My bunny is insane/has mites?

[whiskylollipop]

One of my buns, Merlin, is a bit "special". He was the runt of his litter, and is active, fearless and inquisitive beyond anything I could ever imagine.

Lately we've been getting worried over some aspects of his behaviour. He quite often does a weird half-jump where the front of his body jerks up and his head twitches, like he's trying to buck off an unwelcome hat.

Also sometimes he tears around in incredibly fast sprints and finishes by throwing himself bodily on the carpet on his side, and tries to roll over. Full-body itch?

He scritches himself quite a lot on the face/behind the ears. So does his sister Rose, but she doesn't exhibit the other odd behaviours.

Could it be mites? We can't see any flakes or bleeding, but why is he so terribly itchy?

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

The running around and jumping is what rabbits do when they are happy. It is called a Binky. Flopping over after means they are happy and content.

Scratching is normal, but mites can be there. If you see flaky skin or what looks like dandruff, it is probably mites. Keep an eye on it and take him to a vet if you are concerned.

 

[JBun]

Binky. Sign of a very happy bunny

Bunny 500- happy bunny again. DBF dead bunny flop - very comfortable relaxed bun. It also helps them cool off when they are hot, to flop on their side.

Some rabbits do these things more than others, so if your girl bun doesn't do them, that's ok too.

A little bit of scratching is normal, but if you find he is doing it a lot, or shaking his head along with the scratching like there's something in his ear, and he's doing it quite a bit too, it can indicate ear mites or an ear infection. An ear infection can especially be serious, so it's something to keep an eye on, and take him into the vet if you suspect a problem.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Binky. Sign of a very happy bunny

Bunny 500- happy bunny again. DBF dead bunny flop - very comfortable relaxed bun. It also helps them cool off when they are hot, to flop on their side.

Some rabbits do these things more than others, so if your girl bun doesn't do them, that's ok too.

A little bit of scratching is normal, but if you find he is doing it a lot, or shaking his head along with the scratching like there's something in his ear, and he's doing it quite a bit too, it can indicate ear mites or an ear infection. An ear infection can especially be serious, so it's something to keep an eye on, and take him into the vet if you suspect a problem.

My thoughts exactly

 

[whiskylollipop]

Oh! I didn't realise that counted as a binky, I thought binkies were full hops into air. What he does looks more like a spasm. I'm always on the edge about his health 'cause that little bad boy is an expert ninja at getting into anything and everything! He hopped into our waste bin the other day, knawed through a McDonald's paper bag and was in the midst of enjoying a chilli sauce-covered french fry when I caught him. And he accomplished this all in the minute it took me to pop in and out of the bathroom. Good golly.

 

[JBun]

There are little half hearted binkies, where they just don't want to get up the energy for a full on binky, but will do a little jump and a little shake of the body or head. But I can't tell if what you are describing is a binky or if it's something else. If you could get a video of it, that would help. It can also depend on what else he is doing when he does this.

 

[whiskylollipop]

He does it randomly, whenever he's out. When he does it, it looks like he just got a wee shock of electricity, like someone prodded his bum with a live wire. It's a little VERY quick spasmic half-jump, sometimes a few in a row, and then he's off exploring like normal.

 

[PaGal]

If he is raising his front legs off of the floor so he is kind of standing up on his back legs and shakes his body and head, all done quckly and at the same time then that is called shivering and it means he's happy. A binky is typically when they jump into the air with all four feet leaving the floor while at the same time twisting there body.

Thumper will binky while he is running around or we are playing chase. He will shiver at other times such as if I walk into the room and he doesn't feel the urge to run up to me or to run aroujnd and play chase then he will just shiver.

 

[PaGal]

As for the scratching, keep an eye on it but some buns groom more than others. When we first got Thumper my husband swore he had fleas because he would just stop in the middle of whatever he was doing and scratch and groom a little. He has no fleas and never has it's just what he does when he feels the urge to groom. I did keep a close eye on him and still do and never have I seen a bug on him or any signs such as fleas dirt.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Here's an insanely cute idea of a binky; is this what your bun is doing??

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSP5BsHt7nw&feature=player_embedded[/ame]#!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDXgYa3La_0&feature=player_embedded[/ame]#!

 

[whiskylollipop]

bunnylova4eva - Blimers, the bun in that first video looks so much like my Rose! And yes, that looks quite similar to what Merlin does, except his are quicker and not as high. He also does a little head shake that makes his ears flap. My bunnies aren't very enthusiastic jumpers/binkiers :/

Especially Rose, I've never seen her binky. Does that mean she's not happy?