Rabbit has started crawling

Not sure if there is a health problem or not. One of my bunnies has started crawling rather than hopping around. She is not doing this all the time just on and off during the day. I think she has always done a bit of crawling if she was unsure ( they are out in big enclosure during day with access to hutch) but seems to be doing it alot more. Once or twice when she is doing this her back legs have gone over and she has flopped a bit but then 15 mins later she has raced from one end of enclosure to the other.
She is eating perfectly well and everything else seems fine. She was very overweight when we got her and vet told us to put her on a diet about July so have been hand feeding her mate treats as he was underweight and he has put on weight and she has lost quite a lot, not sure if this is relevant or not!
I have twice taken the bunnies to the vet thinking there was something wrong and they have been a picture of health when they got there so embarrasing so dont' want to rush off to vets saying she can't walk properly to see her bounding around his room!
Anyone with experience that can advice me??

Is there something that could be spooking her? Mine will keep low to the ground and walk jerkily when something is around that they aren't sure of ie. outside in the run and a plane comes over. Or is it actual weakness in the legs?

Could be something spooking her but if she was overweight it could be a health problem such as arthritis or something similar. I hope it's nothing to worry about.

Thanks both for your fast replies. Having watched her for quite some time both husband and I feel that she is having actual problems with her backlegs and weakness so she is booked into the vet later this afternoon. She does have a neutered male partner that can be fisky:roll: and I know that they can occasionally cause injury to the pelvis/spine of the female so decided to take a chance on looking foolish as I don't want her to be in pain and vet will be able to tell just on exam if she has suffered any injury to back end.
Will let you know what happens as you are all so good to reply to my query and we all love our bunnies don't we

Oh dear I hope it's nothing serious. I think EC can cause weakness in a buns back end but I'm not an expert in this, just might be worth mentioning to your vet. Hopefully it's something which can be rectified and not a degenerative problem. How old is she?

It will be interesting to hear what the vet says.

bunkin said:

Thanks both for your fast replies. Having watched her for quite some time both husband and I feel that she is having actual problems with her backlegs and weakness so she is booked into the vet later this afternoon. She does have a neutered male partner that can be fisky:roll: and I know that they can occasionally cause injury to the pelvis/spine of the female so decided to take a chance on looking foolish as I don't want her to be in pain and vet will be able to tell just on exam if she has suffered any injury to back end.
Will let you know what happens as you are all so good to reply to my query and we all love our bunnies don't we

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I would be suspecting EC in that case, that can cause hind leg weakness. I'm sure other things can too but that would be the first thing going off in my brain.

My Mischa had an episode in January where he seemed to have weakness in his legs, in his case it was mainly the front but my vet recommended giving a 28 day course of Panacur just in case.

I hope the vet will be able to gve you some answers. How worrying Sending vibes xxx

I hope it's nothing serious and the vet can figure it out. Sending lots of vibes xx

The vet said it is trauma as her muscles are very tense in her pelvis/spine but she has no nerve problems in her feet. Thinking about it we had very bad black ice last Thursday and their yard which is stone slabs was like a skating rink, my husband went and let them out as usual in the morning and he said that she was first one out of the cage and he said as she jumped out her legs shot from under her and she slid on the ice, so she could have injured herself then. With hindsight he should not have let them out !
The vet has given her metacam for 5 days and she had injection of it at surgery. She looked her over very well and she certainly does not have any other symptoms like head tilt or losing balance. I think this morning when she went over it was her foot going over as she walked along like us twisting out ankle and she did not do it again.
We could not get her to walk at the vets as every surface was very slippy but we said we would video her at home for the vet to see.
Vet said that if she improves on metacam then use it for 5 days and then stop for a few days and see if it comes back in which case use another 5 days and stop again and if it comes back again then she needs to go back or if after the initial 5 days she is no better then she needs to go back or if she gets worse to go straight back.
She is perfectly well otherwise, eating loads and very bright so hopefuly it is just trauma and it will heal up, but I would take her back to vets if she gets any worse or no better.
She was an angel at the vets and vet said she had never had such a well behaved bunny - they always say this but she is a bit of a madam at home!

I'm so glad it's nothing sinister, though I'm sorry she has some trauma! Hope she is back doing the bunny500 soon! X

It's a shame she is sore but I am glad it should be easily sorted. I hope she is feeling better tonight after her injection.

Thanks both will see what tomorrow brings. Will be nervous nelly tomorrow morning hoping she is not any worse:roll:

Sending vibes that she heals up fine and it's nothing more sinister!

Thanks. She was moving much better this morning had the odd hop and a much faster walk, she is so bright in herself. I have noticed that if she lays down still for a long time then when she rouses herself she is pushing herself up on front legs and leaving back still at rest and takes a couple of heaves to get back legs back under her. She did take her medicine on a grape today very happily so at least I know I can get it into her easily.
Time will tell and if she is not back to normal by middle of next week after a couple of med free days then she is off back to vets.

She doesnt have any symptoms of EC other than the back leg problem but I will ask vet about it just so I know that vet knows if you see what I mean!

Hi:wave:

I had a similar thing with one of my buns!!! She was losing weight rapidly, had loss of balance and would hardly use her back legs. She would stretch as far as she could before she has to hop to something. When referring vet saw her, they wrest concerned it was EC! Xray shiwed trauma to 10th vertebrae. Also, her poop was very very small and odd looking! And she had snuffles coz immune system low!

I had to give her and her sister panacur in case of EC, gut stimulants, antibiotics and metacam. She was on metacam for approx 4-5 wks then. After approx 3/4 wks I would be greeted by a completely different bunny!!

My fingers are crossed for u! :thumb:

Hope she makes a full recovery. At least you are acting on your concerns and the metacam will make her feel better and pain free - if it is EC (although your vet seems to have done a good job examining her), the metacam will help there too. The only additional medication I believe would be panacur - a 28 day course for her and your other buns.

Hope the metacam does the trick and all is well x

Have to say fingers crosed that other than the lameness she is full of beans and eating like a horse! She is huge amount better active wise on the metacam, not quite her old self but she is leaping up to the sleeping compartment of hutch in one bound and can race from one end of enclosure to the other again just a bit oddly at times!
I was told to stop the metacam on Tuesday and leave her three days to see what happens. Fingers crossed.

Rabbit has started crawling U/D 27/2

Having got her back to her normal bouncy self for nearly a week she came into season again ( male is neutered). Last night when I put them back in their cage she was bouncing around completely fine but this morning found him at her and she could hardly crawl. We have seperated them in their large enclosed area and due back at vets this afternoon with her and also a video of her trying to crawl to me for a grape so at least vet can see how she is ( floor was too slippy at vets for her to walk). I am wondering if it is a nerve problem in her back??? as she is eating and rushing around in her own strange way.

If she was in alot of pain would she rush around like she is???

I have given her the metacam again ( this worked wonders last time).

The vet did say that I might have to split them up as having her neutered is not only risky with an older rabbit but no garuantee that he will stop mounting her.

So after vets visit this afternoon we could be rushing to pet shop to buy him a new hutch! Thankfully they have a huge oustide area to run around in all day.

You are all so knowledgable on her would really welcome any advice on this problem.

How old is she?

Is it the buck doing this to her? If it is then a spay would help to stop that. It can't be fun for either of them to have an unspayed bun coming into season with a buck (neutered or not) in the vicinity.