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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Deaf rabbit?

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    • Sirius&Luna
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        I’m starting to think that Atlas is deaf. I’ve never managed to train him to come when I call his name like Luna does, and he doesn’t even react to the sounds of pellets being shaken. He doesn’t listen when I say no (eg to chewing something he shouldn’t be) until I physically come over and shoo him away, whereas Luna knows she’s being naughty and as soon as she hears the no she stops. To be honest, I just thought he wasn’t a very smart bun, but when a friend mentioned her rabbit was deaf, it suddenly occurred to me that maybe that was his problem. 

        He wasn’t at all spooked by the fireworks we’ve had recently for Bonfire night in the UK, while Luna was. 

        I also noticed he only perked up and looked around when I turned the light on when I came home yesterday, whereas Luna was already looking around since she’d heard the door and me saying hello.

        He does still prick his ears up and move them around though. 

        Is this something I should take him to the vet to check? Is there anyway to be certain myself? Would he still move his ears if he was deaf?


      • Wick & Fable
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          In terms of name recognition, I think the sound of Atlas is inherently difficult to pick up. The most prominent sound is a muted T and L, which doesn’t travel well. Luna, with the oo and switch to “nah” travels much better. Maybe try a nickname, like Lassie.

          In terms of responding to no, he may not have picked up the association between No and your intervention. Since you try saying no, then see how he reacts, then intervene, there’s no clear distinction with no versus other random words. I’d say start being consistent in concurrently saying no and doing the interruptive action, and not use the word no in any other circumstances. Consistency in tone, pitch, and volume helps as well, because rabbits are more in tune with that than actual words.

          Wick daydreams and dozed off a lot, so I think it’s not an immediate consequence of deafness to not pick up cues when you enter the room. I think a good test would be to have him relaxed by you, and try making sounds once he’s relaxed, seeing if the ears perk. It may not happen every time if he’s an easy napper, but try it out.

          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.


        • Sirius&Luna
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            Thanks Wick. I’m not necessarily fussed about him knowing his name (I call him babyface most the time anyway (he’s so tiny!) so it’s not just Atlas that’s the problem), I just thought it was a good example. Although Lassie is a very cute nickname

            It’s the pellet shaking that’s really odd, every other rabbit I’ve ever had has always come running to the rattle of the treat box, or the rustle of a vegetable bag.

            It would be useful to teach him no if he isn’t deaf, so I’ll try being more consistent. Luna definitely recognises the tone rather than the word I would say, but the effect is the same. She thinks its hilarious and binkies off though :/

            I’ll try some tests with him next to me and see if I get anything! He definitely does twitch his ears, so maybe its just the loppyness getting in the way.


          • tobyluv
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              I had a rabbit who became deaf in his later years. It may be due to the fact that he had ear infections that took a while to clear up. When we first adopted him, he had helicopter ears, but they fell as he aged and became lop ears. I have read that lops are more prone to ear infections and to going deaf. He got along fine, being deaf, and in fact, he was more relaxed since he couldn’t hear the thunderstorms or other loud noises that used to make him nervous.


            • LBJ10
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                Leopold is deaf. He was born that way. Vet said it’s likely genetic. It’s relatively common in Hollands.


              • Sirius&Luna
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                  Yeah, I don’t think he’s gone deaf, he’s only 7 months old and hasn’t had any ear problems, I think I may have only just realised. He’s a mini lop not a holland, but I think he was the runt as he’s very small <3

                  Like you say Tobyluv, he’s very chilled out about thunderstorms and fireworks etc.

                  I think I need to conduct more experiments!


                • LittlePuffyTail
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                    My Bindi is deaf, or at least mostly deaf. Has been that way for years due to chronic ear infections. Not really much a vet can do in that situation, unfortunately. Luckily, bunnies are amazing at coping with things like this.


                  • LBJ10
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                      Your in the UK, correct? I thought mini lop (UK) = Holland lop (US).

                      It does sound like your bun was probably born deaf and you just didn’t notice until now. It took awhile for us to realize Leopold was deaf. I can’t remember how old he was when I asked the vet about it.

                      Leopold does not react to loud sounds including thunderstorms and fireworks. He’s oblivious. I often sneak up on him when he’s sleeping because he doesn’t hear me come in the room. If you didn’t know any better, you probably wouldn’t know he was deaf. That being said, I do think having a friend has helped him.


                    • Sirius&Luna
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                        Ah, yes I forgot that UK/US lop varieties were different. He’s a UK mini-lop so I think that is the same as US Holland.

                        This morning he hopped up to sit on the sofa with me and I tried talking to him in a few different pitches and didn’t get so much as an ear twitch. He was alert cos he was looking around for the pellets I was holding, but no reaction to my voice at all. The experiments will continue!


                      • LBJ10
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                          One thing I did:

                          I removed Wooly from their room. I sat him on the sofa in the living room. I picked up their bag of treats (bananas). I stood in the doorway and held the bag out of view (behind the wall) and I crinkled it. Leopold was hoping around the room, going about his business. He had no clue. The funny thing was Wooly did hear the crinkling. He got down and ran down the hallway. I suddenly felt tugging on my pant leg. So we were pretty sure that Leopold was taking visual cues from Wooly after that.

                          Another experiment:

                          Leopold was completely engrossed in grooming himself. I walked right in front of him and clapped my hands. Nothing. I leaned over and clapped my hands directly over his head. Nothing. A few moments later, Leopold was finishing up. He went to look up and was startled by my presence (I was still standing there). He was like “where the heck did you come from?”


                        • Q8bunny
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                            Trying to get a reaction with words / names or food associated sounds can be hit or miss and not a good indicator imo.

                            You are better off testing hearing with unfamiliar short sudden noises while Atlas is relaxing or snoozing – the kind of stuff that would make a bun bolt for cover. That would tell you if he hears and chooses to ignore you the rest of the time (which many buns do lol)


                          • LBJ10
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                              Q8 – Good point. I also tried a party horn. Wooly reacted immediately. Leopold was oblivious. LOL

                              Another thing that I noticed is that Leopold isn’t all that graceful. He isn’t wobbly during normal hopping/running or anything like that, but he will sometimes lose his balance if he’s doing something that requires more effort (standing on his hind legs, grooming his behind, etc.). A coworker of mine was talking about how a certain proportion of deaf people have balance issues. Not enough where they can’t walk, but they may lose their balance on uneven terrain, for example. I’m curious if it’s the same in other animals.


                            • Sirius&Luna
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                                Hah yeah, that’s a good point, Luna does just ignore me to make a point sometimes.

                                I clapped right over his head while he was grooming himself today, and nothing. Also whistled very shrill-ly, Luna immediately froze and he carried on grooming.

                                I’ll do one last clapping/loud noise while he’s snoozing test, before declaring him deaf.

                                Interesting about the balance LBJ10. He’s never been very good at standing on his back legs when enticed with food.


                              • LBJ10
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                                  Yeah, he’s not very good at standing on his hind legs. He will, but he definitely appears like he’s trying a lot harder to keep his balance.


                                • Q8bunny
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                                    It makes sense to me… After all, our inner ear mechanism helps us balance, so if the deafness is due to damage there…

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                                Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Deaf rabbit?