Help with rescue bunny

[TrixyBuns]

Hello,
I rescued a rabbit yesterday that I have been trying to locate for 3 months. Every time there was a sighting he was gone by the time I got there. Yesterday was the lucky day!! We named him Timothy (Tiny Tim). He was easy to catch and let me pick him right up and put him in the kennel without a fight. I have a vet appointment set up for him this Saturday morning but would like some advice until then.

He is unstable on his feet and wobbles when he walks (he doesn't really hop). When he sits back to clean himself he falls backward. all he has been eating for the last 3+ months is grass, carrots, and random fruits and vegetables that the neighborhood fed him.

What can I do to help him with nutrition until I see the vet on Saturday? I am picking up critical care tonight and gave him oxbow young rabbit food (what I have on hand for my baby bunny), timothy hay, and oats. I have the rabbits in separate rooms until I know he is safe to be around Beatrix (Trixy).

Thank you for any advice!!

 

[JBun]

I would phone the vet and ask if they can get you in for an emergency appointment, or if you have another knowledgeable rabbit vet nearby I would phone them to try and get him in right away. The symptoms you describe are serious and need to be treated immediately. He may be weak from starvation or he could have vestibular disease. Vestibular disease is usually caused by an inner ear infection or by the parasite e. cuniculi. If it's this then the vet should put him on fenbendazole(Panacur), a rabbit safe antibiotic, and meloxicam to reduce inflammation. He may also need fluids and other meds, but those are the basics.

Medirabbit (ear infection in rabbits)

https://www.gwexotics.com/wp-conten...-E-cuniculi-infection-in-domestic-rabbits.pdf
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
If he's skinny and wasn't eating much before you were able to get him, it's important to not feed too rich of foods at first as it can overwhelm their digestive system. If he will eat the timothy hay well, I would start with only that, free fed as much as he wants, and ensuring he is eating a pile the size of his body at least, twice a day. It's not too rich and grass hay really is the best thing for rabbits to be eating anyways, as it helps regulate their digestive function. The other foods can gradually be added in as he is stable and is used to eating food again.