Bunny: The Dreaded Vet Visit

This coming Friday I will be corralling Ellie into a carrier for her first visit to the veterinarian. It will be the first time she leaves the house since we brought her home and the first time we put her in the carrier that we bought. I'm pretty nervous about the whole endeavour because I have some time constraints with getting home from work, coaxing her into the carrier, driving to the vet and then finding parking within a one hour window. I'm scared that she will refuse to get into the cage or that she will flip out when I lock her the box. I considered doing trial runs but I swear this rabbit can hold a grudge.... when I don't let her do something or when I try to pick her up, she looks at me with those cold glassy eyes and shuns my touch. Rabbit rejection...sigh. I'm afraid if I try a dry run she will know to avoid the box altogether on the big day. I have the carrier open on the living room floor, stuffed with her favourite scarf and a few lettuce leaves for good measure. She hasn't gone into it as much as I hoped but at least she doesn't seem entirely afraid of it.

On the flip side, I'm excited to take her to the vet because I have so many questions. It's an exotic animal vet where they specialize in birds, reptiles, rabbits, etc. so I know I will be getting good advice. I'm hoping they can give me some practical advice on how to pick her up without getting mauled. Ellie will also be getting her nails trimmed (yay!) during the visit which may help me avoid additional scar tissue going forward. Huzzah! During our call, the vet said she would show me how to clip nails but I'm not 100% sure I'm comfortable doing it myself. Ellie looses her shit if I so much as touch her paws, I can't imagine going at them with clippers. I'm guessing that the vet will have her hands full with Ellie because she truly does not like to be handled. I'm also curious because I have no idea is she is the right weight for her age, or if we can start adding new veggies to her diet. So much of what I read online is contradictory (and downright scary!) that I'd rather find out directly from the vet.

The most important question to be answered during our visit is whether or not Ms. Eleanor Binky Wigglebottom is in fact, female. The vet said stores often claim a rabbit is a specific sex when they sell them but that it's difficult to sex a rabbit before it reaches about 4 months old. We set the appointment for just after she turned 4 months so that we could verify this during the visit. It's not such a big deal for us as we only have one rabbit (no accidental breeding). But, after 6 months or so I will have to book an appointment to have her/him spayed/neutered and the cost varies significantly depending on whether it is a male or female.

Eleanor and The Carrier of Doom