Desperate for assistance!

[John Pedersen]

Hello, new to the forum and need help please. I'll try and keep this as condensed as I can, but there's a lot going on here...
Harry had a bout with GI Stasis back in January. His 2nd battle of this on a severe level. Shortly after (and on and off for months) he struggled with a UTI. He is nearly impossible to syringe feed anything to, so after wasting majority of medicines on floor or his fur, I had no choice but to board him at the vet for 10 days. This took place in the middle of moving homes. He went from "home", to the vet for 10 days, then directly to anew home in the course of two weeks. First couple days were ok. I knew he would take a bit to get used to the new place, then he started doing something weird and very alarming. While sitting on the floor just hanging out with him, he would quickly run to me and latch on to my arm and try to crawl up my body... all the while a constant fluttering from his butt and tail. Yes, almost like humping, however he was neutered 3 years ago. I thought he was having Stasis again and immediately took him back to the vet, where we started the whole treatment for Stasis again.

Here's where it gets weird...
He is eating normally, never stopped. He isn't peeing or drinking water like 3 weeks ago, but that can be checked against the UTI antibiotics and clearing that up. But yes, he is still drinking and peeing. The humping behavior is what is throwing me for an extreme loop (literally losing sleep staying up with him) and nothing makes sense here. Stasis thesis doesn't work. Emergency vet thought it could be kidney related, so now we are on that treatment plan. It's almost like he is trying to get me to help him somehow when he climbs my arm, but I don't know what it means or what to do. Our regular vet is out of office this week and the ER doesn't specialize in bunnies, so I'm desperately seeking advice!!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Don't know your location--are there any Vet Colleges nearby that you could call?

 

[John Pedersen]

Don't know your location--are there any Vet Colleges nearby that you could call?

Just looked and found one, but closed till Monday

 

[JBun]

So he's still eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing normally, correct? Is the only unusual thing this abnormal hormonal type behavior?

If you can get a short video of the behavior and post it here, that could help in identifying what might be going on.

 

[John Pedersen]

So he's still eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing normally, correct? Is the only unusual thing this abnormal hormonal type behavior?

If you can get a short video of the behavior and post it here, that could help in identifying what might be going on.

So yes to all of that, except today he hardly touched his pellets and only eats his compressed hay blocks. The behavior thing.. it actually is him trying to hump. Took a video of him being "overly friendly" to a stuffed animal because it's hard to hold the phone steady with one hand when he does this. Plus after reading other posts, it started to make me wonder... Still not sure what is going on, but this particular behavior has been VERY frequent tonight. Something is definitely not right.

 

[JBun]

It's possible it's health related. When rabbits feel unwell they'll sometimes exhibit unusual behavior like becoming abnormally aggressive, laying down in the litter box when they normally wouldn't, etc. It could be the humping is a sort of stress relief to feeling sick or in pain. Though if it's health related, I would expect to see a reduction in appetite, changes to his poop/urine output, and other signs of discomfort and pain like lethargy, hiding, tooth grinding, etc.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Veterinary_emergencies

With fixed rabbits displaying sudden unusual hormonal behaviors, it can also sometimes be linked to adrenal problems. Though if it's this, the behavior won't subside over time but will be a persistent issue, and the rabbit is likely to continue eating and drinking somewhat normally in between the excessive humping behavior.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Adrenal_disease

It could also be entirely a behavioral thing. It's pretty common for rabbits to have some behavioral changes when moved to a new environment. The most common reaction rabbits will have is to start territorial marking behavior like peeing outside the litter box or leaving their poop scattered around. Lots of chin marking as well. And sometimes these changes to territory can spark nervous behavior and hiding, sometimes unusual aggression. It just depends on the individual rabbit, as to what changes of behavior will occur.

Maybe your rabbit is trying to express his dominance with this change of territory, by humping, as that is something both unfixed and fixed rabbits will do regardless of hormones. It also could be he's upset and doing it to show his displeasure to you with these changes.

If this is just behavioral due to being in a new place, it should gradually subside as he settles in. And if it is just behavioral, he should continue eating and drinking pretty normally, and not be showing other changes of behavior that show he's feeling pain or discomfort. But if in doubt, it's always best to consult with a knowledgeable rabbit vet.

 

[John Pedersen]

It's possible it's health related. When rabbits feel unwell they'll sometimes exhibit unusual behavior like becoming abnormally aggressive, laying down in the litter box when they normally wouldn't, etc. It could be the humping is a sort of stress relief to feeling sick or in pain. Though if it's health related, I would expect to see a reduction in appetite, changes to his poop/urine output, and other signs of discomfort and pain like lethargy, hiding, tooth grinding, etc.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Veterinary_emergencies

With fixed rabbits displaying sudden unusual hormonal behaviors, it can also sometimes be linked to adrenal problems. Though if it's this, the behavior won't subside over time but will be a persistent issue, and the rabbit is likely to continue eating and drinking somewhat normally in between the excessive humping behavior.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Adrenal_disease

It could also be entirely a behavioral thing. It's pretty common for rabbits to have some behavioral changes when moved to a new environment. The most common reaction rabbits will have is to start territorial marking behavior like peeing outside the litter box or leaving their poop scattered around. Lots of chin marking as well. And sometimes these changes to territory can spark nervous behavior and hiding, sometimes unusual aggression. It just depends on the individual rabbit, as to what changes of behavior will occur.

Maybe your rabbit is trying to express his dominance with this change of territory, by humping, as that is something both unfixed and fixed rabbits will do regardless of hormones. It also could be he's upset and doing it to show his displeasure to you with these changes.

If this is just behavioral due to being in a new place, it should gradually subside as he settles in. And if it is just behavioral, he should continue eating and drinking pretty normally, and not be showing other changes of behavior that show he's feeling pain or discomfort. But if in doubt, it's always best to consult with a knowledgeable rabbit vet.

Thank you for all the information, we appreciate it! So about the appetite... when I came home yesterday, he barely touched his pellets, which are usually vaporized by 10am. Little water consumption and wants absolutely nothing to do with Critical Care. I just don't know anymore. So many things you said could be the culprit, but I just don't know. His main vet has been out sick all week, but was expected to return today. I've been keeping them thoroughly updated through a text system and have talked with the techs there a lot. Hopefully she will at least call me and have something to offer. Very concerned....