weird behavior after moving

[MD]

I recently had to move out of state to Walnut, CA (eastern part of LA County) and I noticed that Daphny is acting a little strangely.  She seems to be losing her balance sometimes on her right side.  Before the move, she was fine, and she would go up on her hind legs when anticipating food or a treat.  Now she either doesn’t go up as high or she tries to and slips. Maybe she’s having an inner-ear problem?  I saw her cleaning that right ear earlier today with her back foot cleaning inside, and then shaking her head a few times right after cleaning it  (the way a dog does when it’s wet).  I hand’t thought of this before, but do changes in altitude affect rabbits’ ears?  I did have to drive throught the Cajon Pass, and I feel terrible that I might have unknowingly caused any harm to Daphny.  Her sister, Misty, had an e. cuniculi infection but Daphny never showed any odd behavior before.  I know some rabbits can live with the parasite and show no signs while others develop problems in the future.  Daphny has always been healthy and hasn’t had any health problems in the past, and I’m really hoping that whatever’s going on with her balance isn’t serious. I also need to find a new vet, since I am no longer in Las Vegas.

[jerseygirl]

Is she losing her balance much when on all 4’s? Is she hopping around without too much trouble?  It could be ear infection but you’ll need vet to check her out. I’m thinking maybe check her nails and hocks too. As you said, they can have parasites, and other germs and not show symptoms but something like moving may have stressed her enough for things to take hold.

Have you checked out the HRS vet list? http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html  Also, look into local shelters and see if they can recommend vets also.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Oh vet time definitely-could be a number of things. Often times rabbits carrie sickness but don’t get sick until stressed-even a little stress can do it-moving (thou not your fault) can certainly do it. Check out the list Jers provided to find a vet-also just the yellow pages and phoning around could be fruitful.

[MD]

All of these balance problems showed up suddenly right after I moved here, and she never showed signs prior to the move. Today, I saw her trying to hop to the litter box and she seemed to be a little wobbly. Unfortunately, I have not been able to let her hop around freely because I am staying at my parents house for the time being, and they did not clear out what is supposed to be my room before I arrived. At the moment, there isn’t any place to let Daphny hop around until I can reclaim the bedroom. The rest of the house is extremely cluttered and I fear having something fall on her. I could let her hop in the kitchen for a bit, but it’s not near her current set-up in the living room, and I’d have to carry her to the kitchen (she HATES being picked up and will scratch and squirm) or I have to lure her into the carrier, and then bring that over and bring over the whole exercise pen that currently surrounds her enclosure. Additionally, I cannot find a vet any closer than 20 miles away, which surprises and disappoints me–I had 2 in Las Vegas that were 10 miles away or closer–so I guess I’ll keep looking.

[bunnytowne]

OH my the vet search.    Hope your bun is ok and not e.c.     Good health vibes for your baby

[Author]

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