Rabbits N'Rodents

Rabbits are likely to need the vet due to illness sometime in their lives, and probably more than just once or twice, just like any typical dog or cat! You can of course help prevent or at least minimise a whole range of illnesses just by feeding and caring for them properly. It is your responsibility to do some research on common illnesses and find a rabbit savvy vet BEFORE your rabbit becomes ill.

There are many excellent (and even more not so excellent) websites offering advice on all aspects of rabbit health, and rather than trying to recreate this, I am posting a link to an external web site. To go to one of the best rabbit health care guides you will ever find on the net, which is giving advice on everything medical to do with rabbits, from medicine guides, illnesses to finding the right vet: Click HERE 

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible or associated with the content or ownership of this link, and if your rabbit is seriously ill, I suggest you go straight to the vet and do not waste time looking up references on a website.

First Aid kit

• Salt: To be dissolved in boiled cooled water when needed for cleaning shallow cuts.
• Antiseptic Wipes: Needed for cleaning surface cuts or bites
• Needless syringe/glass eyedropper: For feeding liquids or vet prescribed medicine
• Rubber Gloves:Useful when cleaning cuts
• Hydrogen Peroxide:Can be used instead of salt, just a small dab on sterile pads
• Pet Nail Clippers
• Cotton buds
• Tweezers
• Spare water bottle
• Vet Contact number (including emergency vet number)

Barbering is the term used when a rabbit pulls out its own fur, or another rabbit's for no apprant reason. This can become an obessive behaviour, and there are steps you can take to prevent it. Signs of barbering is when your rabbits have patches of fur missing and the skin may look inflammed or may even have small cuts, which will need washed out with a saline solution.

The most common reason is that the rabbits or bored and have nothing to chew, so be sure to give them a big enough cage and giving them plenty of hay and other chew toys, like untreated willow baskets/balls  and if you can, give them a variety of hay and dried grasses, like timothy, oat, brome, meadow, orchard grass etc, although avoid alfalfa and try to make sure Timothy hay makes up the majority of hay provided.  Other good chew toys are toilet roll tubes stuffed with hay and cardboard boxes are all great as are other toys to help keep them amused.

Sometimes hairloss and barbering can be realted to a skin disease, so if you notice your rabbits have a lot of barbering signs, it is a good idea to get them checked out by an exotic vet incase of mites or fleas.  

Some rabbits will pull out and eat fur, usually around the ears and eyes and back and sometimes whiskers of other bunnies, and so long as the rabbit doesn't get sores and it isn't obsessive, they can be left together. If it is serious barbering, they may need to be spilt up, however, before that, you can try putting vinegar on the area, but only a little bit, and not if there are any sores in the infected area, as rabbits are usually put-off by the smell.  

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Fleas

Fleas can be passed on from other pets like cats and dogs to your pet rabbits and the first signs are small black dots of flea poop or small, quick little bugs running around on your pets. Fleas can pass on diseases such as myxomatosis, so again, if you live in the UK vaccinate your rabbits against myxomatosis and VHD!

The treatment should be a spray that contains pyrethrin, no other sprays should be used and if you own any other pets they will need to be treated as appropiate to their species, consult your vet if you are unsure. Also all the bedding will have to be thrown out and the hutch/cage may also have to be treated.