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Screaming Rabbit!

K

KerryisaBerry

New Kit
Today I was woken up by my rabbit going crazy in his cage and throwing himself up against the walls and screaming, I grabbed him as fast as I could and he went completely limp and his heart was beating like crazy, I thought he was going to die! The vet told me not to stress him out by moving so wait until he calmed down and bring him in, I comforted him for about 20 minutes and he slowly started getting up so I took him to the vets. He has a head injury which has caused his eye to bleed and he has a concussion. The vet said he should be okay and gave him painkillers and anti-inflammatorys and said to keep him calm. But I have no idea what set him off! I've checked his cage and there's nothing, no new food or environments. Does anyone have any idea on what could make a rabbit suddenly this scared?
 
Poor Bunny :cry: Is he an outdoor Rabbit ? If so could a predator (Fox/Cat) have been about ?

Or could he have actually had a seizure ? Sometimes a Rabbit will scream during a full blown seizure. They may also 'panic' and hurt themselves.

I hope that your Rabbit will be OK. Is he eating and pooing now and does he seem to be back to his normal self ?
 
He's an indoor rabbit and he sleeps in the same room as me (he's a spoilt little bun) so no to the predators i'm afraid.

The vet didn't seem to think it was a seizure and he stopped throwing himself around as soon as I picked him up so I think he would have carried on if he was having a seizure.

I'm just not sure what made him panic, I wish I did so I could stop it happening again.

He's eating normally and no poo's yet but i'm keeping an eye on it. He's a bit lethargic and not running around really but i'm hoping that's just the head injury and he'll be better in a few hours.
 
Hi, so sorry to hear about your bunny, hope they are okay and sending lots of vibes!

Regarding the sudden scare.. Could this be a slight movement creating a shadow? I know this sounds silly, but both my bunnies are inside and if we just have limited light and they see the shadow of us before realising its us. They will dart like mad! Xx

Oh also, had another thought. My little girl very oddly is terrified of spiders! This will cause her to jump and again run a mile so not sure if an insect got in with your bunny or something?
 
Last edited:
Ruthyjones89 said:
Hi, so sorry to hear about your bunny, hope they are okay and sending lots of vibes!

Regarding the sudden scare.. Could this be a slight movement creating a shadow? I know this sounds silly, but both my bunnies are inside and if we just have limited light and they see the shadow of us before realising its us. They will dart like mad! Xx

Oh also, had another thought. My little girl very oddly is terrified of spiders! This will cause her to jump and again run a mile so not sure if an insect got in with your bunny or something?
Click to expand...

Good point !! Also, could he have been stung by a wasp ?
 
What's in his cage? Although to us cage bars = safe, to a rabbit they aren't protection from anything scary. If they are scared they want something enclosed like a burrow and they'll leap/throw themselves around violently looking for a safe space in a complete panic. I once had a rabbit scared by a dog that broke into our garden - the rabbit paniked and sqeezed it's way out of the safe hutch/run through a 2" gap I wouldn't have thought it could have fitted (and it had never tried before) raced off and wedged itself behind a wall. I know the run was safe, but rabbit's don't understand mesh.

If you don't already, I'd suggest adding a tunnel/box that provides that safe burrow like feel for your rabbit to bolt into.
 
Thanks for the love and replies!

I didn't think about bugs actually, that could be it as his cage is right below my window.

There is a house for him to sleep in, toys, his litter box, salt lick, bowl of hay and water from the side of the cage. He usually runs into the house if he's scared and just peeps his little head out.

Thanks for all these suggestions, they're helping me feel so much better! I was worried about it happening again, maybe when i'm not there to calm him down but hopefully it was just a one off. Maybe I'll shut the window before I go to work tomorrow.
 
Tamsin said:
What's in his cage? Although to us cage bars = safe, to a rabbit they aren't protection from anything scary. If they are scared they want something enclosed like a burrow and they'll leap/throw themselves around violently looking for a safe space in a complete panic. I once had a rabbit scared by a dog that broke into our garden - the rabbit paniked and sqeezed it's way out of the safe hutch/run through a 2" gap I wouldn't have thought it could have fitted (and it had never tried before) raced off and wedged itself behind a wall. I know the run was safe, but rabbit's don't understand mesh.

If you don't already, I'd suggest adding a tunnel/box that provides that safe burrow like feel for your rabbit to bolt into.
Click to expand...

Yes this is quite possible and happened to one of my rabbits when extremely frightened. Unbelievable the space he squeezed into :shock:

Sometimes we don't get to find out what actually spooked them. Keeping them calm for a few days seems to work best when any of mine have had a turn ...
 
that's an idea - my matthew didn't forgive me for ages after his first bonfire night. loud noises really upset some bunnies.
 
Doughnut isn't scared of noises but she is scared of smells. Different bunnies are scared of different things but hopefully it was a one off. I remember when I looked out at her in the run, I'd left her for about 5 minutes and there was a big fox sitting outside it watching her. She was obviously terrified and flung herself at the mesh once I'd chased it away.

Maybe if you put a photo up of your set up people may have some ideas for you although it seems she has a lot of things :)
 
My lot (outside rabbits) are very aware of bird calls and any 'danger' calls put them on panic/alert mode.
 
When I had indoor buns or my outsiders come in for any reason, I give them a soft padded cat igloo to hide in. They all love that.
 
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