My bunny is acting weird

Question
hi alice my bunnys name is bambie he is about 4 years old and he's usually an inside rabbit but for a few months now he's been living in an outside pen. today i went to go check on his food supply and found him missing. i cryed so hard as i seached my yard the alley way and the neighboring houses and cryed even harder when i finally found him laying (normally) in someones front yard. i picked him up and took him home i gave him a bath because he was so dirty and put him in my room to dry off while me and my sister set up his cage inside. then later that night i noticed he didnt move from the spot i placed him on my bedroom floor. he was licking his paws dry but he didnt really seem to be licking anywhere else (which he normally does to get himself dry) i didnt really think much of it so i picked him up and went to my sisters room and he sat on my lap like a lump he didnt move. then i placed him on her bed and he kind floped to one side then pulled himself back up and sat still like a lump. i figured he might be dehydrated so i took him downstairs were his cage is and put him infront of his food and water dish. he agin sat there like a lump and didnt move he didnt sniff the food nothing. his nose wasnt wiggling much and his breathing seem very light. I got this feeling that maby it was his time and he was ready to die so i sat on the floor with him in my lap and my sister and mom was with thinking the same thing. then my sister went and got him a banana (which he loves) and he ate quite a bit of it but while he was eating it he was tipping to one side like he was dizzy i thouhgt maby he had a stroke. but now he's back up in my room and im looking after him for the night just in case he passed overnight. he was cold so i rapped him in a blanket and we wached movies for a while. now he i up on his hind legs and is licking himself squeeking (like he normaly does) he's hopping a little bit on my bed and he seems to be getting more color in his eyes (but they are a little cloudy). im starting to have more faith that he will survive the night. but if he does i would like to know if i have to still expect that he might pass. i woulkd like to know if anything i said sounds deadly or if he had stroke mabey. but what i would really like to know is if he survives the night will i still have to keep worrying about him, and if i do is there anything i can do to help him. thank you so much and i look forward to hearing your reply

Answer
Hi There

It almost sounds like he may have had heat stroke. Did he try to run at all when you picked him up in the neighbors yard? I'm wondering if he didn't injure his paws somehow running from something and once he stopped he stayed where he was.

If he's not taking fluid or any food on his own today then you are going to have to give him it by mouth. Add apple, carrot, or pineapple juice to his water, 1 tablespoon, just enough to give it colour. You can try first to put the bowl in front of him and see if he has any interest, if he does on his own then that is very encouraging. If not, you will have to get a syringe without the needle and feed him the water that way. Put the syringe to his mouth and let him lap up the water.
Try giving him lettuce that is dripping wet because he will take in fluids this way as well.
Next for food, allow a small handful of pellets to soak in a bowl for about ten minutes. They will expand and go soft. Add some apple sauce to it. (1-2 tbl spoons). He might decide to eat on his own, if he doesn't then have the pellet mush thin enough to be sucked up in the syringe and put it to his mouth letting him lick it up.

Heat stroke can be quite unforgiving on rabbits. It could be heat stroke of the shock / fear of an attack. You are going to have to run your fingers along his body and make sure he has no cuts or scratches. Feel the bones too, doing both sides at the same time so you can compare for differences. Look in his mouth, teeth injuries are common. Check especially the nape of his neck and along his back. A little cut might just feel like a little bump under the fur. If anything picked him up with teeth, then those marks would have been along his back / neck and ears.

You will have to keep feeding him this way until he eats and drinks on his own. Generally with fear, or heat stroke, if they start coming out of it, then normally they are fine. It's more worrisome for me when they eat absolutely nothing. Try to get as much water as you can into him because he may very well be dehydrated if he was laying in the sun for a long time.

Hope this helps...

Alice