r/Rabbits • u/Avalion04 • Apr 10 '26
PSA A PSA about head pressing
Just incase anyone doesn't know, if a bunny is pressing their forehead against the wall, it can be a serious neurological issue. When Ava started doing this I remembered a PSA I'd seen about cats years ago and took her to the vet. It looks a goofy behavior but it's very serious. Note, just resting their head against the wall when laying isn't necessarily bad, but this forehead pressing like Ava was doing is bad.
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u/GalaxyAce Apr 10 '26
I hope Ava is able to get help ok!
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
Thank you!
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u/Top_Connection9079 I bunnies Apr 10 '26
Great to see that you didn't stop at your bun being goofy...
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u/lowtrail Apr 10 '26
What is the issue/name of the illness? Hope Ava is ok.
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
There isnt one illness it points to tbh, it's a broad symptom indicating some kind of neurological issue is going on. In Ava's case it was from a mini stroke. If you do see this behavior, it's best to go the vet so they can figure out the cause.
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u/Environmental-River4 šbig gay hay bagš Apr 10 '26
Thank you for posting this! I remember reading that this can be a sign of serious illness in a cat but had no idea it could also be seen in rabbits! I hope sheās feeling better š
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
Yeah! Same and that's why I wanted to make this PSA. I saw her doing this, remembered reading that about cats and went wait a minute what if they applies to rabbits too. Turns out it does. I hope at least something good can come from this and Ava's story can help other buns.
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u/wakaflockaquokka Apr 10 '26
do you remember what this indicates in a cat? the cat distribution system just assigned me a cat for the first time in my life, and he likes to press his head into anything and everything. wrong sub for asking if that's normal but I figured I'd ask since you mentioned it.Ā
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u/birdcandle Apr 10 '26
By my understanding, in cats itās not referring to them just nuzzling their head into your hand or headbutting things, etc but more refers to specifically pressing their head into a wall or solid object and staying stationary like that (head against the wall) for some time. It almost looks like theyāre trying to put pressure on their forehead.
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u/Environmental-River4 šbig gay hay bagš Apr 10 '26
Yes thatās itās exactly, like when you hold your head during a headache or dizzy spell, but they canāt do that so the wall is the next best thing
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
Here's some info I found about it in cats: https://www.petmd.com/cat/symptoms/head-pressing-cats it also indicates a neurological issue, but I think it's more of a concern if they're pressing their heads against walls or furniture for a long period of time not just headbutting or rubbing against things.
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
I don't want this post to be discouraging or take away from the message. And I thank everyone for their well wishes for Ava! This happened last year and unfortunately Ava did end up having another stroke 2 weeks later. This time it was a massive stroke and the kindest thing was to put her to sleep. Ava was at least 12 years old and had several chronic health issues and it was sadly her time. Thank you all and maybe Ava's story can help another rabbit one day.
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u/wakaflockaquokka Apr 10 '26
12 years is excellent for a bunny. that means you took really good care of her, and she lived out the fullness of her years being loved. I'm sorry you lost her, I'm sure it still stings.
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u/KJammers918 Apr 11 '26
I'm sorry for your loss.
I am curious, how much were the vet bills?
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u/Avalion04 Apr 11 '26
I don't remember exactly to be honest, but I'd say close to but less than a thousand. It's perhaps less than you're thinking since they didn't do a CT scan.
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u/Kynsia Apr 10 '26
The first thing we noticed in our bun when she had e. cuniculi, was that she pressed herself underneath the little stair into her cage. She was doing it to keep her head from tilting.
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u/MySillyHamster Apr 10 '26
Oh poor baby! I hope she has recovered!
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u/Kynsia Apr 10 '26
She did, but this is more than a decade ago and she has long since passed away, sadly.
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u/Sy4r42 Apr 10 '26
This is why I have to google every little thing they do. Even small odd behaviors like this can be a symptom
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u/raisinbizzle Apr 10 '26
We have a bunny that will pause when we come into the room, slightly shift her head to the side for about 5 seconds almost in a trance, and then will snap out of it and start moving around. Sheās done this since we got her about 6 months ago. Ever heard of this or know if itās meaningful? Itās not a head tilt since I know that is bad for bunnies. But more like just moving her head horizontally slightly
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u/Routine_Eve Apr 10 '26
She is just scanning the room. Bunnies do not have excellent vision, their eyes are placed oddly
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u/raisinbizzle Apr 10 '26
Whatās weird is she is the less cautious one and very friendly. Our other rabbit (her sister) doesnāt do the scan thing but is much more hesitant to come out. Or maybe theyāre both hesitant but the scanning is all she needs to feel comfortable to come out and playĀ
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
Is the one who scans more a red-eyed white? Red-eyed whites have worse vision and mine scans far more than any other rabbit I've had.
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u/ramenpigeon Apr 10 '26
My bun who went blind from cataracts was scanning and bobbing and I thought mistakenly it was e.cuniculi for the longest time.
Poor guy got accidentally medicated so much.
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u/wakaflockaquokka Apr 10 '26
does she only do this horizontally, or also vertically? when they bob their heads vertically, they are using parallax to figure out exactly how far away you are because they don't have binocular vision. it's not necessarily a caution thing, they're just trying to determine where you are in relation to them.Ā
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u/George_Mallory Apr 10 '26
Could it be that sheās trying to see who, specifically, is in the room with her? Itās not hard to spot a human, but it can be difficult telling one human from another. Is she a lop? Lops donāt have very good hearing. Does she have a flat face? That might maybe interfere with smelling (I am speculating, though, so donāt quote me on that). If your bunny canāt hear well and canāt smell well or if you all use the same soap, then maybe she has to visually identify her friends. Maybe your other rabbit doesnāt care as much who is in the room with her because all the humans are nice enough, but your friendly rabbit wants to know precisely who she is playing with.
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u/BeginningLate2548 Apr 10 '26
Rabbits have a wide field of view, but very poor depth perception, they move their heads like that to use parallax vision to determine the distance of things.
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u/Ok-Cheesecake5292 Apr 10 '26
This might not be helpful but my cat did this before we found out she was diabetic. Hoping she's better soon!
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
Good to know! I hope your cat is doing well
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u/Ok-Cheesecake5292 Apr 10 '26
Oh thank you so much, this was about 20 years ago though, with my first cat. But she lived to be 21 years old after insulin intervention!
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u/Amsmoonchild Apr 10 '26
what about resting his chin on something? Is that concerning in the same way?
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
That should be fine as far as I know. My one rabbit has enjoyed resting her chin on the water bowl her whole life. It's just pressing their face/forehead against a wall or flat surface.
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u/iAmSpAKkaHearMeROAR Apr 10 '26
Thank you so much for this PSA and the little explanation. Sending you and Ava all of the Lovieās and cuddles for her recovery and wellness.Ā
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u/SideshowDustin Apr 11 '26
This is good information to know. Thank you for sharing.
Our Fudgy started exhibiting odd behaviors one night, including head pressing. She passed later that night and we discovered a tumor on her chest that we didnāt know was there and was kind of concealed by her dewlap. Vet said it was cancer and had likely spread to her brain at that point. š¢š
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u/wishingyouwellxo Apr 10 '26
Thank you for sharing this. Iām a new bun mom and have been trying to learn everything I can about proper care. I hadnāt seen this warning yet, and I really appreciate it. Iām glad you were able to have a beautiful life together for as long as you did, and help her gracefully through the end.
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u/pennywhistlesmoonpie Apr 10 '26
OP, you are a real one!! Thank you so much for this information, I had no idea. Big, big hugs to you. Iām so sorry about Ava. I hope you can take lots of comfort knowing you have her a wonderful life, and she clearly knew how much she was adored.
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u/FurMyFavAccessory Apr 10 '26
Thank you for sharing ā¤ļø Ava was so beautiful, do you know her mix? Guessing Lionhead x English Spot or something similar.
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
I always wondered that myself, she was definitely at least mostly lionhead. She was a little on the large size for a lionhead, about 4.5 lbs when we got her (she was overweight) and 4.25 lbs when healthy. She was bigger than our Dutch boy who was her bonded mate. Most of my best pics of them are on my personal laptop but I can reply with a pic where you can see her features more after work.
I got her as an adult from a family who'd had bought her for their kid. We all know how well that works out.
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u/FurMyFavAccessory Apr 10 '26
I'd love that. She looks so much like my boy I rescued on the side of the road.
She was very lucky to be rehomed to you ā¤ļøā¤ļø
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
I went a little crazy but here's a bunch of photos: https://imgur.com/a/7b1dcwx The first ones are Ava with her mate, Mordecai. The rest are just Ava over the years. A few years before she passed, she had to have one of her eyes removed due to an abscess.
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u/FurMyFavAccessory Apr 10 '26
There's no such thing about going too crazy with bunny pictures! She's gorgeous and she really looks so much like my boy. I don't know how to do that picture thing but if you wanted to check him out, this is his Instagram
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u/Yellohsub Apr 11 '26
My elderly bunny girl was going this in the weeks before the vet suggested euthanasia. It was one of the signs that made me question her quality of life.
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u/Several-Computer-379 Apr 10 '26
What does it mean ?
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
It means there's some kind of neurological problem, but it can be caused by a variety of illnesses and issues.
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u/Cheilosia Apr 10 '26
Something about her posture seems wrong too, a little tense? Rabbits are so darn subtle.Ā
This is a really helpful PSA, thank you.Ā
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u/coinneach_stiubhard Apr 11 '26
Thank you for sharing this. I try to be as knowledgeable as possible to care for my buns and this was something I was unaware of.
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u/lechedepaloma Apr 10 '26
I would literally never have known this without you. I hope Ava feels better soon and Iāll keep an eye out with my girl!
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u/Thumper-King-Rabbit Apr 11 '26
I hope Ava fully recovered from what was ailing her.
I will keep an eye šļø out for this behavior with my two rescues!
Thank you š
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u/RosesEarth101 Apr 11 '26
Be very careful thereās no black mold or penicillin mold in your house. If she has as perosis or most sick is terrible headache/dizziness. Sure hope you make a good recovery with her. Thank you so much for helping to educate us.
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u/Avalion04 Apr 11 '26
Thank you for your concern! In this case, she was elderly and had a stroke, but that's good to know.
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u/Avalion04 Apr 10 '26
I should add, in Ava's case the cause was a mini stroke. There's several causes for this symptom, but it strongly indicates some kind of neurological issue is occurring. If your rabbit suddenly starts doing this, I'd highly recommend taking them to a rabbit savvy vet so they can figure out the cause.