A rabbit shows old age first in how he moves and maintains himself: he rises stiffly, hops in shorter runs, feels less muscled along the spine, and grooms less neatly, especially underneath. Those gradual shifts mark his senior stage, when flooring, litter access, and diet may all need adjusting to keep him comfortable.
Movement and joints
After a long rest, an older rabbit may stretch carefully, hesitate before hopping up even a low step, or avoid slippery floors he once crossed without thought. He may still enjoy a potter around his favourite room, just in shorter sessions with longer flops between them.
Help him with grip and access: rugs over slick floors, a low-entry litter tray, and ramps with gentle slopes and sides where a step up is unavoidable. If he stops using a whole area, assume access hurts or frightens him before assuming he has lost interest in it.
Weight, muscle, and body condition
Feel along his spine and hips weekly during grooming. In a senior rabbit, muscle often melts from the hindquarters first, so bones feel sharper while the belly may still look full. Both steady loss and steady gain matter: extra weight makes sore joints work harder and makes cleaning himself underneath even harder.
Weigh him monthly on a flat scale he can sit on calmly, and write it down with a note about appetite and droppings. A vet reviewing three months of steady decline will act very differently from one hearing that he seems thinner lately.
Coat, skin, and self-care
The coat of an older rabbit can look thinner, drier, and less sleek, and moults may drag on because grooming is slower. The telling area is underneath: a senior who cannot twist comfortably may develop a soiled bottom or matted fur around the tail, which needs gentle cleaning and a vet check, since fly risk and skin soreness follow quickly in warm weather.
Check his feet too. Less movement and more resting can leave hocks red or sore, especially on hard flooring, so deep, soft bedding in his resting area is a comfort measure, not a luxury.
Eating, teeth, and digestion
He may graze hay more slowly, prefer softer strands, or take longer at his greens, all reasons to keep teeth on the vet's list at senior checks. Hay should stay the centre of his diet, but an older rabbit who is losing condition may need his overall food plan reviewed with the vet rather than simply more of everything.
Droppings tell the daily story: smaller, fewer, or a messy bottom where droppings were once dry and round means something has changed. A rabbit who stops eating or passing droppings needs urgent, same-day veterinary care at any age, and seniors have less margin still.
Eyes, sleep, and temperament
Eyes may cloud with age, and many seniors rely on familiar layouts, so keep furniture and litter corners consistent. Sleep deepens and lengthens, yet a comfortable senior still shows pleasures: leaning into a stroke, stretching full-length in a sun patch, coming to investigate a favourite herb.
Keeping weights, senior check findings, and daily-care adjustments written together makes each vet visit build on the last. KinsLe Pet Passport holds that history in one portable packet, so his changing needs stay clear to everyone who cares for him.