albino bunny health

Question
Hi there Sarah, I wonder if you can help me? My baby bunny (Sunny) who is
now 14 weeks old is an albino x lion head. I had him here at home (well, his
mummy did) and he has always been fit and healthy up until yesterday. He
seems to have gone blind! This has made him unable to walk properly and he
seems very scared and therefore he is just laying down alot. He won't even
eat from my hands anymore and I'm so worried about him. I'm saying he
seems to have gone blind as when I put my hands to his face there is no
reaction at all. He is crawling now with his head to one side. I have moved
him to a hutch by himself so he can learn where all his things are without
being confused by other smells etc and I am bringing him into the house on
an evening now to try and learn him to walk again. I am told that albino's do
go blind and it is quite normal. Is this correct? Will he learn to depend on his
sense of smell? Can I do anything to help him? Sorry for the essay I am just
concerned. Thanks so much for your time, I really appreciate it, Zoe.

Answer
What you heard about albinos is not correct at all. Other than swaying the head side to side sometimes to properly process light, albino rabbits are just as healthy and normal as any other colour rabbits. The swaying is not at all unhealthy for them, anyway.

You are very right to be concerned though. It sounds like your rabbit may have wry neck. This can be caused by different things. Ear mites, an internal protazoan parasite, or injury to the internal balance system are the most common causes. I would advise you getting him to a rabbit vet right away. Then you can start aggressive treatment to help stop it and even possibly correct some of the head tilt. If taken care of right away, many rabbits can recover pretty well from wry neck, though they will usually retain some of the head tilt.