Why Is a Rabbit Tilting Its Head and How to Treat It

1 Rabbit Head Tilt: Causes, Treatment, and Prevention

1. Causes of head tilt

1. Pasteurella middle-ear infection: Pasteurella multocida causes infectious rhinitis; if it spreads to the inner ear it causes Pasteurella otitis. The infection damages the vestibular system or builds pus that presses on it, tilting the head.

2. Mite-induced otitis: long ears easily host ear mites; heavy infestation causes secondary infection and head tilt.

3. Fungal otitis: fungal ear infection is common and can secondarily cause otitis and tilt.

4. Other causes: concussion, encephalitozoonosis (spore infection), meningitis, etc. can also tilt the head.

2. Treatment

On seeing head tilt, first check the ears for inflammation, foreign matter, pus, or foul odor. If inflamed, rinse with hydrogen peroxide, then apply chloramphenicol ear drops, and inject penicillin (50,000–100,000 units/kg) and streptomycin (20,000–30,000 units/kg) twice daily for 5 days.

If no improvement after 5 days, recovery is unlikely, but many head-tilt rabbits still eat, drink, and breed normally. For valuable rabbits you don’t want to cull or wish to keep for breeding, isolate them.

3. Prevention

1. Regularly vaccinate rabbits against Pasteurella multocida.

2. When a rabbit shakes its head, check the ears for inflammation, mites, or fungus and treat promptly to stop progression.

3. Manage husbandry well and give rabbits a comfortable environment.

A gentle reminder: head tilt can’t be fully avoided — even large farms see the odd case — but prevention still matters to reduce occurrence.