Constant Warm Ears

[Wick & Fable]

It has been this way since I got Fable back in Sept. 2019. She, more often than not, has pretty warm to hot ears. Other potentially relevant information is she breaths heavily (full body) and rapidly. All signs point to being overheated, yes, but I don’t think that’s quite it and am curious of other’s thoughts. Fable has seen a vet in regards to her breathing– we did an x-ray, bloodwork, and antibiotics (in case it was an infection), but everything turned up fine. The only assessment we didn’t do was a CT scan, but balancing that she seems fine (i.e. no other health behavior concerns; never has gotten worse), finances, and her high anxiety, we decided it wasn’t worth it.

I often compare her to my other rabbit, Wick, who is a Netherland Dwarf and 3 times smaller (~2.5lb vs. ~7lb). Are ears on larger rabbits generally warmer than smaller rabbits? The veins in her ears are quite distinct and visible, so I wonder if it’s just a natural consequence from that.

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.

[LittleLionMan]

I can’t really help out much on the medical side (neither a vet nor bunny expert), but I do love to research things. Per your question at the end, bunny ears are designed for thermoregulation. So you’ll see bunnies, like jackrabbits, in hot climates with very large ears, while small bunnies like Netherlands dwarfs have have adorably tiny ears to conserve their heat. If your one bun always had warm ears compared to your Netherland dwarf, it could very well be the size difference. Especially if this isn’t a new issue and you have ruled out underlying medical conditions. Could also just be a product of Fable’s bunny anxiety!

[DanaNM]

Bertha’s ears were usually on the cooler side and had noticeable veins. But I’ve noticed Cooper seems to “run hot”. He often breaths really rapidly when resting, and has warm ears (I’ve been thinking a lot about Fable recently because of it). Cooper is a pretty avg sized bunny and has pretty avg ears. Bunston was my smallest bun (around 2-3 lbs), and I don’t recall his ears ever seeming noticeably cooler or warmer than Bertha’s (except when he was ill).

I wonder if it’s just her metabolism? Especially considering all of the diagnostics you have done that haven’t found anything.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

I think it does vary between bunnies. Just like people… some people are just “warmblooded”.

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