Ear tips drooping

[Annabelle_finnegan]

So I have had this bunny for about a month and her ears recently started doing this. She is a Californian x New Zealand and she is 8- 8 1/2 months old. View attachment IMG_0215.jpg

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Don't know, but a cutie nevertheless.

 

[Aki]

The only rabbit I've had who went through something similar was a x lop. I don't have any experience with giant breeds but for my rabbit the ears went through several stages with different part of them becoming more rigid or more floppy before it stabilized (he was 'airplaned ears' in the end). It was very dramatic. Maybe it's normal for rabbits with very big and long ears?

 

[JBun]

Usually that kind of drooping of the ears is heat related. The blood flow to the ears increases in an effort to help the rabbit cool, and this extra weight can make the ears droop. Is it warm where she's kept, or could she be overheating for some reason? If she is overheating then it would be good to help her cool herself more effectively(eg. lower the temp where she is kept if possible, give cool tiles to lay on, frozen water bottle to lay next to, fan blowing near but not directly on her, etc).

 

[Annabelle_finnegan]

Usually that kind of drooping of the ears is heat related. The blood flow to the ears increases in an effort to help the rabbit cool, and this extra weight can make the ears droop. Is it warm where she's kept, or could she be overheating for some reason? If she is overheating then it would be good to help her cool herself more effectively(eg. lower the temp where she is kept if possible, give cool tiles to lay on, frozen water bottle to lay next to, fan blowing near but not directly on her, etc).

It's mid winter where we are (we have snow from the end of October-April) and she went from being an outside rabbit to inside December 9th

 

[RavenousDragon]

When did this start? The outdoor to indoor could cause the need to cool down (if she's used to cold, she will feel warm in a nice house!). But in this case, I doubt your house is THAT warm to cause too much of that. Did it start suddenly or has it gradually gotten worse?

 

[Annabelle_finnegan]

Usually that kind of drooping of the ears is heat related. The blood flow to the ears increases in an effort to help the rabbit cool, and this extra weight can make the ears droop. Is it warm where she's kept, or could she be overheating for some reason? If she is overheating then it would be good to help her cool herself more effectively(eg. lower the temp where she is kept if possible, give cool tiles to lay on, frozen water bottle to lay next to, fan blowing near but not directly on her, etc).

It's mid winter where we are (we have snow from the end of October-April) and she went from being an outside rabbit to inside December 9th, I have taken her outside for 5 minutes on nice days cuz she seems to still have very thick fur.

 

[Annabelle_finnegan]

When did this start? The outdoor to indoor could cause the need to cool down (if she's used to cold, she will feel warm in a nice house!). But in this case, I doubt your house is THAT warm to cause too much of that. Did it start suddenly or has it gradually gotten worse?

December 29th it was a little bit and then and it got to were it is and they haven't moved down anymore and the thermostat is at 22.7

 

[Annabelle_finnegan]

When did this start? The outdoor to indoor could cause the need to cool down (if she's used to cold, she will feel warm in a nice house!). But in this case, I doubt your house is THAT warm to cause too much of that. Did it start suddenly or has it gradually gotten worse?

December 29th it was a little bit and then and it got to were it is and they haven't moved down anymore and the thermostat is at 22.7

 

[JBun]

If she hasn't shed her winter coat from being outdoors previously, it sounds like she might just be getting too warm. Though why now and not when you first brought her home, I don't know. One way to find out is to give her ways she can cool her body temp down. If she has her own room and you can turn down the thermostat in that one room, maybe try that. If that isn't a possibility, then I would fill a 1 or 2 liter soda bottle with water and freeze it, then put it in her area. Some people like to wrap them in a towel or tube sock to help with the condensation on the bottle. If your bun doesn't seem to want to snuggle up to the bottle to cool down, another option is a ceramic or marble tile cooled in the freezer then put in your buns area so she can lay on it. Other things to try are offering a separate water dish with ice cubes in it, and putting a fan in the room making sure your bun can't get to the power cord.

If she takes to one of these cooling methods(such as laying on the tile or snuggling up to the frozen water bottle), then it's likely she's hot and you should start to see her ears go back to normal as she gets her body temp cooled down. One way I check if my buns are getting too warm is if their ears feel hot. They will also have an increased respiratory rate, may have moisture around their nostril, and they will also be less active and probably flopped out on the floor on a cool smooth surface if available, to try and cool their belly down.

 

[Annabelle_finnegan]

If she hasn't shed her winter coat from being outdoors previously, it sounds like she might just be getting too warm. Though why now and not when you first brought her home, I don't know. One way to find out is to give her ways she can cool her body temp down. If she has her own room and you can turn down the thermostat in that one room, maybe try that. If that isn't a possibility, then I would fill a 1 or 2 liter soda bottle with water and freeze it, then put it in her area. Some people like to wrap them in a towel or tube sock to help with the condensation on the bottle. If your bun doesn't seem to want to snuggle up to the bottle to cool down, another option is a ceramic or marble tile cooled in the freezer then put in your buns area so she can lay on it. Other things to try are offering a separate water dish with ice cubes in it, and putting a fan in the room making sure your bun can't get to the power cord.

If she takes to one of these cooling methods(such as laying on the tile or snuggling up to the frozen water bottle), then it's likely she's hot and you should start to see her ears go back to normal as she gets her body temp cooled down. One way I check if my buns are getting too warm is if their ears feel hot. They will also have an increased respiratory rate, may have moisture around their nostril, and they will also be less active and probably flopped out on the floor on a cool smooth surface if available, to try and cool their belly down.

Her ears somewhat always feel hot but I will try that and see if it helps