Weird flops – never growing out of it.

[Wick & Fable]

When I first got Wick, I posted a video early on of his weird flops. Essentially he can’t flop very well. He always goes into it with too much oomph and freaks himself out of it. This is a clip from a long time ago. Wick’s about 11mo now. http://www.instagram.com/p/BWkaak6lZ9-/ You can observe the rapid nose wiggle and breathing in the clip. His flop is better in the clip because he has the sofa backing him up.

I wanted to post because I was just petting Wick when he kept flopping and curling slightly more in enjoyment. He was able to stay in the curl because he had a table leg by his butt, stabilizing him. I’ve never seen him in a flop for so long for a while since he usually snaps out of it from his instability, but I noticed his nose still wags rapidly and he breathes fast when flopped as well (doesn’t really calm down like when he’s lounged and asleep).

Does this seem normal? The videos I see of rabbit flops really don’t match Wick well.

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.

[Miswhitness]

When my rabbit flops she hardly holds the position unless she has support. Usually she flops on the kitchen tile, so she always looks a little restless and almost immediately rolls back onto her belly. As for the breathing, yeah, Mal tends to breathe rapidly on and off and twitch. I always chalked it up to either dreaming or body temperature fluctuations. (but what do I know..)
I’d say it’s just a quirk. At first Mal never flopped, then it progressed to awkward flops, and now I see it at least 3 times a day

[tobyluv]

My two current rabbits are not good floppers and they seldom want to flop. Hannah flops so exuberantly that she does a 360 and flips upright immediately. Higgins rarely flops and he only stays in that position for a few seconds, before getting up. Most of my past bunnies were champions floppers, so it’s always seemed curious to me that these two either don’t like to flop or they just don’t know how. They both love to loaf or sprawl out and sleep, but they just aren’t into flopping. All bunnies are going to be different.

[Q8bunny]

Chewie has taken to flopping so exuberantly that he rolls tummy up at times. Having said that, Wick is not the first bun I’ve come across with an adorably quirky flop. Keep in mind he’s so tiny, that perhaps gravity affects him differently

[Haley]

My bunny has mastered the flop, and he’s very dramatic about it. He often flops and maintains that position while rubbing his face with his paws and falls asleep in that position–usually after a big meal. I kind of think of it like jumping on my bed after a long day, sometimes you’ll change position or sometimes you’ll just fall asleep. Unless it looks like his equilibrium is off I don’t think it’s an issue, if he’s not hoping right or falling over while trying to hop it might be a neurologic or ear problem.

[Author]

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