Hi there! Yes it is normal for them to lay around like that. Your picture didn’t attach but I am curious about what it looks like. They normally will have an ointment put on their eyes during surgery to avoid them drying out. I am wondering if this is what you are seeing. It can sometimes make it look like something is wrong.

It’s hard to tell from that photo but to me it looks like the ointment. When my buck came home his eyes looked like they were missing hair around them and had what I would describe as a thick wetness (like you’d see with ointment) that went slightly into the fur that was closer to his eyes. The color around your guy’s eyes looks almost like the same as the skin in his ears so it looks like what I would expect to see. The area around my guy’s eyes looked funny for a couple of days.

Typically, they put an ointment on the eye so it stays protected and moisturized (?) during procedures. My Wick recently had his teeth trimmed, and for two days following the procedure, he looked weird because the fur around his eyes still were slightly sheen and messy from the ointment. I’m unsure if the ointment is oil-based or something, but the rabbit should be able to groom it off after a couple days!

So glad to hear that! I totally understand how it can be concerning when they don’t look like their normal selves. I remember when my buck came home and I looked at him I got instantly concerned. His eyes looked so bald compared to before. It took me a few minutes to remember the ointment since it’s been a while since I’ve had an animal have surgery. I hope everything goes smoothly as well!