Rabbit Health: Older bunny slowing down?

Question
I have had my rabbit, Hoppy for about 6 years. He is about 8 years old. The last few months he has started to act less like he use to. He doesn't play as much, he isn't as curious and he doesn't really jump around as much. He use to have a lot of energy and the last few months it seems to have lessened alot. I was wondering if this is normal with age?
Thank you
Brandi

Answer
Dear Brandi,

No, it's not really normal for him to be lethargic at the age of eight.  He's not that old.  But since I can't see just *how* slow he is, or know how suddenly this came on, I can't really judge for sure.

I'd recommend you get Hoppy to an experienced rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

for a full wellness exam, including blood work (complete blood chemistry and cell count), molar exam (to check for spurs) and a good listen to all systems (lungs, intestines, heart, etc.).  If the vet gives a clean bill of health, then you'll at least know that your little guy is just getting more mellow with age.  But you don't want a health problem to sneak up and become serious if you can catch it early.

Hope this helps.

Dana