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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Peter is suddenly low-energy, but eating, drinking, and pooping fine?

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    • Binkles
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      823 posts Send Private Message

        Hi guys! How is everyone? I am officially perplexed with my Peter’s sudden change in behavior this week, and I’m not sure whether or not to be worried.

        Four days ago, there was some sort of commotion in the middle of the night over by Peter and Little-Bit’s litter box, so I turned on the light to find he’d broken a nail that was bleeding and only dangling by the skin. I cleaned it off and put plain Neosporin (non plus) on it, and went back to bed.


        Ever since, he has been extremely low-energy. He usually at least ‘explores’ the room once or twice a day at night, but now the only thing he gets up for is to eat hay (a lot of it), food, or drink water, then immediately hops back over to his spot and lounges. He’s still eating normal, pooping normal, drinking normal, he’s not laying funny or pressing his tummy to the ground, he’s not favoring any limbs, not grinding his teeth, not limping, not moving funny, not avoiding moving, has no second thoughts about hopping into his litterbox, and he’s not hiding. He chatters his teeth when I groom him and has no sore spots, and he still grooms and snuggles with Little-Bit. Absolutely nothing is abnormal about him except that he just seems a little more tired than normal. I think he’s been grooming his front legs and paws more often than normal, but I’ve felt all over them and they don’t seem sore.


        At first I thought it was just due to the stress of the whole event and probably the pain from losing a toenail, but it’s been four days now and the situation has not changed. (Although fortunately it hasn’t gotten worse either.) I’m pretty worried, but I’m not sure whether or not I should be. He is getting up there in age -he’s around 8 or 9 now- and I realize that bunnies slow down as they get older, but this change seemed so abrupt. 


        I’ve never seen anything like this before, so I’m not really sure what to do here. Input from anyone would be loved!


        Other info: 


        *I did put maybe 1cc worth of non-plus Neosporin on his broken toenail, which he promptly licked off. Could this have thrown his system out of balance?


        *He is shedding profusely, and he had a gas episode a few weeks ago that resolved itself when I gave him an abdominal massage.


        *The first day after he broke his toenail, he was pretty stressed out when I came to sit with him since I was guilty of whisking him away in the middle of the night and poking and prodding his painful toe, to the point where a few times he exhibited a nervous twitch in his hindquarters that I had not seen since I first got him and he was becoming acclimated to a new home.


      • MimzMum
        Participant
        8029 posts Send Private Message

          Hi Sarah! I’m glad to see you posting although I wish it were under better circumstances.
          Poor Peter. Has he been to a vet yet? I would think about maybe having him get a check-up just to see that all is working correctly.
          I once took one of Pip’s nails off, right to the base of the quick, completely accidental. I had the nail in the clipper and she suddenly surged forward and I took off more than I had planned. It took almost a year for that nail to regrow and it came in sideways and corkscrewed. She still favors it from time to time but for the most part acts normally…unless she sees me coming with the clippers. (eyeroll)
          We can only guess the reason for the original commotion; perhaps he and Little Bit were having a lover’s tiff? Could he have snagged the nail on the carpet and felt trapped for a moment? Maybe he twisted his foot and perhaps strained a muscle or joint in it?
          I don’t think that normal neosporin would cause any trouble gut wise, but if it had the pain relief in it that might have caused an issue, but I don’t know exactly what that would be. I always keep the plain ointment around just for the furries.
          If you can, I would get him looked at, if for no other reason than to ease your mind. Yes, they do slow down as they age, but as you said this seems to be a sudden change. If he just recently went through stasis his gut may not be entirely back to normal either. That usually gets any of mine to act somewhat lethargic and I really have to poke them to get them moving again.

          Thinking of you, Peter and Little Bit and sending vibes for a good outcome. Hope everything else is going well with you. xx


        • jerseygirl
          Moderator
          22338 posts Send Private Message

            A less obvious possibility; could his eyesight have diminished suddenly? You might see some loss of confidence with that. I did with Rumball, but his confidence returned, as did his activity level.

            Another reason could be some arthritis…

            {{{Peter}}}

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        Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Peter is suddenly low-energy, but eating, drinking, and pooping fine?