old enough to be minimal showable weight) still have a lot of growing to do, they often can raise their ears, but both ears should go way below horizontal when at rest. Any animal that has ears that haven't "fallen" by the time it is breedable age should be sold as a pet, and not bred, IMO.
 

kapfarm

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Thank You for all the advice:love It did turn out to be wry neck and I took her back to the breeder and asked for my money back. She did refund me and took back the rabbit. I have seen a few more hollands and talked to a few local rabbit folks and now realize the poor quality of her rabbits. Maybe that explains why she didn't post any pictures on her ad.
As for the other bunny my son paid for.... he sold it as a pet for $5.00 :( Good news is we found him a nice 10 wk old, blue eyed dilute harlequin doe He is very happy with her and she is very sweet with loppy ears! Again thank you all.
 

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