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Expert: Lee Meyer (Mr.) - 8/18/2006


Question
thank you for ur help Diamond(the netherland dwarf) is 1lb the weight book says that its alright but ima take your advice n feed em seperatly, i think my boy Buster has wry neck disease and he has an apt. tomorrow but i wanna know if he can play still wit my other rabbits i dont wanna infect them but this page says that he is supposed to be happy and hes happy when hes with them im worried i should've known something was up after the heat wave we had here in N.Y. an he slowed up on his normal portion of food

Answer
Hi Kao,

if you suspect he has something that is giving him head tilt, or "wry neck", do not let him have contact with your other rabbits.  You don't want this spreading around your rabbits and having to treat several sick rabbits at the same time.  We took in a foster with head tilt and it took three plus months of care to make sure his infections were cleared up.  We kept him isolated from our other guys, didn't share litterpans or anything.  Just make sure he gets attention from you guys and he will be all right.

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Lee Meyer (Mr.)

Expertise

I have 7+ years of experience with House Rabbits, rescue groups, and working with shelter rabbits. I have done many educational talks about house rabbits. I have advised potential adopters, supervised bunny 'dates', fundraising/educational rabbit events, and help rabbit owners with their rabbits. I will answer questions about: general behaviors, body language, housing, toys, bunny-proofing, diet, spaying/neutering issues, nail clips, preventative measures, diet, and health questions. I will not discuss: anything that deals with rabbits for fur, food, factory-style breeding, deliberate or casual breeding by pet owners, or experimentation.

My focus is solely on rabbits as loved pets. It's why I'm a House Rabbit Society member rather than an ARBA member. If you don't view your rabbit the same way you would a pet dog or cat, please ask another expert your question.

I am not a veterinarian and cannot conclusively diagnose your rabbit. My advice does not take the place of a good rabbit vet. IF YOU THINK THERE'S A PROBLEM, DON'T WAIT FOR A REPLY, GET TO A VET IMMEDIATELY!!! Sometimes what appears to be a small problem is life-threatening.

The House Rabbit Society has references on their site for vets they have researched. There are US and international links here for vets all over the world with rabbit experience: www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

I recommend the following resources to all rabbit owners:

House Rabbit Society - online rabbit info (www.rabbit.org)
Book: Rabbit Health in the 21st Century 2nd Ed. by Kathy Smith
Book: House Rabbit Handbook 4th Ed. by Marinell Harriman

Experience

House Rabbit Member since 2004 Discover Your House Rabbit organizer - 2006 Rabbit Adopter since 2004 HAWS Board of Education member (rabbits) since 2005 HAWS Rabbit Volunteer since 2004

Organizations
National House Rabbit Society, Wisconsin House Rabbit Society, Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS), Education Board Member for Rabbits, Friends of HAWS

Education/Credentials
BSEE, MSEE (Electrical/Computer Engineering), Marquette University

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