Tank

Question
Hi Mr. MeyerThanks for your info regarding my question about Tank. I have noticed that his ears are warm and his urine is milky. Do you think a visit to the vet is warranted? Sorry to bother you again but I am concerned.
Many thanks, Martha

Answer
Hi Martha,

having warm ears is not unusual.  Rabbits' ears are the primary heat exchangers for them to get rid of excess heat, as rabbits do not have sweat glands.  So if he's in a warmer part of the house, or he's been active digging or running around or active in some other way, his ears would be warmer.  Now if I remember Tank is a dwarf rabbit so his ears are physically smaller to begin with, so I can see him having warmer ears.

Milky urine:  if you are feeding Tank alfalfa, I'd stop doing that, especially if he's more than a year old.  Generally rabbit urine has color to it, depending on what they are eating.  And it can range from reddish to a milky white color.  things that you would want to watch for is if it appears that he is having problems being able to urinate, straining a long time to get a little out (and conversely started to drink less), that kind of thing.  That would suggest a blockage.  But if he's eating and drinking normal, and his volume of output (pellets and urine) is normal for what his intake is, then he is fine.

The general rule of thumb is for rabbit owners, you have a pet that is a creature of habit and routine.  They learn a routine quickly.  They know it well enough to let us know when WE deviate from it.  You as a rabbit owner must learn the same thing about their habits and what they do as normal behavior.  If you ever see THEM start deviating from their normal behavior/routine, THAT is when you either a) take them to the vet if they appear sick or b) start watching them very carefully and be ready to take to the vet.  Anytime they are not their normal excited self for food (of favorite treats) there is a problem.  Generally if they are eating/drinking normal, and the output matches the intake, they are okay.

I should also add here athte end that if you have never had Tank into a vet yet, then I would recommend taking him in, to get a wellness exam, to establish a baseline record of him in good shape with your vet.  I'd probably bring in a little baggie with some of his fecal pellets so they can test them for parasites, etc.  If you don't have a good rabbit vet (not all are) yet, go to:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

and find a House Rabbit Society-recommended vet in your area.

Lee