A rabbit can stay bright and companionable deep into old age, but the work of being a rabbit gets physically harder: hopping up into the litter box, twisting around to groom the base of the tail, spending hours grinding hay with the back teeth. Senior rabbit care is a series of practical subtractions — remove the jump, shorten the trip, soften the landing — paired with closer monitoring, because rabbits are prey animals who mask pain and dental trouble until they are well advanced. The rabbit who eats a little less each week rarely looks ill; he just quietly loses ground.
Hay within reach, at floor level, all the time
Chewing long hay wears a rabbit's ever-growing teeth and keeps his gut moving, and both jobs matter more, not less, in old age. Put hay in low racks or loose piles at floor level in the spots he actually rests, rather than one station across the pen he must travel to with sore joints. Refresh it through the day so it smells fresh and invites grazing. If he picks out soft leaves and leaves the hay, drools, or produces smaller droppings than usual, his molars need a veterinary examination — back teeth cannot be assessed at home, and dental pain is one of the most common hidden reasons an older rabbit fades.
Litter boxes, ramps, and floors that forgive
Cut down one side of the litter box or buy a low-entry tray; an arthritic rabbit who starts missing the box is usually telling you entry hurts, not that he has forgotten his habits. Cover slippery floors along his routes with runners or mats, bed his pen deeply in his resting corner, and check his hocks for sore or hairless skin where longer sitting concentrates pressure. Ramps should be wide, shallow, and grippy, or removed entirely in favor of a one-level layout. Floor time in a small, familiar area beats free range of a whole floor, where a startled senior can injure himself trying to sprint.
Grooming, nails, and the parts he cannot reach
An older rabbit often stops reaching his rear, his scent glands, and the underside of his tail, so add those to your weekly hands-on check along with a gentle brush-out during molts, since swallowed loose fur is harder on a slower gut. Trim nails little and often — long nails twist the toes and worsen an arthritic stance. Weigh him monthly at minimum, weekly if he has ever lost condition, and feel along his spine; a rabbit can look round while losing muscle over the hips. Matted fur around the rear, a wet bottom, or maggots in warm weather are emergencies, not grooming tasks, and need a veterinarian immediately.
The quiet rabbit rule and vet thresholds
Learn his normal: how fast he comes for greens, how much hay disappears overnight, how many droppings fill the tray. Deviations in a senior rabbit — refusing a favorite food, sitting hunched and grinding his teeth, pressing his belly to the floor, or producing no droppings across a day — justify a veterinary call the same day, because gut slowdown in rabbits escalates quickly. Routine senior checkups, including a proper molar inspection and weight review, are worth scheduling even when he seems well. A rabbit's old age is a story told in small chapters, and KinsLe's Pet Passport is where those chapters stay in order for the clinician reading them.