Felix seems lethargic

[pani]

Hi all,

Felix's mama back with yet another paranoid mama thread. :{

This morning and this afternoon Felix seemed perfectly fine. I've widened his play area a bit and he seems to enjoy bouncing around the couch and the living room, often binkying or doing little bunny 500s. I took him out this morning for a play and he seemed fine, and put him back in his hutch to stay safe while I was out.

Apparently while I was out, some of my housemates' friends came over and one of them took Felix out for a bit to let him play. My partner said it went fine and that nothing unusual happened while he was playing.

When I got home that afternoon, I took Felix out again - I like him to be out as often as he can, as his hutch is probably a tad small for him (looking to upgrade size when possible). I didn't notice anything off at first, but after a while, he seemed quite lethargic. He was no longer struggling when I picked him up, whereas he'll normally kick around a little bit or dart away once he realises what I'm doing. He would sit on my lap and at one point looked like he was flopped onto his side with his eyes half closed, which seems like the 'bunny flop', but it's worth mentioning I'd never seen him do that before.

He seems to be pooping normally. I don't recall seeing a large amount of poops around the living room, but there were a few in his litter box and I saw him eating his cecotropes probably 5 or 6 times. He's still eating hay and his pellet mix.

He just seems really lethargic and I'm quite concerned, especially after searching for similar results and seeing that lethargy can indicate quite a serious problem. :{ He still has a bit of spark to him: I went to get him out of his hutch a moment ago to see how he was doing and he did kick his legs a bit, but not as much as he normally would.

In his hutch now, he's just sitting quietly in his enclosure. His eyes are open but he is very still, so he might be asleep, as I'm yet to see him sleep with his eyes closed yet. His nose does look like it might still be twitching but it's a little hard to tell, since his little face always shakes a little bit with his heartbeat.

He's had quite a long time playing out of his hutch today, but he's been out for extended time periods before without getting like this. Does it sound like he might just be tired and need a rest, or could there be something wrong with him? I'm just so worried that maybe he ate something he wasn't supposed to when he was out and I wasn't home, or that something's happened to him and I won't be able to help him enough.

Sorry for being so paranoid - it seems like I find something new to worry about every night. I just want to make sure Felix is okay.

 

[sarahbunny]

Hi, Sorry to hear he is unwell or down.. i am replying as i had similar problem with my lovely mummy and lost her only last night, she had a blocked bowel.. she was lethargic but at the same time she was constantly changing position, as if uncomfortable.. she was doing very few poos and when you touched her belly it made a windy sound and had gone really hard.. I am not saying yours is the same, but seeing how quickly she declined in one day and then died i am urging you to go the the vets.. please dont make the mistake i did.. Is his belly hard, is he eating and drinking..? she wouldnt do either.. just lethargic .. please let us know how you get on, but dont risk leaving it too long, go on your gut feelings and dont worry if you look like you are over worrying.. i wish i had acted quicker.. Good luck and am sure this is not what is wrong.. but be warry and act quickly x if you wish to ask me anything else about how she was please ask away..xx Sarah

 

[pani]

Oh, sarahbunny, I'm so sorry to hear about your poor mama bun. :<

Thank you for posting your experience here. Felix is sitting quite still, he's not switching positions at all. He's still pooping and his belly doesn't feel particularly hard, and I'm not hearing any noises coming from it. He's also still eating hay, along with his food mixture. I think he seems a bit more upbeat now, although his ears are feeling quite cool to tough. It's been an extremely warm day here, but he's been inside all day, and the air-con on for most of the day, along with always having a cold/frozen water bottle to lie against.

 

[sarahbunny]

So glad to hear that, sorry if i panicked.. i just didnt want it to happen to you or your bunny...:bigtears: i really hope he picks up, but i would say to anyone, dont wait too long.. always act quickly if you really believe something is not right.. My inexperience let her down but now i know, altho too late.. So glad yours is not this.. good luck and tell us how he goes xxxx

 

[JBun]

If he's eating and pooping normally, it could just be you caught him at a sleepy time of the day, but if his behavior continues to seem 'off' to you, it's probably a good idea to get him checked by your vet.

Being able to determine if a rabbit is feeling unwell, can just sometimes come down to knowing how your rabbit normally behaves, rests, relaxes. Then if you notice your rabbit not sitting how it usually does, or behaving differently, that can sometimes tip you off that something is wrong. But these subtle clues can sometimes be hard to pick up on, especially if your rabbit is new to your home. The next best ways to know if something is wrong, is changes in the poop or lack of appetite.

A few weeks ago I noticed one of my rabbits wasn't bunnyloafing like she usually does after eating her pellets. She was loafing but sitting up more almost looking like her stomach might be uncomfortable, when she usually just nestled right onto the floor to sleep. This behavior happened for a few days. Nothing else had changed. She was still eating and pooping normally. I had recently changed her to a different pellet, so I decided to reduce the amount, and that fixed the problem. She is now resting like she normally does after eating, just something about the pellets was causing an issue with her. So these small changes of behavior can sometimes mean something, it's just figuring out what that can be hard.

 

[Imbrium]

sarahbunny, I'm so sorry you lost your bunn! :tears2:

It sounds as though Felix is okay - even with the A/C going and the temperature indoors kept in an appropriate range for a bunny, they do often seem to know when it's hot outside (probably because it's often a few degrees warmer in the house on hot days) and can be a little more "loafy" than they are when it's cooler. I know mine are more energetic when the weather's chilly. He had a pretty action-packed day by the sound of it, so he could just be a bit tired and wanting to rest.

As long as he's eating/drinking/pooping/peeing normally and doesn't appear uncomfortable, my recommendation would be to simply keep an eye on him overnight. If he still seems lethargic the next morning or if you notice any other indications that something is wrong, then I recommend a vet check-up just to be safe.

 

[pani]

Thanks everyone. :>

It's been a ridiculously warm day today, and he was still quite lethargic when I checked on him before coming to work this morning. The frozen water bottle he had last night had thawed and was room temperature, so I replaced it with another frozen one. I took him out quickly to see how he was and give him a cuddle goodbye, and he did kick a bit when he was out which was good. When I put him back in his hutch he laid in an uncomfortable looking position how I put him in - back legs over the water bottle and front half on the floor, which was really concerning, but after I nudged him a bit he rearranged himself back into his normal loaf.

I asked my partner to replace his frozen water bottle as necessary today, and I'll take him out and let him lie on the carpet in front of the fan and air-con tonight. He was pooping last night (one pile of messy cecals, which does happen occasionally, along with a few poops underneath him, and more in his litter tray) but I couldn't confirm his appetite, since I only saw him for a few minutes before leaving for work. He was eating last night, though, and I've asked my partner to keep an eye on him today and text me if anything happens.

It is an extremely warm day today (high of 38C/100F) and it was quite hot yesterday too, so it may just be that the heat is getting to him. I'm just so worried since I haven't had him long enough to know if this is normal behaviour, but he's never been like this before.

 

[Imbrium]

What are the temperatures like inside your home? Above 80F (about 27C) is when heat can become dangerous for a house bunny and precautions need to be taken. If it's not much warmer than that and he's got a frozen water bottle, he shouldn't be all that lethargic, just a little more lazy than usual and maybe stretching out to cool off more. Unless it's 29+C indoors, I think it's worth a vet trip to make sure there's not another cause.

 

[pani]

If the aircon's on, it's normally around 24C. If not, it can get quite a bit warmer. He does have his frozen water bottle to lie against. If he's still like this I'll take him to the vet ASAP just so I can check everything's okay. He's getting his 10 week vaccinations next week so I can also ask the breeder if she can take a quick look at him, as she's quite knowledgeable (obviously not in place of a vet's visit, but it would be good to have her opinion if he'll be there anyway).

 

[pani]

I'm still quite worried, as he seems very placid tonight. He's letting me pick him up and turn him over to check his underside was all okay, and he even let me check his teeth last night. He just doesn't seem himself. Still pooping and peeing normally, partner said he was eating today, he is grooming himself quite a lot. It almost seems like he's gotten a bit clumsy - when I put him down he often sort of flumps down, and if he has to hop down he sometimes drops his face all the way to the ground when he comes down. He also got his back legs caught on his litter tray when he was hopping in, which doesn't often happen.

 

[Imbrium]

I really don't know what the issue might be, but I would get him to the vet as soon as possible - that sounds very concerning. I hope it turns out that he's okay and we've been worrying for nothing, but unfortunately there's a possibility of it being something serious based on your descriptions of his behavior :S

ray: Feel better soon, Felix!

 

[pani]

Thank you, Jennifer.

I'm going to sleep now because I have work early tomorrow, and my partner is assuring me that Felix is okay. He does seem a little more like himself, albeit not nearly as jumpy or fidgety.

My housemate told me that when Felix was out with their friends the other day, one of their friends kept holding him although he was kicking and trying to get away. This is making me wonder if maybe he's become extremely scared (whenever I approach him he goes into that 'bunny loaf' shape, which he used to do sometimes when I was petting him, but not as often) of contact, or maybe even strained his back and/or legs, which would explain his restricted movement.

If he's still like this tomorrow, I'm going to see if I can get him to a vet. I'll be devastated if anything happens to him.

 

[pani]

Quick morning update - he's still a bit quiet, but seems to have a big more of a spring in his step today. I'll be home from work mid-afternoon, so I can check in on him again.

 

[Imbrium]

When you get home, inform him that it's not nice to make so many people worry about him and tell him that I said he needs to get back to normal ASAP!

 

[pani]

Felix seems much more like himself tonight. :}

He's not completely back to how he was before, but he's moving around a lot more and doesn't seem to be having a lot of trouble. He did look a bit worried about trying to hop up onto the sofa, and when he tried he only made it about halfway up before hitting the front of it (the poor thing!), so he may not have all of his strength back. At this point I'm thinking it might have been some handling problems when I wasn't around on Thursday, since his appetite and digestion have been completely normal this entire time.

 

[sarahbunny]

Hope he is better soon, maybe its best to advise your partner not to let anyone restrain him in that fashion when you are out, if it has frightened him.. So pleased to hear he is more his old self, lets hope it was just a bit of a strain or something which is healing itself.. Hope he is back to his full hopping height soon bless.. xx

 

[Imbrium]

I'm glad he's doing better!

If you think it may have been something that happened while he was out without you there, you might keep a close eye on him and restrict him for a few days (limited jumping/climbing) to make sure he rests up and whatever is wrong (like a strained muscle or something) heals thoroughly without getting aggravated again. I'd also suggest politely requesting that Felix not be handled by non-members of the household unless you're there to supervise, just to make sure nothing like this happens again .

 

[pani]

Absolutely! I actually didn't think people would take him out when I wasn't around - I was a bit surprised to hear about it. I like to be able to properly supervise him when he's out of his cage, to make sure he's not eating anything or getting anywhere he shouldn't be.

He seems to be doing well again this morning, although I can see the hot weather is affecting the poor little guy. He's got his frozen water bottle to keep cool. He did do one long, soft poop this morning - sort of like cecals although there were no little 'grapes', it was just one long poop. I'll keep an eye on him, of course, and see if it reoccurs. He's 10 weeks old, should he be getting unlimited access to pellets or should I be restricting him? I'm currently using a mix bag from the breeder (including pellets, hay, and I think a few oats), but I've ordered a bag of pellets so I can start monitoring how much he's eating daily.

 

[Imbrium]

I usually recommend about 2x whatever their adult ration would be (based on their anticipated adult weight, not current weight) until veggies have been thoroughly introduced (then gradually cut back to 1.5x)... however, that's just a guideline as all bunnies are different. The main thing is that about 80% of his diet should be hay - babies are allowed more pellets, but they also eat more overall so the hay intake should be about the same percentage as an adult. If he's eating lots of hay, limiting pellets may not even be necessary... but if he pigs out on the pellets, they may need to be limited to encourage hay eating.

 

[pani]

Thanks, Jennifer! I noticed him going crazy on the pellets last night (and to make matters worse, the feed I'm using currently is a mix that does look like it has a few oats in it, but I've ordered pellets online that should arrive in the next couple of days), and this morning I woke up to find a few excess cecals, so I'm thinking his diet might be a little rich in pellets. I'll cut him back and encourage him to eat more hay. There were more this morning, but by the time I got home from work, he'd gone back and eaten them all. Waste not want not!