Understanding A Poorly Rabbit

Your bunny isn't being themselves, you know something is wrong but how do you figure out what? Well this is going to be quite a challenge, because if you have never owned a rabbit before you need to understand that since they don't make any noise when they are sick, it's up to you to start eliminating the reasons.

When you first buy your rabbit you will be told about two injections they need to have. You might get away with just giving them the first one, Myxomatois. If you have only one rabbit this seems to be the one your vet will recommend to give them. The other injection is given if you have more than one bunny rabbit and live in an area with loads of wild rabbits.

You need to protect you little rabbit from these two virus:

1) Myxomatois

2) Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (vaccine only given if rabbit has symptoms)

If your rabbit got either of these diseases, then they could be very deadly. So prevention is better than cure as the saying goes.

There are a few other things to be aware of if you own a rabbit. They like other animals can get health problems. Some can be minor problems and others not so minor. Here are things you need to look out for if you have a rabbit who is not themselves.

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Most rabbits will be healthy and you might never have any problems with them. But for those rabbits doing not so well, some of the things that might be effecting them could be

1. Mites ------------------------------------- 2. Ear Infection

3. Kidney Infection ----------------------- 4. Teeth Problems

5. Hairballs --------------------------------- 6. Digestive Problems

7. Heat Stroke ---------------------------- 8.GI Stasis

9. Obesity ----------------------------------10.Snuffles

11 Sore Hocks ---------------------------- 12 Paralysis

13 Fleas ------------------------------------ 14. Lice

1) MITES

TYPE ONE

Ear Mites (Psoroptes cuniculi species)

These little irrating creatures can be found on the inside of the rabbit’s ear near the pinnae. These are not so common in domesticated rabbits, but still saying that, you could easily bring them in on your shoes or clothes and pass them on to your pet. The signs of ear infestation are as follows:

1) Excess shaking of rabbits head

2) Constant scratching of ears

3) Hair loss at back of ears

4) Crusty Inflamed inner ear

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TYPE TWO



Fur Mites (Cheyletiella parasitovorax and listrophorus gibbus)

You can expect to see these around Spring. The area most effected will be the neck and the rabbits back. It might look to you like your rabbit has white type dust on his body. But these are the culprits. If the rabbit is effected by them again he will be constantly scratching this area of his body.

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TYPE THREE

Burrowing Mites( Sarcoptes scabiei and Notodetres cati)

These are not so common. European rabbits are not so likely to be effected by these creatures and even in the US they might or might not get them. Your rabbit might be just the unlucky one to get infected.

What happens is the female mite digs into the rabbits skin and leaves her eggs there. Then these larvae hatch and live on the rabbit. They have a life cycle of laying 5 eggs up to 5 times. You will see all this happen in less than 2-3 weeks. Again you will see a white dust on the fur of the rabbit to indicate infestation.

If you suspect your rabbit has any of these mites, get him to a vet for treatment.

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2) EAR INFECTIONS

Sometimes even rabbits can ear infections. This might be serious or not so serious. It could be either:

1. Ear Mites

2. Build up of was in the inner ear.

It's up to you as the pet owner to notice if your rabbit is behaving stranger than normal. They might be doing a lot of head movements that you think isn't normal for them, and if so, then you need to get it checked out. Don't leave things to the last minutes. Either way if it is one of these conditions, they are going to need get eardrops.

Some signs that you would need to lookout for in your rabbit that might indicate a problem could be things like:

• scratching his/her head
• shaking their head

These are all signs you are being given that something is wrong.

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3) KIDNEY INFECTIONS

Just like humans, rabbits can get kidney disease and bladder stones. If your rabbit’s normal bathroom habits have changed this could be an indicator.

For example, if your rabbit leaves no dropping in his litter tray, take note, it might be a simple case he needs more fibre ie, hay. But is could also be more a sign of something more serious.

If they are not urinating, again you will notice that the litter tray will have no wet patches. For some reason rabbits will always pee in the same spot of their litter tray. Normal urine could look clear, yellow, brown or bright red. But if your rabbit stops eating and you are worried bring him to the vet. Worst case scenario there could be blood in the urine.

Your vet will take a x-ray and this should determine if there is something wrong in your rabbits tummy. Also they will take a blood sample to determine if anything else is causing the problem.

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4) TEETH PROBLEMS ( Malocclusion)

Rabbits have four large incisors in the front of their mouth. Then behind them they have two tiny teeth called PEG teeth. Then on the lower side of each cheek they have six upper and five lower teeth. The front teeth cut the food and the back teeth grind the food.

When you bring you rabbit to the vet, they usually will check the mouth and cheeks to make sure no teeth are out of line in the jaw. The reason for this is that rabbit’s teeth grow 4 to 5 inches each year.

It is important that you give them wood stick (available in pet stores) to chew on. This helps wear down their teeth and stop them from becoming overgrown. Also when your rabbit grinds hay in his/her mouth this is also helping them to wear their teeth down.

If teeth are not worn down they will become overgrown. This is called malocclusion. When this happens your vet will need to trim the rabbits teeth and most likely it will be a constant thing for the rest of the rabbits life.

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5) HAIRBALLS

Just like cats, rabbits can get hairballs and if severe they could die, because unlike cats, they cannot vomit it up.

Since most rabbits molt (shed their coat) maybe up to 6 times a year (depending on the breed) you are likely to have some of their hair flying around. You need to remove this from their living area, make sure you brush your rabbits coat to remove loose hair because when grooming themselves they might be likely to ingest it.

To avoid hairballs in rabbits make sure they have a supply of hay, Alfalfa or Timothy, as this will keep their digestive tract clear.

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6) DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS

If you feed your rabbit the correct food, it is very unlikely they will have any digestive problems. Giving them a fresh supply of hay each day should keep them in good working order.

If a rabbit does gets Diarrhoea, bring him to the vet immediately because it could be fatal. You need to watch the dropping to see if they are not normal. Normal dropping are brown, small balls, or they could be soft and lumpy. It’s when they are smelly, runny or not normal this is a big hint. Also if your rabbit stops eating this is another sign all is not ok.

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7) HEAT STROKE

During the summer months you usually have your rabbit out in your garden in his/her pen. You need to be aware to also have a shaded area for your rabbit to go to when it gets too hot. Some signs that your rabbit might be suffering from Heat Stroke are as follows:

• Panting
• Lethargy
• Weakness
• Convulsing
• Red ears
• Salivating

To help your rabbit avoid heat stoke do the following:

1) Place ice in water bowl

2) Place a bottle of ice cold water in their pen/cage so they can lie against it to cool down

3) Keep them out of direct sun/heat and place in a cool shaded area

4) Mist their ears with a spray bottle containing water because heat leaves the rabbit through their ears

5) Place a damp towel over the pen/cage

If you suspect your rabbit is suffering from heat stroke bring them to the veterinarian straight away.

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8) GI STASIS (Gastrointestina stasis)

This occurs when the food ingested by the rabbit is passed through the digestive tract at a slower than normal pace or stops altogether. If your rabbit is not feeling good he will not eat or drink when can make the situation worst. The reason a rabbit could develop this problem could be for some of the following reasons:

1) Ingested their hair

2) Low fibre diet

3) Being fed human food

4) Obese

5) Depression caused by death of other rabbit in pack

Also if you check their dropping you might notice hair in it or your rabbit might also develop diarrhoea.

If your rabbit is suffering from this, they need to be brought to the vet for a x-ray and they will decide what is the best treatment for your rabbit.

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9) OBESITY

It is up to you as a pet owner to monitor what you are feeding your rabbit. If you look at the feeding guide on the packaging of the rabbit food it will state how much pellets you give to the weight of your rabbit. Same with hay.

So you need to get your vet to weight your rabbit and let you know if he is the correct weight for his breed. Usually when you give hay, you give them the amount to the size of their body. But since hay is good for their digestive system you really can never give them too much.

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10) SNUFFLES (Pasteuella)

Many a times you will hear your rabbit give a sneeze, sometimes it could simple be they are on the floor of your kitchen and sniffing the ground and might inhale dust. This is not a problem.

You do need to worry when your rabbit has the following symptons:

• Watery nasal discharge
• Sneezing with a thick white or yellow nasal discharge
• Loud snuffling or snoring sound (excess fluid in nasal tract)
• Discharge on forepaws if cleaning their face
• Might spread to the eyes and ear causing conjunctivitis and ear infections

If you notice any of these symptons bring your rabbit to the vet straight away because the earlier it is treated with antibiotics the better chance of survival for your rabbit.

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11) SORE HOCKS

If you don’t have sufficient bedding in your rabbit hutch, this is how sore hock occurs. It’s the wire which hurts their feet. Also if you don’t change their bedding regularly this would also be a factor. You need to either add more bedding hay to the hutch or add a blanket or towel.

The following will be an indication that your rabbit has this problem

• The hair on the back legs near the bend will be missing
• There would be redness around that area as well and if this is not treated it could become more serious

To make your rabbit more comfortable do the following:

• Wash their legs
• Trim loose fur in that area gently
• Then treat with Bag Balm or Calamine Lotion

If there are any open wounds, I suggest you head to the vet as they can prescribe antibiotics and give you some good advice on what else is needed.

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12) PARALYSIS

This will occur if you do not handle your rabbit with care. When picking up a rabbit you need to support their backside and their tummy. Bring them into your chest and have them lying flat. When you pick up your rabbit the first thing they will try to do is kick out with their back legs. Some rabbits don’t like been picked up, but most owners like to pick them up and move them from point A to B.

You need to realise that if your rabbit was dropped from a height, there is a big chance you could break a leg or even their spine. In turn they could suffer paralysis. If severe your rabbit might need to be put down.

A less bad case scenarios would result in your rabbit needig to use a mini cart to get around instead because they have no use of their back legs.

So please be extremely careful when handling rabbits.

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13) FLEAS

If your rabbit gets infected by fleas you can get a cure from your vet. Again if you own one rabbit, your very likely not to have an infestation. But if you have a cat, they might pass fleas on to the rabbit, but according to my vet it is very uncommon. Unless you have the two living in the same area, they should not spread from one to another. Usually it occurs when a person had a few rabbits. There are two common fleas Ctenocephalides Canis and Felis.

You will notice fleas on your rabbit because either they might jump onto your hand when petting them or your rabbit will be constantly scratching them self. Also you might notice they are missing clumps of hair from their body. So bring your rabbit to the vet for advice and cure.

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14) LICE (Cheyleteilla parasitovorax)

Lice can sometimes come in on your clothes or if your rabbit is living in a dirty environment ie. hutch not being cleaned weekly, they can just appear. You will notice these creatures on your pet because they live on the surface of the skin and it will look like dandruff on your pets skin. If you think your rabbit is infected bring him/her to the vet for treatment.

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CONCLUSION

These are just some common problems that can happen to a rabbit. If you suspect your rabbit has any of the above problems bring him to a vet who specialised in rabbit care.

I'm not an expert in this area but I do have my own rabbit whos over 3 years old. So far he has had only one minor health problem in his life. He recently had an ear infection.

So just beware to keep an eye on your pet, they might be effected by these problems and then again they could go their whole life without ever having any problems.

Make sure you feed them a good diet, keep their living area clean and bring them to the vet yearly for their injections and just a regular check up in general. The earlier they get diagnosed the sooner they will get better.