# Clumsy rabbit falls over, panics to get up



## MandyK (Nov 26, 2011)

I have a female rabbit who is very clumsy. She hurt her back pretty badly a few months ago because she fell over and kicked too hard when trying to get up.

My question: is there anything I can do to help her with this? Whenever she tries to eat her cecotropes, scratch her back or flop over on her side, she falls over and panics while trying to get up. I'm afraid she will hurt herself again, but I have no idea how to help her.

I've asked the vet and he said it doesn't seem like any kind of neurological problem. She is just a clumsy rabbit (just like there are clumsy people). Any suggestions?


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## gmas rabbit (Nov 26, 2011)

Is she too heavy? I would make sure that any area that she is in is not confining, such as the cage being too small, as that will also hinder her getting up. Make sure in her case that most areas are either carpeted or covered in a thick coating on hay so that she doesn't hurt herself. When you see her flopped over, try stroking her and reassuring her that she is okay. If nothing else that will ease the panic. What a scary thing for her.


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## Nancy McClelland (Nov 26, 2011)

:yeahthat:


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## MandyK (Nov 26, 2011)

Thanks for the advice! She rarely spends time in her cage, she gets free roam of the living room (which is carpeted). I don't think she's overweight. I think you're right about the carpet and cage though - the time she seriously hurt her back, she was in her cage on the slippery floor.


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## MandyK (Nov 27, 2011)

****Need opinions please****

Today she fell over and pulled a muscle in her back. The vet said it looks like she had a muscle spasm in her spine. She is fine now, it only lasted a minute, and the vet didn't prescribe anything other than rest.

She was leaning over to scratch her back and she fell onto her side. She panicked, and must have twisted in a way that pulled a spinal muscle. She was laying on her side, all 4 legs stretched out, her toes tucked in, and her legs were twitching. It looked like she was having a seizure.

MY QUESTION IS: what should I do when this happens? Should I flip her over, off her side? Should I let her be?

I just sat down beside her and stroked her head. I didn't move her or touch her body (I was scared I would make it worse). When she stopped twitching and she started to get up, I helped her a little so she wouldn't strain again.
Is this good? Should I be doing more/less?

Like I said, she is okay now and the vet said there isn't much to do. She was very p*ssed off about the whole ordeal, she started growling as soon as she got up - back to her old self  (Oddly enough, she did this only half an hour after I was explaining to my sister how she sprained her back last time, and only a day after I made this thread asking how to prevent it!)

Thanks for any help.


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## tamsin (Nov 27, 2011)

Sorry, but I don't think being clumsy explains this. Rabbit's are just not clumsy animals, unless as mentioned they are unfit/over weight. What tests did the vet do to rule out neurological problems?

I would be thinking something like EC which can effect balance or even an inner ear infection - this doesn't always present with a head tilt. These both can effect balance, and in some cases rabbits will fall/roll and then have trouble getting up as they can't work out which way up is.


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## MandyK (Nov 28, 2011)

He didn't run any specific tests for a neurological disorder. He examined her behaviour, her eyes, etc. He said an MRI is an option, but he suggested not to and I don't think she needs to go through that. 

It's hard to explain her behaviour without actually seeing her. She is completely normal in every way - eating, pooping, drinking, sleeping, etc. She hops, jumps and does everything normally. There's lots of times when she can clean her back and eat her cecotropes no problem. It's just, once in a while, she falls over. I don't know if she gets too into it and doesn't realize she needs to balance, or what it is. 

The first time it happened, she was on a slippery cage floor. The second time, she was on newspaper. So I've taken all that away and she is only on carpet from now on, I hope that will help.

I don't know if "losing her balance" is the right terminology, because she has perfect balance otherwise. It's almost like she tries to stretch beyond her limits, and she doesn't realize that she can't do it. I wish I could explain it better. It would be like if you stood on one foot to stretch and reach something on a high shelf. You know you probably can't reach it and you might fall, but you try to do it anyway.

As for the EC parasite, the vet dealt with that after her first fall and it's been ruled out. He said she definitely would have gotten worse if it was the EC parasite, but she got a million times better.


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