What are the possible causes of head tilt in rabbits?

Question

I have heard a lot about head tilt in rabbits. What causes head tilt? What are the treatments and/or prognosis?

Answer 1

As far is I found the possible causes are:

• Middle/inner ear infection (otitis media /interna) - treated with anitbiotics - success not sure
• Stroke (cerebrovascular accidents) - lots of care needed - acupuncture maybe helpful
• Trauma - can be treated with anti-inflammatory - succesful if trauma not severe
• Cancer (neoplasia) - did not find much, but it's cancer
• Cervical muscle contraction - only temporary
• Encephalitozoonosis - parasite - treatment not mentioned
• Cerebral larva migrans - no known cure
• Intoxication - depending on the toxin, vet needs to decide
• an abscess - needs to be removed with surgery
• Meningitis

The treatments do depend on the cause (Read more). But

While many cases of head tilt can be successfully treated, others cannot.[...]Regardless of the cause, sometimes a rabbit who survives will be left with a slight head tilt for the rest of his life.

References

• Head Tilt: Causes and Treatment
• Head Tilt (Wry Neck) in Rabbits
• Head Tilt in Rabbits

Answer 2

One reason could be the daily drinking from water bottles and so caused habituation to a false head position:

Studies have shown that a rabbit with access to both a water bowl and a water bottle will prefer the bowl. It’s much easier to drink out of, because the water doesn’t come out one drop at a time. Also, a bottle forces the rabbit to tilt the head up in an unnatural position, making it highly uncomfortable. Even though nothing can fall into a bottle and soil the water, it is much more difficult to clean, so bacteria and algae will often develop and soil any fresh water that gets added immediately.

bunnyapproved.com

Edit: It is not a chief cause, nor the single cause for head tilt. But I think it could be the most common and one that could be easy avoided.