# help! bunny falling over Don't know what to do



## bilko (Sep 6, 2014)

Hi all I'm really scared. My sibling pointed out 30 min ago that after my bunny was biting cardboard he just fell over to his side. When I came up he was laying there but got up and started hopping around and then ate some hay. After eating his hay in the litter box he came out to the play area to clean himself. Soon as he finished that he went on his side again. Me being scared I quickly petted him and got back into a crouch position. After a while he slowly went into his side again. I don't know if it looked natural. I then pressed his feet and he again jumped to life. Now he's hoping around again. He is usually more active at this time. I know my sibling may have upset my bun before she witnessed this as he bit the strings of our blinds n spoilt it slightly. Not sure if he is sick or upset so dno whether to take him to a night vet.


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## bilko (Sep 6, 2014)

Now he's running around excitedly


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## Azerane (Sep 6, 2014)

Is he falling over like he is losing his balance?

If not it sounds most like that he's doing what's known as a dead bunny flop. Most rabbits will suddenly just fall onto their side, and lay there quite still until disturbed. It's a sign of a happy/contented rabbit. Check out these two youtube videos for examples: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo9sd5QmsLU[/ame] and [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-igO8exa5A[/ame]


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## bilko (Sep 6, 2014)

His was very similar to the first video. He's been running around playing normally now for the past 90 Minutes so I think it must be the dead bunny flop. Really gave me a scare!


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## bilko (Sep 6, 2014)

I just noticed his right eye is bulged out a bit


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## JBun (Sep 6, 2014)

If he isn't just flopping down to relax and is actually falling over and losing his balance, and especially if his eye is also bulging, he may have an inner ear infection and/or other infection, and needs to be seen by a vet asap for antibiotics and pain meds.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm

http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=21


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## Azerane (Sep 6, 2014)

Yes, the bulging eye is concerning. It sounded like you were describing a bunny flop, but balance issues can have serious underlying causes as JBun has mentioned. The sooner you get on top of one, the better.


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## bilko (Sep 6, 2014)

He was running around all night before bed and running around the past 2 hours this morning without showing signs of losing his balance, but his eyes r making me worried so I have made an appointment with the vet today.


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## Azerane (Sep 6, 2014)

Cool, let us know how it goes


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## bilko (Sep 7, 2014)

Went to the vet today who did a thorough check including temperature, teeth, etc. Turns out my bun has conjunctivitis which probably explains why the eye seemed to pop out more than usual due to the slight swelling. From what was explained, it didn't seem like something extremely serious. I was given eye drops for that and everything else is in fine order including my buns ears. This meant the vet couldn't really explain why my bun would fall too his side after cleaning. He hasn't done anything clumsy since that, so I think he might have just been relaxing, but I'll keep an eye out for it nonetheless. 

Since everything was A ok with his health (except for the conjunctivitis) we were able to get him vaccinated against the calicivirus. So hopefully no visits to the vets until a years time  Wasn't the most pleasant experience for my poor bun as he had to be held down (with my hands) for the vaccination and some of the checks, where it was probably painful and invasive. I am surprised how much strength these little creatures have, I had to use a fair bit of force at times so he didn't move too much. When we got back home he seemed upset and wouldn't even eat a piece of carrot! He is ok now though, just seems some what exhausted from the day he's had.


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## Azerane (Sep 7, 2014)

Bunnies are good at holding grudges after unpleasant experiences  So glad to know that it's only conjunctivitis which is easily treated. I hope it clears up soon


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## bilko (Sep 7, 2014)

Thanks a lot azerane! Hopefully he doesn't get too annoyed with the eye drops twice day lol.


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## lovelops (Sep 7, 2014)

I'm so glad to hear you go your bunny to the vets and he's going to be ok.... I was holding my breath to hear what the vet said..

Good luck!!!

Vanessa


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## bilko (Sep 7, 2014)

Thanks vanessa


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## bilko (Sep 8, 2014)

Hi all, just an update. Me Bun hasn't looked too well today, hardly touching is pellet which I'm trying to transition him to along with his food mix since Friday. He has munched on a little bit of hay, but not as much as I'd expect. I did his eye drops in the morning and he didn't look too amused. Thought he might have rebounded after a couple of ours but he has more or less been sitting down all day. Not too sure if its the diet or stress from the vet and eye drops.

I checked the litter box to find that there were multiple pieces of soft black poops that did not look like cecals as they were individual pieces, not grouped together. I assumed this was done over night as I saw him do normal sized poops when I took him in the backyard for 15min (he was just sitting down during that time). The vet I saw yesterday were from RSPCA, she said they get a fair few rabbits in. Too be safe I have booked an appointment tomorrow morning with a vet rabbit.org listings. Thankfully, he's only 10min down the road for me so it shan't be a long torrid drive for me poor rabbit. 

Should I feed him his usual vegetables for dinner?


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## Azerane (Sep 8, 2014)

I might cut out any veggies just for now, it's best to encourage hay eating for the high fiber than to risk any further upsets. What is his food mix? Have you just got the same pellets in the bowl since Friday? They can go a little stale so if you want to encourage him to eat them, I would try putting in a fresh batch, although having said that, it could be a new pellets causing stomach issues too.

I had been thinking actually, that with conjunctivitis in rabbits, there can often be an underlying cause. As in, the eye may be weeping but it might not just be a conjunctivitis eye infection, it could be tooth problems or ear infection etc.


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## bilko (Sep 8, 2014)

I ended up feeding him a 4 pieces of spinach and a little cauliflower as I didn't see your post in time. His demeanour wasn't quite right. He wouldn't come out of his hutch to get the food, he'd try and reach in to bite, so I picked him up and put him in front of me. When he bit the food, he would pull it away so he can eat it by himself instead of from my hand which is what usually happens. 

The food in the bowl is was freshly put. He usually finishes his bowl by sometime in the early afternoon. I feed him 3/4 Petfarm rabbit and guinea pig food mix as provided by the breeder and 1/4 oxbow young rabbit food pellets. This combo has been implemented since Friday. 

I feel so bad right now, my bun is just sitting in his card box hutty house looking at the wall. He has more or less sat around the whole day not looking energetic or playful. Decided to let him out loose in the living room which usually results in him running around and finding it hard to catch him. But he found a corner and just sat there where I could pick him up easily.

Last night when I was playing with him before bed, he seemed fine. My sibling who played with him later in the night described that he was suddenly thumping his hind legs and starting sprinting around for no apparent reason. We assume that its a sign of being scared, but we don't know what for as his area is indoors and safe, and my sibling didn't do anything to aggravate him. 

I don't know whether to give him his night dose of eye drops or wait till I see the rabbit specialised vet tomorrow.


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## bilko (Sep 8, 2014)

Just put eye drops in. Think he took it ok, gave him a small piece of cauliflower as a thank you.


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## bilko (Sep 9, 2014)

Updare: 

Think all is well. Bunny ate his food in the morning and has been fairly active throughout the day.

Went to the specialised vet who said everything seemed fine bar his conjunctivitis which should clear up with the eye drops. Was given loxicom which I was told would reduce the swelling and act as a pain reliever. I thought giving eye drops was hard enough, trying to feed the loxicom liquid to my bun was a nightmare! Kept on putting the syringe his mouth but he'd keep on moving his head and wouldn't allow me to open his mouth. He got upset at one stage and started looking away, felt bad but he did look really cute. Thankfully I eventually managed to get most of it in his mouth (I hope). The liquid is suppose to be sweet so I hope that experience wasn't too tortuous. But ****, the vet made it look so easy. I tried using the technique he used but I failed miserably.

Anyway thanks for all your concerns and help


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## HopsAndPaws (Sep 9, 2014)

Don't worry it's called a flop. All rabbits do this when they are tired. That's just their way if relaxing and sleeping


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## JBun (Sep 9, 2014)

I'm glad your bun is doing better. Giving meds to uncooperative buns is an adventure


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## bilko (Sep 11, 2014)

So whilst I was at the vet, the rabbit happened to do a poop and so a poop test was done. I didn't really expect anything to come of it as my bun has seemed to more or less be back to normal eating and running etc. But I just received a called from them that he has cocci. So I don't know too much about it, but the vet nurse was saying usually cocci is alright but lucky happens to have too much of it. The medicine for that is $50 which I don't mind paying, but **** that means I will have spent $300 in vet related bills in a week!

If any of you guys have info on this cocci, that'll be great.


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## JBun (Sep 11, 2014)

It can actually be quite serious, and can many times be fatal if a rabbit doesn't receive the correct treatment promptly. Sometimes a rabbit is able to fight it off on it's own without medication, but it's not something I would want to risk messing around with.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Protozoal_diseases/Cocc_en.htm (WARNING: graphic medical related photos)


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## bilko (Sep 11, 2014)

Ahk I should have picked up the meds just before close then. The way she was talking about it, it didn't seem that serious.


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## JBun (Sep 11, 2014)

It really depends how heavy a load of cocci they found. I would imagine if it was severe, they would have recommended picking up the meds immediately.

And with your bun seeming to feel better, it may be his immune system is fighting it off successfully.


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