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Head twitching

22 10:14:00

Question
Hello. My rabbit is about 6 months old now. Ever since he was 3 months old, he has had a twitch in his neck which usually occurs when he's running around. While he runs, his head twitches very quickly and several second-minutes later, he does it again. Is he in pain?? He does scratch his ears about 3 times a day, but I don't think that's too unusual. And another thing, when he drinks water, his stomach sounds as if it's growling? He has plenty of food in his bowl which is always in his cage. I'm very curious about the head twitching. I do not believe he has ear mites, there is no crust inside his ears. Could it be head tilt? Please respond asap. Thank you very much!!

Answer
Hi Jen,

There are several possibilities here.  It could just be a quirk of your particular rabbit.  Rabbits do something called "binkys" when they have free roam, feel secure and are having a good time.  Each rabbit does a different binky.  Some do head movements, some jump and spin, some jump and kick their back legs and some do a combination jump.  Our nearly 30 pound Flemish throw their heads from side to side and jump and kick.

It could be the early signs of an ear infection.  Mites sometimes don't show the crusty stuff and only a swab of ear debris examined under a scope will detect them.  They can cause a secondary bacterial infection.  A bacterial infection in the inner and/or middle ear is the prelude to head tilt.  Head tilt is caused when an ear infection causes vertigo...just like in humans.  They can't see directly in front of them so they have a difficult time establishing orientation.  Normally in an ear infection/head tilt situation they head will start to twist around...I have never seen one have a twitch.  Now the eyes will twitch...a condition known as nystagmus....as the rabbit frantically searches for a focal point.

There are some neurological concerns that affect some rabbits. Some rabbits, primarily ruby eye whites, are called "scanners".  It is something like a mild epileptic seizure in humans.  It doesn't usually happen when the rabbit is active....again like in humans, it is usually occurs in the twilight zone...not really fully awake and not really asleep.  We have had a couple of scanners here.  It is really freaky looking to see.  In each case, the scanning resolved without our intervention as the rabbit aged into adulthood.  There is no known cause and no treatment.  We have no evidence that this condition causes any major issues.

Sometimes a condition known as Metabolic Bone Disease can cause some neurological issues.  This is not usually seen in domestic rabbits since they have a fortified diet.  We usually see this in small wildlife that well meaning people have attempted to feed...improperly.  But it is worth looking at his diet just to make sure we don't have something like a diabetic condition (rare but possible in rabbits).  Out of range blood glucose can cause all sorts of issues.  And the fact that you mentioned he had food in his bowl does bring on a concern.

This rabbit is approaching adulthood...we consider any rabbit that is 6 months old to be an adult.  The diet of a healthy adult house rabbit should be low protein/high fiber.... limited high quality pellets, unlimited grass hay, limited greens/veggies (carrots are not health food for rabbits as they contain too much sugar) and no sugary treats.  While you may hear some gurgling in the gut as it moves, if your rabbit isn't getting enough hay the gurgling will be worse...and you will have a rabbit with gut problems.  The hay provides bulk in the gut and will reduce the gurgling.  The hay also provides the pressure to keep the gut going.  It is also vitally important to the teeth as it is very chewy and this is what wears the teeth down.

My suggestion is to closely monitor your rabbit.  Look carefully at his eyes for any twitching...and it might be very slight.  Any sign of twitching of the eyes in a primary indication of an ear infection.  I would seriously consider a visit to a rabbit savvy vet just to take a peek in those ears.  An infection is not always visible to the eye but there are other markers that might make the ears suspect.  Elevated body temperature, lots of debris and/or inflammation deep inside the ear canal (this requires an otoscope to get deep in the ear) or nystagmus are something a skilled vet would look at during a physical exam for this possible issue.  Watch his posture....is it the same as it was before you noticed this twitching?  It doesn't sound as if he is in pain...a rabbit in pain usually hunkers down with ears back and eyes at least partially closed.  Watch him even when he is in his house....are there any unusual neurological deficiencies while he is resting?  Watch his urine output carefully.  And watch for any dragging of the left rear leg...and it might be very slight and very rare...just a little stumble.  Make sure he is on a proper diet....limited high quality pellets, unlimited grass hay available at all times and limited greens.  Make any changes to the diet in small amounts and over a period of several days.

I don't really feel he is having a problem.  Usually you would be seeing other issues if something were terribly wrong.  I think in this case the best thing to do is just closely monitor him and carefully document any unusual activity (write it down instead of relying on memory).  Not the time of day, if he has just eaten, has he been asleep?  Does it happen anytime other than when he is playing?  Any detail may establish if this is a problem or just an individual quirk.