Head tilt/ Head tiwst

Question
QUESTION: Hello!
 About a week ago, my one-month old baby bun was eating some timothy hay and couple of minutes later, his head began to tilt while he was eating. I picked him up to see what was wrong but his head kept tilting sideways and his eyes starting shifting from side to side. It only lasted a minute and then he was back to normal. Yesterday, I decided to give him more hay and couple of minutes later, he did it again! But this time, one of his arms stiffened up and he began to tip over. It's very heart breaking to watch. I also notice that his head twitches when he's in the middle of running or jumping in mid-air. It's a very fast neck twitch as if he has an itch of some sort. Besides that, he's healthy and eating properly. Can you help me with this please?

ANSWER: Dear Sarah,

I don't think the tilt or nystagmus (side to side eye movement) are being caused by the hay.  But it may be that the chewing motion is sending some kind of feedback to his inner ear, and the tilt and nystagmus could be a sign that there is incipient infection brewing there.  There are several different causes of head tilt, and you can read an excellent overview here:

www.rabbit.org/health/tilt.html

Each cause has its own treatment, of course, so you'll need an experienced rabbit vet who can do a good exam, diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment, as necessary.  You can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

It's good that the problem is only intermittent now.  It likely means you've caught it early.  Prompt treatment is the key to keeping this problem from becoming full-blown, permanent head tilt.  That's not a death sentence, but it's certainly something best avoided, if at all possible.

I hope this helps!

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you!
 May I ask how long until it actually may take for it to become a permanent head tilt? Will it be soon? And I read that it may be caused by trauma. He did fall from the bed. Is falling from the bed harmful to a bunny ranging from 1 to 3 months of age?

Answer
Dear Sarah,

The length of time it might take for the tilt to become permanent will vary from rabbit to rabbit.  But it is absolutely true that the longer you put off treatment, the more likely it is that this will be permanent.  Prompt treatment--ESPECIALLY in the case of trauma--is critical.

Yes, if the baby fell on his head he could have this because of trauma, and if the condition started soon after he fell then you should have taken him to the vet immediately.

Please do so now, to give him the best chance of recovery--before it is too late.  He deserves a chance to get well.

Dana