my rabbits ear and odd activity

Question
Hi,
I have two rabbits. My black bunny is very old and I got him from my uncle who got him from a fair. As far as I know he doesn't have anything special about him but his personality. He was an outside rabbit for the first 4 or so years and I brought him inside when he had capped skin under his mouth. He stayed inside until this last fall. I bought another rabbit this last spring and he's a dwarf bunny. He was inside until the fall as well. I put them in a cage behind my house with hay and the doors to their little cubbies out of the wind. When I went out to feed them this morning my black one's right ear was flopped all the way over and he wasn't moving very fast, kind of wobbly and didn't breathe very fast like he normally does. I called my vet and she said that he probably has frost bite and hypothermia. And to give him warm water with sugar in it every 20 minutes. She also said he probably wouldn't live. I gave him the water and he seems to be cheering up and moving better. I was just wondering if there was anything else I could do. Besides my dog, he was my first animal. My dog died this past September and I got a puppy 2 summers ago and she got hit by a car on the highway in February. If there is anything I could do I will do it. I don't want to loose another pet in one year. Oh and my other rabbit appears to be fine. And my black one is huge. I don't understand how it happened to the bigger one. Unless its because he's older.
Thank you.
Chelsea

Answer
Dear Chelsea,

I'm glad your bunny seems to be feeling better.  But the main thing you must do now is to bring BOTH bunnies indoors where they will be completely protected from the cold.  It is MUCH too cold now for a rabbit to be outdoors above ground, and both of them might die if you don't bring them in.

Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html

and find an experienced rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who can examine both rabbits to be sure all is fine.  Then go here:

www.rabbit.org/

for all the information you need to bring your bunnies inside permanently, where you can monitor their health and make sure you catch the slightest indication of illness before it becomes fatally serious.

The flopped ear suggests that your bunny might have an infection--not just hypothermia.  So please also read:

www.rabbit.org/health/tilt.html

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html

An ear infection or E. cuniculi don't always manifest as a complete head tilt, but a dropped ear is a strong indication that a similar problem may be causing it.  Please don't delay in getting your big boy the proper care he needs.

I hope this helps.

Dana