Rabbit Behavior Normal or Unwell?

[maylinagurl3]

Hello! I just brought home my baby bun yesterday, and I'm trying to be as hyper-aware and vigilant as possible, as I know that it can be difficult to tell when a bunny is feeling unwell. I've been watching her today, and I noticed that she seems to be breathing rapidly, although I'm not sure if this speed is normal for buns. I've included a video here.

I also noticed that her poop is a strange shape (see napkin picture attached). This morning and yesterday, her poops were regularly shaped (see eating photo attached with small poops next to her). Should I be concerned/call a vet, or is this normal?

I've also seen her grooming herself a lot and itching herself with her leg every once in a while, although I'm not sure how much itching is too much itching.

I feel really bad because I know moving homes can be a really scary experience for a bun, and I hope she's feeling alright. Otherwise, she's been relatively social. She'll come up to me and sniff me when I go into her pen to change her litter box or pick up her poop, and she's been setting by the pen door and letting me pet her gently.

Thank you for the help!

 

[maylinagurl3]

Update—she pooped again, and they don't look as misshapen (see attached photo). They're round, like all of her other poops. They're a bit small, but this may be because she's only about 8 weeks old.

I also managed to get a video of her itching. She's done this a few times today.



Thank you again!

 

[JBun]

Breathing is normal, and she seems relaxed laying there. The odd poop can be from the stress of moving to a new home, but should return to normal now that she is settled and relaxed. Have you changed her food at all? Is she on the exact same type and brand of pellets as her previous home, and have there been changes in hay, veggies, greens, treats, or any other foods from her previous home to what you are feeding her now?

Look inside and around her ears and see if there are visible signs of wax build up, irritation, lesions, dandruff, or crusts inside or around the ears.

 

[maylinagurl3]

She’s been eating alfalfa hay and pellets. I’m using a different brand of pellets than what she used to eat at the breeder’s, but they gave me a small bag of pellets and I’ve been mixing it in with the new brand to help her transition.
It looks like her poop is normally shaped now, so I think you’re right that the irregularity was probably part of the stress of moving.

I checked her ears and didn’t see any of the things you mentioned, but because this is my first time checking, there’s always the possibility that I missed something. Here’s a picture of the inside of her right ear. How many times a day do rabbits usually itch themselves with their back legs? When is it considered excessive?

 

[maylinagurl3]

Update: Here are a couple of more videos of her itching, grooming her body/ears.





I also noticed that she had what looked like a bald spot above her ear, where it meets her head, although I'm not sure if this is typical of buns. I read somewhere that fur mites could cause bald patches in various places.

 

[AVIE]

All looks normal to me.

 

[HalaBuns]

Looks like she’s just grooming. I have 2 bunnies and I feel like one likes to clean her ears more often than the other and it looks like she’s doing some quite aggressive scratching sometimes. I was also a bit worried about it when I first got them too, but they had just been vet checked so I knew she was fine and she’s been checked twice since. I guess they have their own little habits and cleaning routines, so it varies.

Their fur is also thinner behind their ears.

 

[maylinagurl3]

Thanks, everyone! I brought her into the vet on Wednesday just as an initial check-up, and the vet confirmed what you all said—that she was healthy and fine! Thank you again!