Seizure????

Question
Ok, my bunny "dale" is a very healthy bunny i let him walk around all the time. He eats normal and drinks normal.His cage is fine.But...when you put him back in the cage and leave the room with the light off he starts rolling around and his eyes r going in circles.it scare me. then when i put my hamd amd talk to him hes fine.Or when i leave thelight on and leave the room hes fine. O r when were coming home from the grocery store and stsrts doing it again. i mean hes rolling around like cracy. My question is why is he doning this?

  thank you
   lisa

Answer
Dear Lisa,

It's not normal for him to roll around.  It sounds as if he's having trouble with his balance.  Is his head straight, or do you notice a slight tilt to it?  The strange behavior you describe can occur in rabbits with an inner or middle ear infection, and though I can't diagnose him long distance, I would suggest you get Dale to a good rabbit vet for an exam of his ears, and treatment, if necessary.

Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/tilt.html

Also try to notice whether his eyes scan back and forth after he's had an episode like this.  This is called nystagmus, and can indicate a problem with his balance mechanisms (vestibular organ, or even the brain).  There can be many different causes for this, from ear infection to head injury to a parasite called Encephalitozoon cuniculi, so you really need to have him examined by a vet who knows rabbit medicine, and that's not all of them.

You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope that helps!

Dana