Is this tummy pressing?

Evening. I am slightly concerned about Bunny. Just recently she seems to have been lying like the pics below. My initial thought was that she was just halfway to laying down fully, but now I am slightly worried she might be pushing her tummy to the floor? Anyone with any experience of this?

Thanks in advance.

I had never seen tummy pressing before until Poppy did it the other week. It was very similar to how you describe and looked a lot like the second photo. She was also moving around a lot and then trying to lie down, getting up, lying down again, getting up etc etc which is what I deemed as tummy pressing. She just looked really uncomfortable.

I'm no expert though! Hope she's okay x

Does she seem in pain?

It's hard to tell from the photos. My Alfred will lie down in a position where he look like he's belly pressing, but I know him well enough to tell that it's just him relaxing and he's not actually belly pressing. I'd be able to tell if he was genuinely in pain and doing an ouchie press. When my now bridge bun, Dee, first became ill she was tummy pressing and it was totally different. She was wide eyed, panting fast, shifting from side to side, getting up then lying straight back down again and I could tell immediately that it was an ouchie press, not a relaxing position.

is she eating still and passing droppings? if not then that would be a concern, if she is pressing down as mentioned above and getting up and then down then could be gut statis, I once had a netherland dwarf, she would press down then slide herself along the floor, luckily she always made herself better by doing this, maybe it was like when we massage them to try and help

Hello
Hard to say. In the first pic I would say perhaps (I just had this happen with my lionhead cross who went into stasis this weekend) but in the second she looks pretty comfortably snuggled with your other bunny. The raised rear heels could also be indicative of hind end pain like arthritis. How old is she?

Is she moulting at all? Eating/drinking/eliminating well? Are poos of good size and quantity? Is she displaying any other forms of distress as not being able to get comfortable and shifting position or returning to the litterbox often with little or no result? Has she eaten anything that would concern you as not being good for her stomach?
I agree with JemimaH that sometimes the eyes tell quite a bit too...my Pip was showing painfully hooded eyes which she never does and was very reluctant to move when I prompted her to. I had to really encourage her to hop about and usually she goes like a wink if you come near her.
Of course, if you are concerned it is always best to ring your vet if you'd like to be safest. Bunnies go downhill rather quickly and hide signs of illness well, so I'd rather be safe than sorry.

ETA: minilop1 mentioned massage which in some cases of tummy trouble is good to help them shift gas if done gently, but I would like to caution is not good for bunnies with obstruction of the gut (but you'd have to have a vet diagnose that, it would be an emergency situation if your bunny has a blockage or bloat.) The stomach will usually feel hard in this case and it is very painful and life threatening. If you can have a gentle feel of her tummy to see if it is hard or soft it would be helpful.

Thanks for the quick responses one and all. I will try and answer all questions.

She's is only just 1, so I think unlikely to be arthritis.

The litter tray that she uses was full of wee this morning so I don't think she's having any issues. Also, I watched her just now (poor thing) and she didn't seem uncomfortable weeing. She is also drinking ok and I don't think excessively. Hard to tell as i have swapped them to bowls from bottles.

She is eating fine and as far as I can tell her poops are big and golden, although there have been a few mini ones appeared in the litter box recently, not sure who they belong to though! She's not eaten anything that might cause concern.

I felt her tummy earlier and it is soft. I'm taking her for her jabs on Saturday so I might just ask the vet to have a feel.

She seems fine in herself, she's not particularly restless or sitting hunched etc and is running around so I think she's probably fine, but I just thought I would ask what everyone thought as didn't want to miss something, even though there is nothing else of concern.

Thank you so much again for your help.

Tummy pressing looks like laying down like that, but they are getting up and down again a lot. If shes eating happily and otherwise fine I dont think thats what your seeing.

You will know if it's belly pushing they just looking uncomfortable and you get a vibe :wave: plus they will not ear anything, offer her something if she's not at all interested then she's belly pushing, but she looks like she's just lying down :thumb:

I knew i could rely on the trusty RUers to put my mind at ease, thank you!! She's never turned any food down and she'd probably eat Buster given half a chance...