Common health problems in rabbits

abscesses

symptoms:-

Lumps, possibly with scabs on top, on the rabbit's body.
Weight loss, lumps, hesitant eating, if abscess is in the rabbit's head area.

Abscesses in a rabbit's body are usually the result of an injury. They are a pus filled lump that needs to be treated by a vet either with drugs or by surgery.
There are a variety of causes of abscesses in a rabbits head area, such as injury, infection or tooth problems. These abscesses tend to be more difficult to treat, especially at an advanced stage.
Running your hands, simultaneously, down both sides of your rabbit from head to tail, feeling for lumps and watching to see if they flinch, can help you spot abscesses at an earlier stage.
At feeding times, by regularly watching your rabbit eating, you will see if they are less enthusiastic, or eating for shorter periods of time. If they are living with a mate, an empty food bowl is no indication that they are ok, as their mate is probably eating their share!

Take your rabbit to the vet straight away.

bloat

symptoms :-

Rabbit lethargic, restless, not eating, not pelleting, hard swollen stomach.

Bloat can be caused by rabbits eating too many greens, spoiled food, mouldy hay a lack of fibre in their diet,or stress. This causes an imbalance in the bacteria in the intestines and their gut stops working, resulting in a build up of gas in the stomach. You can reduce the likelyhood of your rabbit getting bloat by ensuring your rabbit eats fresh hay daily, this helps to keep their gut working and prevent the build-up of gas.

You should take your rabbit to the vet straight away, as this is often fatal.

coccidiosis

symptoms:-

Rabbit has diarrhoea, bloated stomach, sits in a corner, is shaking, makes a loud grinding noise with teeth.

Coccidiosis is caused by a parasite that lives in the rabbit's intestine or liver. It is highly contagious, so their hutch must be cleaned thoroughly.

You must take your rabbit to the vet straight away, as your rabbit will become weak and die. If your rabbit has a mate they should be checked by your vet also.

constipation

symptoms :-

Rabbit not eating, producing few pellets.

Whether rabbits suffer from constipation is debatable, it is usually a sign of another problem that is causing them not to eat (nothing going in, nothing comes out). Try removing dry food, and feeding them fresh hay, fruit and veg. Provide fresh water. Allow plenty of exercise.

If after 24 hours your rabbit's condition has not improved, take them to the vet. If your rabbit is not eating anything you should go to the vet straight away.

diarrhoea

symptoms :-

In mild cases, rabbit produces a small amount of smelly runny droppings. In severe cases, rabbit produces smelly, very runny droppings, has lack of appetite, is lethargic and listless.

Rabbit diarrhoea is usually caused by them eating too many greens, especially if spoiled or deteriorated. It can also be caused by stress, damp bedding, cold or draughts, or an infection. In mild cases where appart from a small amount of diarrhoea, your rabbit is lively and eating. Remove all food, clean their home, feed only fresh hay, provide fresh water, and keep them warm. Clean your rabbit if necessary, with mild soapy water (baby shampoo is ideal).
If the problem persists or your rabbit has recuring bouts of diarrhoea, you should consult your vet as there may be a medical cause, such as an infection.

Severe cases are often fatal, especially in young rabbits and must be taken to the vet straight away.

e. cuniculi

symptoms:-

Usually none, rabbit may have increased thirst and urination, and weight loss.

Encephalitozoon cuniculi is a parasite that is estimated to infect 50% of all domestic rabbits, and a rabbit can live a full life without you even being aware they are infected. It is either passed from mother to baby before birth, or from a rabbit consuming something contaminated with an infected rabbit's urine. It reproduces in the kidneys and can damage these in the process, causing the symptoms mentioned above. It can also form cysts in the brain, leading to neurological damage, resulting in more visually obvious illnesses such as head tilt, seizures, and hind limb paralysis. If a rabbit gets stressed or is suffering from another illness they seem to be more likely to develope the problems caused by E. cuniculi.

Blood tests are the only way to detect whether your rabbit is infected. If so, there are treatments available to get rid of the infection. However, any damage already caused by the infection is unlikely to be reversed, so, after getting your rabbit, the sooner they are treated the better.
You could just assume your rabbit has E. cuniculi, which is highly likely, and treat them without doing a blood test.

Ask your vet for advice.

fly strike

symptoms:-

Listless, lack of appetite, aggressive cleaning of the bottom area.
Look out for flies bothering your rabbit, even sitting on their back.

Fly strike is caused by flies laying eggs in a rabbits fur, usually around the bottom area. Within 12-24 hours your rabbit will have maggots eating into it's skin. Symptoms, such as those listed above, don't usually occur until the infestation is well under way, so it is important to check your rabbit often for maggots, especially during the summer. If your rabbit is healthy and keeps itself clean, once a week should be enough, messy rabbits must be checked at least every other day, ideally daily.
If your rabbit, for whatever reason, doesn't keep itself clean down below it is especially prone to fly strike, and you should treat your rabbit with one of the lotions available, that prevent maggots from developing.

Take your rabbit to the vet straight away.

gastric hairball

symptoms:-

Rabbit has loss of appetite, produces smaller, harder and fewer pellets.

Through grooming themselves, especially when moulting, rabbits can get a build up of fur which stops food moving from the stomach to the intestines. Regularly grooming your rabbit, ensuring they have plenty of fresh hay to eat, and allowing them regular exercise will reduce the likelyhood of this occurring.
If you suspect your rabbit of having a furball, you can try giving them half a teaspoon of mineral oil, or two teaspoons of fresh pineapple juice, which can help break it down.

Take your rabbit to the vet as soon as possible.

heat stroke

symptoms:-

Rabbit rapidly breathing, has flared nostrils, laying down at full stretch.

During hot sunny weather, it is vital your rabbit's hutch and run are positioned in a sheltered area, to help it keep cool.
If you suspect your rabbit has heat stroke, move it to a shaded area, and place a cool wet cloth on its body and forehead. Encourage to drink water that is ideally room temperature.

If you see no improvement within a couple of hours, take to the vet.

hind-limb paralysis

symptoms:-

Rabbit loses, partial or complete, use of the back legs

This is either the result of neurological damage, such as that caused by the E. cuniculi parasite, and the controlling signals not being sent. Or damage to the spine, preventing the controlling signals reaching the legs. Being dropped, trodden on, kicking out when being held, or falling from someplace they have managed climb to, are some ways that a rabbit can damage their spine. Learn how to pick up your bunny, and only do so when necessary.
Their spine can be damaged from general wear and tear as they get older, especially if overweight.

This condition will not get better on it's own and must be treated by a vet.

malocclusion of the teeth

symptoms:-

Rabbit is less willing to eat, eating less or no food, is drooling.

A rabbits teeth are continually growing and due, either to hereditary problems, a damaged tooth or incorrect feeding, the teeth do not meet properly, and are not sufficiently worn down during eating. They become longer, moving out of alignment with the opposing tooth. The back teeth can form sharp edges, which cut into the rabbit's cheek or tongue, depending on which way the tooth has been forced to grow, and the rabbit will be reluctant to eat.
Providing plenty of fresh hay, and ensuring they eat it by not giving too much pellet food, is vital to keep their teeth worn down. Provide them with something to knaw on for extra wear of the front teeth. See feeding for diet information.

Take to the vet for teeth to be trimmed.

mites of ear

symptoms:-

Rabbit shaking their head, excessively scratching behind their ears.
The rabbits ears become inflamed, lose fur, and develop brown encrustations.

Ear mites are caused by an infestation of parasites in the rabbit's ear, which if treated early with an ointment from the vet should cause little problem. If left untreated it can fill the ear and become very painful, and may cause an ear infection leading to further problems such as Torticollis (see below).

Take to the vet.

mites of fur

symptoms:-

Rabbit is frequent scratching, has bald patches, brown deposits, dandruff.

Mites are usually found on the back of the rabbit, and can be easily treated by your vet. You must thoroughly clean your rabbits living area to prevent reinfestation.

myxomatosis

symptoms:-

Rabbit has runny eyes, swelling around the eyes and genitals.

Myxomatosis is caused by a virus that is spread by contact with an infected rabbit, or by a bite from an insect, such as fleas or mosquitoes. It is rare for a rabbit to survive this, so it is important you vaccinate your rabbit every year.

Take your rabbit to the vet.

running eyes

symptoms 1:-

Rabbit has watery eyes.

This may be caused by your rabbit being exposed to a draught, in which case the draught should be eliminated. It could also be caused by a speck of dirt in their eye, or be the result of dusty hay. In this case you should wipe your rabbit's eye with cotton wool soaked in warm, salted water that has been boiled and left to cool. Wipe from inner to outer corner of the eye.

If the eye continues to water take your rabbit to the vet, as there may be a more serious underlying cause.

symptoms 2:-

Rabbit has red and swollen eyes, with pus discharge.

This is likely to be an infection and you must take your rabbit to the vet.

snuffles

symptoms:-

Rabbit frequently coughing and sneezing, has thick white discharge from the nose, has matted front paws from cleaning their nose.

Most rabbits sneeze occasionally, usually their nose has been irritated by dust, dirt or a strong smell, and they are trying to relieve it. Sometimes this is accompanied by clear mucus, this may indicate your rabbit has a cold. Make sure it is kept warm and this should pass after a few days.

If you suspect your rabbit may have snuffles, it is important you keep your rabbit warm and dry, this is very serious, and can lead to pneumonia.

You should take your rabbit to the vet straight away.

torticollis (head tilt)

symptoms:-

Ranging from the rabbit's head being held to one side to complete loss of balance.

Torticollis, also known as wry neck or head tilt, is the result of a disturbance to the rabbit's balance mechanism, often the result of an inner ear infection. This is treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories with varying degrees and rates of success. It can also be the result of neurological damage, usually caused by E. cuniculi, and the rabbit will be treated for that aswell. In severe cases the rabbit is often unable to eat or drink and, while waiting for the course of treatment to work, will need to be given food and water via a syringe (orally!). You should also keep them confined to a small area well padded with hay, to prevent them rolling around and hurting themselves, until they recover some of their balance.

This condition is often more distressing for you than the rabbit, and, even in severe cases, rabbits can make enough of a recovery to live a happy life.

viral haemorrhagic disease (VHD)

symptoms:-

Rabbit has loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, bleeding from nose and bottom, is fitting.

VHD is extremely contagious, it can be transmitted by animals, people, vehicle wheels, bird droppings or even on the wind. Usually a rabbit will die within 2 days of catching the disease, showing no signs of illness.
Take to the vet.