When raising a child, many things can confuse a new parent. It is the same case when it comes to raising a pet. For many pet parents, their precious furry friend is their baby. As soon as you get a bunny as your pet, you realize it is a bit more challenging than you must have thought.
Rabbits are complex creatures with a long list of emotional and physical needs. People often jump into raising a pet rabbit without doing much research on the animal’s needs. To avoid unwanted mishaps, you must avoid this mistake and learn about every little thing your bunny can face, like hiccups. So, can rabbits get hiccups?
Yes, hiccups are common in bunnies. Rabbits are grazing animals and are always hungry. Most rabbits get hiccups due to eating super fast. However, there are other concerning reasons your bunny might be getting hiccups.
Raising a rabbit means not taking anything lightly. If you notice your rabbit doing anything unusual, keep an eye on it for a few hours. It will help you eliminate or catch a health risk. When your bunny starts hiccuping, it is best to consult your vet if it is a consistent hiccup spell. For further information, keep scrolling!
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Know The Difference Between Hiccups And Seizures
Bunny rabbits are voiceless creatures who cannot tell you what they feel. A bunny’s movements are minimal, even when having a full-blown epileptic seizure. So, how do you differentiate between a risky seizure and a mild hiccup? Let us tell you.
A hiccup will be a short movement, primarily of your rabbit’s head. On the other hand, a seizure will be a more prolonged movement. Rabbits can move during an epileptic episode, so it will be hard to tell.
For this reason, time the bunny’s jerky movement to confirm if it is a seizure or a hiccup. If you are unsure and cannot determine it, contact your vet to be on the safer side.
How To Know If Your Rabbit Has The Hiccups?
Rabbits are complex creatures with layers of physical attributes and behavior that they show when they are in discomfort. When a child has a hiccuping spell, it begins to cry to show you that it is not feeling pleased about the situation. Bunnies are similar to babies. They are both voiceless creatures that cannot put words to their feelings.
When your rabbit has hiccups, its body movement will be minute, and you might miss the hiccups. Furthermore, the hiccup movement happens quickly, which you will miss in a blink of an eye. There are some signs you can observe in your precious furry friend to confirm hiccups:
Loss In Appetite
Rabbits most commonly get hiccups due to eating too fast. The extra air gets trapped in their diaphragm, causing your poor bunny to get hiccups. Your rabbit might avoid eating to the discomfort in its tummy due to hiccups.
Furthermore, hiccups can make your rabbit feel full as extra air is in your bunny. As rabbits cannot vomit, they will expel this air via hiccuping. If your rabbit has had an intense craving for food before the moment, check your pet for hiccups.
Visible Stress
Bunnies get stressed when they have a physical problem, so it is of utmost importance always to keep an eye on your rabbit’s health. You must check your rabbit for hiccups if you observe signs of stress.
Your bunny will grind its teeth extra hard or demand time to be alone when physically painful. Excessive air in your rabbit’s diaphragm can cause pain, which ultimately causes stress to your poor furry baby.
Not Defecating Properly
Rabbits are daily poopers, and it is easy to observe when there is a change in their defecating routine. Rabbits pass small fecal pellets daily if they eat unlimited hay with moderate amounts of vegetables and fruits as treats.
Furthermore, rabbits also discharge cecotropes, special fecal pellets carrying essential nutrients for your precious furry friend. Bunnies eat these in the middle of the night when we are asleep.
If you observe that your rabbit has decreased its daily defecation or pee, chances are your bunny rabbit is suffering from hiccups. Plus, if you find cecotropes lying around your rabbit when you wake up, it will mean that your pet did not eat them, which is also an indication of physical discomfort.
If you notice the above-mentioned physical signs or any other odd behaviors in your furry baby, contact your vet to be on the safer side.
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Why Do Bunny Rabbits Get Hiccups?
As a pet owner, your concern should be to find the source of your rabbit’s hiccups. Almost everything in the environment can affect bunnies and cause them to react. Hiccups are no exception. Many reasons can cause your rabbit to experience hiccups:
Eating Speedily
Your bunny rabbit can get hiccups if it eats its food too fast, like a greedy little animal. Bunnies are grazing animals and love to eat. If your rabbit sees food, it will launch itself on it and eat without control.
The furry animal is unaware of what is good or bad for them, which causes them plenty of pain. The most common reason why your bunny has hiccups could be speedy eating.
Change in Temperature
Rabbits are fragile creatures, and a comfortable temperature is necessary for their health. If the temperature in your rabbit’s environment has a sudden drop or rise, it can cause a reaction in your rabbit’s body, causing it to experience hiccups.
Ensure that your bunny’s living area has the optimal temperature that suits its bodily needs to avoid unnecessary distress.
Bad Stomach
Hiccups can be a symptom of an upset stomach. If you notice your rabbit having hiccups, try recalling what it has eaten in the day. There is a chance your rabbit ate something toxic or too heavy for your pet’s digestive system to break down. It can cause hiccups in your bunny, as rabbits cannot vomit to expel unsuitable food elements.
Gas Build-up
Rabbits have difficulty passing gas from their bodies. Due to this reason, your rabbit can get hiccups to release the uncomfortable gas build-up. You can check your rabbit’s tummy for stiffness to confirm if it is hiccuping due to excessive gas.
Lack of Exercise
Bunnies are physically hyper animals that love to hop, run, and zoom all over the place. If your rabbit has low physical activity, it can experience hiccups.
Swallowing Air
Rabbits drink water often during the day, as they are hyperactive creatures and love to stay on the run most times.
The intense physical activity levels can make your rabbit thirsty, resulting in a quick gulping of water. When your rabbit glugs water, it can swallow air with the liquid, causing hiccups.
Getting Rid of A Rabbit’s Hiccup
Humans have many home remedies to cure hiccups, like holding your breath, jumping, and hanging upside down. However, it would be best never to try these with your precious furry rabbit. Rabbits are fragile creatures, and excessive can cause distress and anxiety to your rabbit.
Making your rabbit jump would require startling the poor thing. Rabbits have tiny hearts and are scared easily. If you try this with your rabbit, you will lose its trust forever. In addition, holding your rabbit’s breath will be an unwise remedy as it will make the bunny panic and cause further health issues.
The safest way to release your rabbit from this physical discomfort is to press your precious bunny’s tummy with two fingers. Put the slightest pressure on your rabbit’s diaphragm to release the excessive air and calm your pet’s hiccups.
Only do this if you see visible signs of stress and anxiety in your rabbit. If the hiccups have prolonged for too long, you should contact your vet and get an appointment. A professional will know better to treat your rabbit’s hiccups.
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Final Word
Taking care of your rabbit should be your top priority. Rabbits are an immense responsibility that requires constant vigilance and attention. When you decide to raise a rabbit, ensure that you have researched all aspects of a bunny’s needs before you get yourself a furry friend.
Preparing yourself before getting a rabbit will make your transition into becoming the bunny’s best friend much more manageable. Bunnies do not ask for anything extraordinary.
Rabbits genuinely need love, care, attention, and playtime with hay, vegetables, and fruits. If you balance these things in your rabbit’s life, you will have a happy bunny hopping in your home for many years!