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How to tell if he's deaf

I think my rabbit is deaf, but i dont know how to tell properly. i never thought much about it before, not had him that long either. when he flops so he looks like he's dead i can shout and clap and stuff and he doesnt move, poke him and he gets up, looking rather angry (theres me having a heart attack that he's died). the other day i walked up behind him talking to him whilst he was cleaning himself so he couldnt see me. when he stopped cleaning and looked normalle he saw me and leapt out of his skin. im sure he should have heard me i was talking loudly, to him and everyhting.
how do i assess whether he is deaf or not and is there anything i could do to make it easier for him if he is?
 
Is your bunny a lop or does he have upright ears? With lops it can be hard to tell as they cannot move their ears towards the source of the sound.
 
My last bun, Larry was a mini lop, and I had the same problem - nearly scaring him half to death when I approached him, although I always talk to my buns when I do so.

I wondered whether he was deaf but watching him seemed to ascertain that he wasn't as he did react to sound.
 
Maybe they just can't hear that well because of the way their ears are folded down.

Wish I was a lop. I have ears like a bat, which is no fun if you are sensitive to loud noise and a light sleeper... :cry:
 
Alice is a lop and she definately can't hear now, although she used to.

When she was younger I could say her name / clap / make general noise and she would always turn towards me or lean her head. I've noticed recently that you can make any amount of noise and she just doesn't seem to hear.

Either that, or she's developed selective hearing in her old age!! :lol:
 
Rudy is a lop but his hearing is fine, he can hear me callnig him from upstairs and he stamsp in response. Maybe try something by dropping a set of keys onto a hard surface and seeing if your bunny reacts to the sound. He might just be a heavy sleeper
 
Bertie is a french lop and i think being so floppy eared does compromise their hearing..but not when someone is coming..when i open the door into the lounge..call his name from across the lounge..tell him no..tell bif no..open the fridge door..mm greens..
but he too sleeps like that..several times ive picked him up as i thought he was dead!! seems some buns are heavier sleepers than others!

shake a bag of treats or food pellets and see how the hearing is!! :lol:
 
i tried rustling bags, talking, clapping, no response at all, he is a lop, but he has surprising amounts of ear movement, he can lift them all the way up and round lots. he just doesnt respond to sound at all, not even scared of the mower. im not too worried if he is, im more concerned by how it might affect him.
 
Hi there,

Your bun does sound very much like Alice. I'm not sure how long she's been deaf but it really doesn't seem to affect her at all. Apart from the odd shock that she gets when she doesn't hear you coming, she seems great. Also, she only has one eye but seems to sense when I'm about to pick her up and put her back in her hutch because she darts off in the opposite direction!! I think their remaining senses seem to take over so I really wouldn't worry too much. Just don't sneak up on your bun!!!!

Gemma
 
Harley has very little hearing because of her ears :(

She doesn't have that much movement in her ears
 
I thought Billy was deaf when he was a baby as he was the same ... jumping out of his skin if he was cleaning, etc even though I was talking to him when I approached him. We then did a few tests, clapping loudly right by his head and shouting whilst he was cleaning and he didn't flinch at all :cry: This was another reason I got him a girlfriend very quickly as the thought of him being on his own whilst I was at work PLUS being deaf (even though I had been leaving the radio on!) was unbearable to think of.

:) Handy hint .. my b/f discovered blowing on him gently from a distance which alerted him to our presence, instead of making him jump out of his skin.
 
Lops in particular are also prone to heavy wax build up in their ears and this can make them outwardly deaf even though there is nothing wrong with the hearing mechanism. Might be worth asking your vet to have a look in his/her ears next time you're there, and to give them a good old clean out. You may be surprised that suddenly the bun can hear again - I know of at least one instance where this has been the case!
 
My vet confirmed that my lop is deaf (how he proved it I can not remember). He is very old though but doesn't seem bothered by it. I am very careful when he is free ranging in the garden because he won't hear potential dangers - so I need to make sure that I do (cats mainly as next door have 3). I think his other senses are a lot better as a result though - he still comes flying up the garden when I come outside.

On a positive note it makes fireworks night a lot easier - I shut the shed door and he is none the wiser for what is going on outside :)
 
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