My baby bunny is shaking his head

[Lexys]

Hi, I have a 6 week old bunny name Oliver who loves to run around and get hyper. But i have recently noticed whenever he does get his zummies, he tends to shake his head and scratch his ears. I did some research, and others say that it could be cause of an ear infection. Would anybody be able to tell me if this is just a behavioural thing, or could it be an ear infection?

[Wick & Fable]

The best assessment would be going to a vet who can safely and professionally assess if there seems to be something wrong with the ear. If you visually are seeing “stuff” there, that’s a good sign something is up. Head shakes can also be a head “binky”. Also, rabbits do scratch their ears, as a normal behavior, so if it’s not happening very frequently, it may just be simply that. If there’s enough scratching to cause bleeding or irritation, I would be more worried.

I would also recommend a vet assessment generally because your rabbit is on the younger side of being separated from their mother. Typically it is 8 weeks of age we see rabbits separated, so it may be good to get a baseline assessment of your rabbit’s health.

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.

[jerseybunnies]

My 8 week old bunny does this when he does zoomies & binkies too, and he’s fine. Maybe you could just take a look at his ears and see if anything is abnormal. I would too suggest a vet exam just to make sure everything for your bunny is okay since 6 weeks is early. I got my bunny when he was 7 weeks but he had completely weaned at about 6.

These are just my suggestions. Please seek an experienced veterinarian if you have medical needs / questions. Thank you! 

[pinkiemarie]

He should get a vet check up to rule out any medical problems. I will say though that my Wally bops his head around a lot when he’s happy so if you rule out medical problems then it means you have a happy bunny!

[Teambenji543]

What type of rabbit is he? I know that lop eared bunnies are more prone to ear infections.

[Bam]

Head shaking is a very common symptom of an ear problem. This mostly occurs in lops, and in later years it has become very common in lops (it is a breeding problem, much like really short noses in dwarf rabbits and several breeds of smaller dogs).

If your bun is a lop, I’d recommend you make a vet appointment. A vet will look into the external ear canal with an otoscope. If the ear canal is so narrow that it has to be pried open with the tip of the otoscope, you bun is at an elevated  risk of getting ear infections. (He is of course so young still that this “test” may not apply until he’s a bit bigger).

Early treatment of external otititis is important. Otherwise pus can build up in the ear canal and cause rupture of the ear drum. If that happens, nothing stops the infection from spreading to the middle ear.

 

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