rescue rabbit--strange behavior

[Lee Blackett]

hello. a few weeks ago someone in my area moved away and abandoned their rabbits into the wild. we've been trying to catch them since someone offered to take them in.

we finally caught it today, but his behavior is very odd. we called several vets but we live in a really rural area and nobody anywhere near us treats rabbits, apparently. I have absolutely zero experience with them.

for the most part he seems--dizzy maybe? he can't walk without falling over, sometimes he stands still and bobs his head erratically. he is eating (pellets), but wouldn't drink (out of a bowl anyway. would having a cage bottle help?)

we aren't really sure what to do with him, none of us are really well versed in rabbit care and apparently no vets in the area will/can treat him or even euthanize him if it came down to it.

 

[Niomi]

Does he look like he is starving or is he underweight? If he is, he could be having problems from being weak. I don't know if a cage bottle would help, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Otherwise give him some fresh food, like romaine lettuce because fresh food has water in it. If he needs to be put to sleep, you might ask your local animal control if they provide that service.

 

[John Wick]

Ear infections or parasites which affect the brain (E. Cuniculi being the most well-known for rabbits) can cause head tilts/balance problems. If he's bobbing erratically, I wonder about neurological problems. Notably, rabbits can be successfully cured of these sorts of infections, but still have the symptoms (https://www.instagram.com/ginnyrabbit/ for example); therefore, the idea of whether or not the rabbit is presently suffering is something to consider.

Really trying to find a vet would be the best course of action. A lot of "avian" vets (avian = birds) are more likely to have rabbit experience. "Exotic" vet is the more frequently used terminology. Sometimes, people search for vets and the only ones that pop up are dog/cat/horse vets, but if you search avian and/or exotic, you may have better luck.

Rabbits with a head tilt can have difficulty drinking out of a water bowl. I'd offer both bowl and bottle to see if there's a difference. Generally, I feel bowl is still better for those with a head, unless the degree of tilting makes drinking from a bowl surface impossible.

Are you considering keeping this rabbit permanently as a pet?

 

[JBun]

He likely has a vestibular disease, probably from an inner ear infection, though the e. cuniculi parasite is also possible. Since without the proper tests it can be difficult to know which might be the cause, often vets will treat for both with a rabbit safe antibiotic(for possible ear infection), fenbendazole(e. cuniculi), and an anti inflammatory(meloxicam).
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/e-cuniculi/
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/HeadTiltVestibularRabbit.htm
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Parasitic/Encephalitozoonosis.htm

If you plan on keeping this rabbit, the best thing would be to get it to an experienced rabbit vet for treatment. But if there is absolutely no way to do this, maybe you could call and do a phone consult, or your local vet could call and do a consult. If you need to, there are otc meds that you can get online or at farm stores(penicillin g procaine/benzathine injectable solution and Safeguard goat dewormer liquid-fenbendazole), and the vet could give you instructions on treatment and dosage.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[Lee Blackett]

thank you everyone for the responses, we've been working with what we have.

he did start doing much better after eating (a lot, I might add so we suspect it could be hunger) and we got medication for the (possible) ear infection just in case. he's still a bit 'dizzy' but he's better, and more alert. surprisingly tame too.

we are not "officially" keeping him, though I suspect my mom very much wants to. we found a vet in the next state over who is willing to see him, so we're taking him today.

hopefully he will make a lovely recovery!