Poorly chicken

[CrazyDaizy]

My Lop Earred Rabbit, aged 6, is no longer going up his wooden hill to his top "floor" of his hutch. In this very cold spell, I feel he would benefit from going up there as it's all full of straw in his "bedroom!" Instead he seems to spend all his time "downstairs" (the hutch is on legs) I think it could be that the wooden hill became detached and unstable. I have fixed it in position again now. Do you think it's because of this that he won't go up there, or maybe because he's getting old now? I cover the hutch in lots of heavy blankets when it's freezing cold. He also has a pet "hot water bottle." He's a tough bunny and used to the cold anyway.

 

Should I lift him up to his "top floor?"

[lillybettybabs]

Could be a number of things, if the ramp had become loose then he could have wobbled and fallen

and either injured himself or just remembers the fall. Another thought would be arthritis creeping

in, if he can't manage the ramp himself then i wouldn't advise forcing him but making the bottom level

warm for him.

[rachel19]

Can you alter the angle of the ramp? We did this with a block of wood under the bottom when ours were little as they couldn't work it out. If the angle is shallower he may have less trouble?

[CrazyDaizy]

Can you alter the angle of the ramp? We did this with a block of wood under the bottom when ours were little as they couldn't work it out. If the angle is shallower he may have less trouble?

Interesting how you mention this, we did alter the angle of the ramp, though we made it slightly steeper. This was because he'd started using the bottom of the ramp area as his toilet and it was rotting the wood so we cut it shorter. However, he did still use the ramp, until I realise it was a bit wobbly, so I reckon it's the wobbliness that has put him off more than anything.

Maybe if I lifted him up there from the outside of the hutch and coaxed him back down again, or put some food to coax him up, it might make him realise it's safe....