Stressed bunny?

[Brambles]

Hello all!

I always come to this forum for advice but have never posted before. Anyway!

I have a rabbit called Pepper, she’s 6 years old and pretty a pretty feisty one, I’ve had her (and her husbun Austin) for 5 years and know them and their quirks very well. Yesterday I clipped her claws, as I have done for years, and since then she has been doing all the normal things, eating, pooping, washing herself, eating her special poo, sitting, but all while breathing very heavily. Her face gets pointy when she’s stressed, her cheeks suck in a bit after things like the vet, or a car journey, but she usually takes a few hours at most to calm down. Her face has been “pointy” since yesterday. 

She’s not settling, and her eyes are very wide. 

Pepper is also doing this thing now and again (since yesterday) where she flicks her head up ever so slightly with a tiny grunt, like a tick, does it for maybe 5 repetitions. I’ve been watching her since the nail clipping and she’s done this a few times. It’s not been in response to anything, and doesn’t appear to be a warning. 

My fear is that I’ve damaged her during the nail clipping. I feel sick with worry and guilt, she is not her normal self. She’s moving around absolutely fine, it’s just this stressed state is quite unusual. 

Any thoughts/ideas? Even any ideas on how to calm down a stressed bunny? 

Edit: After extensive research I feel like the “tick” I’ve mentioned might be hiccups? Does stress constitute hiccups?

[Bam]

They can get hiccups, but I don’t think it’s in response to stress.

When Bam is scared I give him yummy treats, like dill or his probiotic pellets (he loves those). I also pet his head.

I doubt you hurt her during nail clipping if she’s running around.

[Wick & Fable]

Since nail clipping is such a routine, I doubt you did anything to hurt her, unless there’s something you feel was off this time around. It’s tempting to associate behavior changes with an activity like that, but if you take it out of the equation, maybe a more logical explanation fits.

My initial thoughts are heavy breathing may be coming from being hot, and the hiccups, if they occur infrequently, just kind of happen. Wick has had hiccups every so often, but they go away in less than a minute usually.

When was the last time you groomed her? She may have some excess fur that’s making her hot.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Brambles]

Thank you for your responses! I feel reassured and a bit less of a bad mother. I’m going to give her a good groom. It’s about 20 degrees Celsius in Scotland (Edinburgh) at the moment so pretty warm for here. My other bunny Austin is absolutely fine but Pepper is a bit more highly strung than him.

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