Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Rabbits > head

head

22 10:43:08

Question
Please could you tell me why my rabbits head leans to the side The Rabbit is eating and drinking and is hopping around not as normal as he used to but also when he does hop around he tends to shake

Answer
It sounds like your rabbit is in the beginning stages of head tilt.  The most common cause for this is a inner ear infection.  You will need to take your rabbit to a rabbit experienced vet so the cause of this can be determined.  Some good reading on this subject is below:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-8/head-tilt.html
http://www.rabbit.org/health/tilt.html

There are wide discrepancies in people's feelings on the long term success in treating the causes of head tilt.  Once the cause has been determined, some rabbits respond well, and go on to live happy lives. With some rabbits treatment and supportive care can take a long time before the cause of the head tilt has been eradicated.  And then there are some, where the cause of the head tilt never gets successfully treated.

Hopefully your bunny will make a quick recovery.  But for some, recovery can take a long time and a lot of work on your part.

But, your first step is to get your rabbit to a good vet for diagnosis.