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sitting huddled up

C

clutterydrawer

Wise Old Thumper
I've often seen people say that when a rabbit is poorly it may sit all hunched or huddled up, what exactly does this look like? does anyone have a photo? Poppy quite often sits kindof tucked up into herself when she's had a busy day and i was wondering how an "ill" huddle differs from this - or if she is actually ill, not just relaxing after all. :shock:
 
i can always tell by buns eyes if there poorly,so if hes huddled up and has that look i know hes not well,my mum thinks im bonkers but everytime hes been poorly and been to the vet,its been his eyes ive noticed 1st xx
 
My two huddle sometimes when they are out in their run and either don't want to flop or get inside their shelter!

When Frankie was ill he did sit huddled up, but the real tell that he was ill rather than just relaxing was that when I went over to him, he didn't come out of the huddle and stayed looking miserable. That instantly alarmed me and when he went on to refuse a raspberry leaf it was straight to the vet.
 
he she is, looking a bit woeful. she acknowledges me when i go by but doesnt seem as active as normal. shes been feasting as usual thoguh.


huddle003.jpg
 
Wispa sits like that a lot, usually with her bum against the wall.

sometimes she does it if shes being moody and thinks im going to pick her up and last night after her spay she fell asleep like it. i just assumed she was comfy or a bit anxious
 
Vikkie_Ell said:
i can always tell by buns eyes if there poorly,so if hes huddled up and has that look i know hes not well,my mum thinks im bonkers but everytime hes been poorly and been to the vet,its been his eyes ive noticed 1st xx
Click to expand...

Yes I'm the same, there is also a very subtle difference in posture. For example Heather often lays on her side with her legs out, but one day she was lying almost like that but slightly more twisted and with her eyes ever so slightly squinted. I knew immediately that this wasn't normal and she went straight to the vets where we caught an early stasis (due to teeth). I think if you know your rabbits normal posture, expressions and personality you can usually tell if something isn't 'quite right' - and often offering food is an easy way to tell whether they are ok or not!
 
i kind of have a feeling she isnt quite right anyway - she has lost her littler training and been making unusual gurgly belly noises and doing really small poos none of which is the end of the world but i feel its odd for a few things to come along all at once if there isnt a reason. so im a bit paranoid at the minute.
 
Rabbits do rest in a very similar position but there a subtle differences when they are sick, it's quite hard to say exactly what tho :?

What's her diet? With poop issues that's the first place to look. However if she's weeing outside the tray then a bladder infection is a possibility and teeth are always a routine thing to check when ever rabbits are off colour.
 
clutterydrawer said:
i kind of have a feeling she isnt quite right anyway - she has lost her littler training and been making unusual gurgly belly noises and doing really small poos none of which is the end of the world but i feel its odd for a few things to come along all at once if there isnt a reason. so im a bit paranoid at the minute.
Click to expand...

:wave:

Didn't you give your bun some thyme for the first time the other nite? Our bun fell ill 2 weeks ago cos she had cauliflower leaves for the first time and gave her bit too much. That was on the Tuesday, then we noticed she was not eating as much hay as usual and her poos got smaller, but was still playing and eating pellet and veg. Come Sunday, she was huddles up in litter tray, not interested in anything, no tummy sounds and was bit cold and grinding her teeth. She was also pushing her stomach onto floor and her eyes were half closed , all she wanted to do was cuddle up to us. Took her to vet and she was in start of GI Statis. It took 4 days for her tummy to stop working! The first sign of it happening was her going off her hay! Has bun gone off any of it's food?
 
I only gave the thyme to Sorrel, I'm not giving Poppy anything new atm in case it makes her worse.


She has unlimited hay, an eggcup of pellets and a tiny bit of veg a day. I've decreased the veg slightly since she started acting odd in case that was the culprit. she's still loving all her food though, she acts like she never gets fed!

She was at the vet the other day getting some cream for her sore feet and they checked her teeth and everything then, but they said she was fine. she's lost a bit of weight too.
 
Mine don't sit huddled up when they are ill, but with their feet in front of them and the back legs quite tense looking. It's harder to tell with Dusty (although there's something about the eyes), but with Clover it's easy - it's a lack of reaction to things. Her eyes/head are always following me about as I walk past etc, and when she is ill she just looks straight ahead.
 
Ah that's good than.

Could perhaps just pop her to vet for them to listen to her tummy make sure that sounds ok.

Our Bunnie still not 100% from GI Stasis the other week and she looks a bit sad lately. Maybe they just got bit of upset tums!
 
I know this may sound a bit silly but if ur gut feeling is saying something isnt right with ur bun its prob a wise idea to go to the vets! I had a feelin my sisters kitten wasnt right and she took him and he had an inflamed intenstine.
Even if nothing is wrong, its money well spent cos it gives u peace of mind xx
 
clutterydrawer said:
I only gave the thyme to Sorrel, I'm not giving Poppy anything new atm in case it makes her worse.


She has unlimited hay, an eggcup of pellets and a tiny bit of veg a day. I've decreased the veg slightly since she started acting odd in case that was the culprit. she's still loving all her food though, she acts like she never gets fed!

She was at the vet the other day getting some cream for her sore feet and they checked her teeth and everything then, but they said she was fine. she's lost a bit of weight too.
Click to expand...

How's Poppy doing? Is she better?
 
she seems fine - but then she did before in a way, it was just little bits and pieces that didnt seem right. she's not lost any more weight but she's still gurgly and refusing to be re-litter trained. but she's pooing regularly and eating properly (see recent pics of her in a bucket of hay!)

guess I'll just have to keep an eye on her to see if anyhting changes...? thanks for asking about her: wave:
 
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