Neutered 5-year-old rabbit is suddenly acting very erractically/”hormonally”?

[BlackVelvet]

I have a Holland Lop who’s around 5 years old now, and was neutered shortly after I adopted him (he was about 6 months old then).

He’s usually EXTREMELY calm, lazy, and a little aloof. He’ll (mostly) welcome pets and cuddles if I initiate but he won’t initiate them himself. He spends most of his time lounging on his various rugs, eating hay, or nibbling at his chew toys.

He’s been battling on-and-off symptoms of snuffles as of October of last year. He did a monthlong course of Baytril which seemed to “cure” the snuffles…then the symptoms came back on in early January. He finished another monthlong course of Baytril as of a few days ago, and the snuffles symptoms (discharge from nose and eyes) are now gone.

But right around the time he finished his meds a few days ago, his calm behavior has drastically changed. It’s basically IDENTICAL to the way he was acting before I got him neutered: constantly circling my feet, honking, buzzing, following me everywhere, and even mounting my leg (which he hasn’t done in 5 years!!). He sometimes buzzes and follows me to ask for treats, but will stop once I do give him a treat, or ignore him (if it’s not treat-test time…I treat test him twice a day). But as of the last few days, he will continue to vigorously persist with this behavior even if I do give him a treat/food. It seems purely attention-seeking. But like I said, he’s never been a needy/clingy rabbit all these years, so it’s really worrying me now.

Additionally, he is basically not drinking ANY water as of late. I do feed him a handful of greens twice a day and two berries per day as treats, which is a newer thing, but I’m not sure if that’s the cause. His poops are also very small (frequent enough, but small). I’ve been syringe-feeding him a bit of water just to be safe (which he dislikes and will try to spit out) and have started him back on Bene-bac probiotic (just putting a small amount in his berry treats).

I have an appointment with the vet this Wednesday but does anyone know what this might be? Could the antibiotics caused some kind of new issue/side effect? I’ve read online that sometimes rabbits in pain will act “aggressive” – could this kind of hormonal behavior be considered that, maybe? Possibly a dental issue? I’m just worried because this is all very out of character for him and seems like he’s almost trying to “tell” me something.

[DanaNM]

My mind immediately went to a urinary problem. Hormonal behavior like that can actually be caused by bladder crystals or sludge causing irritation. Him not drinking is also concerning, so I think it’s good you are taking him to the vet. They can check for issues with an x-ray and a urinalysis to look for bacteria and sludge. What greens does he get? Is he still eating his hay?

. . . 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.  

[BlackVelvet]

Thank you so much for your reply! I’m just getting to this since it’s been a bit of a roller coaster these past few days. I took him to the vet the other day, who basically told me that he’s probably just getting water mostly from his greens (he gets a handful of spring mix around twice a day) which is why he’s not drinking. I briefly told him my bunny was acting “oddly hyper lately” and he didn’t seem all that concerned and didn’t press for more information. But we were mainly addressing the snuffles symptoms, which had returned in full force the literal day before the appointment. Since the Baytril apparently wasn’t working, we put him on a different antibiotic (Zithromax), which caused him to have a mucus-y stools right when he started. I took him off it for now, and will be scheduling another appointment to adjust his dosage. I have heard good things about Zithromax for snuffles. I’m not sure if Zithromax could also address a urinary issue? I’ll have the vet check him for that, though. Do you happen to know what could cause a urinary issue in a bunny? He’s just been so sickly as of late…I want to do everything I can to prevent him from getting sicker.

He’s still eating his hay pretty well, I can hear him munching it now from the other room. I have since gotten him to take water from a syringe – my initial attempts were with tap water (which he’s always disliked) and he’s now taking a bit of purified water via syringe. I’m also wetting his greens for extra water. Poops have stopped being mucus-y, but they’re still small and dark. I really hope he bounces back from all of this. I’m so worried about him.

[LBJ10]

I agree with Dana. My mind went immediately to a bladder issue.

[BlackVelvet]

Thank for the reply! Interestingly, the vet didn’t seem to catch this as a possible issue when we went. I think he was too focused on treating the snuffles symptoms, which had returned the day before the appointment. 🙁 I’ll absolutely have the vet check for this next time I’m in (which should hopefully be very soon).

[jerseygirl]

Does he drink from a bowl or water bottle? The smaller poos could certainly be due to his reduced water intake.

my mind also went to urinary issues. BinkyBunny had a rabbit, Jack, who developed some hormonal behaviours. Turned out he had a bladder  stone her vet called the hormonal behaviour a “displacement behaviour”.

luckily, baytril is  quite a good antibiotic for urinary issues in buns!

did he become more stressed during your medicating routine for the snuffles?
It crossed my mind that if his adrenal glands produced more cortisol (stress hormone) then the norm during this period, perhaps it triggered the glands to produce other hormones also??

some older, neutered rabbits do develop long term hormonal behaviours. It’s not really known why but it’s sometimes speculated  to be like adrenal disease in ferrets.

I had a lop who started to become like this from around age 6. I also (coincidentallt) have another lop in my care who is humpy when out with other rabbits. He was towards his bond mate but it didn’t really cause an issue with them. But she has passed away now.
The sudden onset with your boy does seem to point to recent events and hopefully will resolve quickly  but I thought I’d mention this in case you continue to see it down the track.

[BlackVelvet]

Thank you so much for your reply! It seems urinary issues seems to be the consensus here. I will absolutely ask my vet about it. Bunny actually didn’t seem to mind the medicating routine, as I would give him a treat right after and the Baytril was cherry-flavored, which he liked. But I think all these vet visits might be getting to him, too. The snuffles are very stubborn (the symptoms came back the day before our appointment) so the vet was focused on treating that, mainly, because the Baytril didn’t seem to be doing anything except masking the symptoms. Vet also told me he wasn’t too worried about the water drinking, since he’s probably getting enough water from his greens (I’m not sure about that, also due to the small poops…which I also mentioned and the vet didn’t seem too concerned about…struck me as odd).

There’s actually a rabbit vet in my area who purely specializes in bunnies, and I’m wondering if it’s worth getting her opinion. She’s very expensive, though, and often booked out for weeks. I’m not sure. I’ve seen several “rabbit savvy” vets at this point and nothing seems to be truly helping him. I just really want him to feel better.

[DanaNM]

Buns should be drinking water, even if they are eating greens (unless they are eating tons and tons of greens). Often they drink water after they eat hay, how is his hay consumption? You mentioned his poops are small, so maybe he’s not eating enough hay, so his thirst isn’t being triggered?  You could try reducing greens to once per day to see if that encourages him to eat more hay and drink more water.

Can you get a good look at his urine to see if it’s sludgey?  Excess calcium in the urine can cause sludge, or he could have crystals/stones that are causing irritation. I would also watch closely to see if you notice him straining to pee.

Since it doesn’t sound like the issues have been fully explained to your vet, I would mention that you noticed a sudden increase in hormonal behavior. If he brushes you off again, I would probably try to get in with the bunny specialist. I do agree that his snuffles are probably the most pressing problem.

. . . 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.  

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