FAQ

This is most often pasteurellosis, a contagious bacterial infection people call a cold; the inside of the front paws becomes wet and sticky from wiping the nose. Separate the sick rabbit at once, because it spreads quickly. Fix the cause as well: ammonia from wet, dirty bedding, drafts and dusty hay all damage the airways. Let a vet choose the medicine, since some human antibiotics upset a rabbit’s gut and can kill it, and do not breed from rabbits that have had the disease.

This is the most dangerous age: kits are moving from milk to solid feed and their gut is still fragile. Common causes are: - sudden feed changes, wet or large amounts of greens, lots of grain without hay; - coccidiosis in dirty, damp cages (big belly, diarrhea, weight loss); - overcrowding and heat. Introduce new feed gradually over 5–7 days, keep hay and clean water available at all times, and remove droppings daily. If several kits die, take a chilled body to a veterinary laboratory, because treatment without knowing the cause rarely helps.

It is not recommended. Rabbits are very sensitive: guessing the dose, confusing milligrams with milliliters, or using the wrong antibiotic from a human pharmacy can kill a rabbit instead of curing it. Different diseases also look alike, and the wrong drug only hides the real cause. Contact a vet or the district veterinary station, and bring photos, video, the rabbit’s age and weight, and when the signs began. Do not eat meat from a treated rabbit until the withdrawal period the vet gives you has passed.

For a rabbit, not eating is a serious sign: if it eats nothing for more than 12 hours and droppings become few or stop, the gut may be shutting down, so contact a vet the same day. Check the belly for hardness or swelling and check the teeth, and think about heat and any new feed. Keep dry hay and clean water in front of it, and do not force grain or bread into it. A doe may eat less for about a day after kindling, but longer than that is dangerous too.

Bloat is most often caused by wet, heated or frozen greens, a sudden large amount of alfalfa or cabbage, a lot of bread or grain, or an abrupt change of feed. Signs are a belly tight as a drum, no droppings, a hunched posture and grinding teeth. This is an emergency: remove greens and grain at once and contact a vet urgently. To prevent it, feed greens only when dry, in small amounts, increasing them gradually.

This is usually ear mites (psoroptic mange): the rabbit shakes its head, scratches its ears, and grey-brown crusts build up in layers inside. It is contagious, so if one rabbit has it, check them all and clean and disinfect cages and equipment. A vet should choose the treatment and the dose for the rabbit’s weight, because a miscalculated injection is dangerous and some products must not be used on pregnant does. Do not pull the crusts off, which is painful and causes bleeding. Scabs on the paws or face may be a different mite or a fungus that also infects people, so wear gloves.

True watery diarrhea is rare in adult rabbits and serious; in young rabbits it is usually coccidiosis or a gut infection after a feed change. Separate the sick rabbit, remove greens, vegetables and grain for now, and give only good dry hay and clean water. Keep the cage dry and clean and wash a soiled rear, because in summer flies lay eggs there. Contact a vet and, if you can, take fresh droppings for testing; do not give antibiotics from a human pharmacy.

Rabbits are vaccinated against two dangerous viral diseases: myxomatosis and rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD), ideally with a vaccine that also covers the newer RHDV2 strain. The first dose is usually given at 6–12 weeks, repeated a few weeks later depending on the vaccine, and then renewed every year. Only healthy rabbits are vaccinated, and deworming 10–20 days beforehand is recommended. Ask a vet or the district veterinary station which vaccine is available, and for the dose and schedule. An antiparasitic injection such as ivermectin is not a vaccine and does not protect against viral diseases.

Head tilt is a sign rather than a disease, most often caused by an inner-ear infection, the parasite E. cuniculi, or an injury. Many rabbits recover or improve with early treatment, so slaughtering straight away is not the only option; get the rabbit to a vet as soon as possible. Keep it alone in a low cage with soft bedding, put food and water right by its mouth, and help it drink if needed. If several rabbits show this at once, the cause may be infectious, so be sure to tell the vet.

This may be rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD), which spreads very fast and kills most unvaccinated rabbits in a herd. Isolate the remaining rabbits at once, stop bringing in, selling or giving away animals, disinfect cages and tools, and change clothes and footwear. Notify the district veterinary station urgently, and keep a dead rabbit cool but not frozen for testing. In summer sudden death can also be heatstroke, but a vet must confirm the cause.