Special needs rabbits

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Dolly in one of her wheelchairs. Unfortunately she passed away in September 2014. Her picture is (c) and used with direct permission from her parents. You can find more information about Dolly here.
Lilac's cart is loosly based on Sharon's cart but has been modified because both of Lilac's back legs are splayed directly out. Source for wheels. Images are (c) and used with direct permission from TiffanyB.

Blind rabbits

The following contain more information about blind rabbit care.

Below are some more discussions about caring for blind rabbits.

Deaf rabbits

Below are some useful articles for owners of rabbits that are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

Here are some useful discussions about deaf bunnies:

Physically-disabled rabbits

Supplies:

The following are some case studies about lame rabbits and the decision to amputate a limb or not:

More Diaper Information:

"Healthy rabbits do not need to wear a diaper at all. Rabbits are very clean animals, they will use a litter box once trained. Bunnies who are not neutered or spayed will territory mark with their poo pellets. Every now again a poop may not make it into the litter box, a simple sweep with a dust pan and broom is all it takes to clean it up." - Sunshine Cavies

Diapers should only be used in rare cases on some disabled rabbits. See your rabbit-savvy vet about this! Oliver wearing one of many designs of diapers from BunnyDiapers.com.

Carts

Please check in with your rabbit-experienced veterinarian for their opinion on carts for your specific disabled rabbits before proceeding with purchase or creation. Some veterinarians prefer not to recommend them due to orthopedic reasons.

Information and examples of where to obtain carts and wheelchairs along with custom DIY examples and plans for carts and wheelchairs for your rabbit:

Walkin' Pets. (2022). Disabled rabbit in a Walkin' Wheels pet wheelchair
Bunny Creations. (2021). how to make a cart for your disabled rabbit
stewj34. (2010). Jellybean getting into his wheels and harness and go exploring.. An example of a custom PVC DIY cart and harness.
Live Freely Sanctuary. (2021). A very good video of Desi's DIY hammocks & carts
Dancing Rabbit. (2015). 12 yr old Ebony (spondylosis) trying her new wheels outside!
The original cart plans from Sharon. Source. Image is (c) and used with direct permission from Sharon.
Marie had a fractured spine and lived 3.5 more years a happy girl free of pain. She was full of spunk until 24 hours before she passed.
Example of a DIY PVC based hammock cart.
Buttercup's cart made with PVC and old toy truck wheels.

A few experiences:

Tripod rabbits

Tripod rabbits are bunnies that have had a limb amputated for various reasons.

The following are some more resources about limb loss in rabbits:

Dancing Rabbit. (2017). Avery, two weeks after hind leg amputation, hanging out with his girl Jewel. You can find a video of the leg before his amputation here.

Here are some stories about rabbits that have had a limb amputated.

The following are some discussions about tripod bunnies.

The following are some tripod bunny pages.

Cold laser therapy

The following are a few additional resources on the procedure:

The following are a few experiences with the procedure:

Fiona getting cold laser therapy for 'a fracture of her #4 lumbar vertebra' from Dr. Linda Siperstein. She had 6 treatments total and the results turns out very well! Video posted by Rich S.
101Rabbits. (2019). My Rabbit Had Cold Laser Therapy...

Hydrotherapy

Here is Pumba during another one of his swim and physio sessions. "Tonight we did some physio on the bodyboard to encourage movement." - Source Hydro-paws.
Biggles working with his hydrotherapist, Tom Nowicki, at HipDog. NY HRS

In some cases, rabbits can do very well with hydrotherapy. These facilities are specifically designed for small animals and the staff is expertly trained to deal with rabbits in and around water. Please do not submerge your rabbit in a pool or large body of water without veterinary instruction or supervision.

Delilah at her 6th session of hydrotherapy at Top Dog Hydrotherapy. Here she is working on the treadmill for possible osteoarthritis in her hind legs and lumbar spine region.
Example video of Heidi during her 19th hydrotherapy session. Treefern74 has a number of videos showing Heidi during different sessions.

More information on hydrotherapy for rabbits:

Online communities

Below are some online communities geared towards special needs rabbits that you can join.

Further reading

The following are videos of some disabled rabbits:

CVM bunnies

Below are related link collections.

See also

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