RemediesGrooming, Common Illnesses, and Home Remedies
This page has information ONLY on rabbit illnesses that I have had experiences with. Visit
commercial rabbit sites such as www.rabbitmedicinechest.com for thorough information on all rabbit diseases and illnesses. More importantly, call your vet IMMEDIATELY if your rabbit is acting strangely or shows signs of pain or discomfort. Rabbits are fragile creatures and need medical help as soon as possible if they fall sick!Some home remedies can be given for minor illnesses. These remedies can also be found on commercial rabbit sites; or, your vet might recommend some. And example is having your rabbit lick petroleum jelly or drink pineapple juice in order to loosen hairballs.
Call your vet and research rabbit illnesses if your rabbit has any of the following symptoms:
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orefuses to eat or drink |
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osuddenly lethargic, lazy, or seemingly unaware of surroundings |
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obecomes suddenly aggressive |
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odoesn't urinate/produce droppings |
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odeformed droppings; blood in urine |
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omakes strange noises such as tooth grinding/screaming |
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olays out flat looking almost dead |
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ostrange breathing |
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oexcessive shedding/pulling out fur |
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oswollen stomach or joints |
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ocuts/broken bones/bleeding |
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orefuses to clean/groom his/herself |
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oloss of balance |
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oshows signs of extreme fright |
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oany signs of pain when hopping |
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obrown residue or other foreign matter in ears |
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odischarge from eyes, ears, nose, under the tail |
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oclouded/discolored eyes |
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oteeth are very long |
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odoesn't hop or move like normal *NOTE* vomiting can never be a sign of illness in a rabbit because rabbits are unable to throw up. Their digestive systems do not work in reverse. |
It is important to check your rabbit for any strange symptoms/behavior patterns at least once a week. Many common illnesses can be cured if your rabbit receives prompt medical attention. Some common, curable illnesses are malocclusion (excessively long teeth); ear mites (brown matter in ears); sore hocks (sore feet); hairballs (too much hair swallowed and in the stomach); and heat cycle/puberty.
My rabbits have had the following illnesses and problems: extreme fright, flystrike, heat cycle, cuts, and stomachache. I will provide as much info on these problems as possible, but always consult your vet if your rabbit shows signs of these illnesses.
EXTREME FRIGHT: Mopsey was very high strung when I first brought her home. She even screamed once when people tried to handle her.
When a rabbit is extremely frightened, it will scream, try to scratch or bite, thump its feet, and jump around excessively. The first thing to do is find the source of the fright, if one is readily apparent. Second, put on work gloves and protective clothing so that when you handle your rabbit you will not be injured. Remember, your rabbit is looking to defend itself. Next, talk soothingly to your rabbit as you move it away from whatever is frightening it. Hold your rabbit tightly because he/she will try to jump out of your arms and run away. Once your rabbit is away from the danger and safe in your arms, continue to hold/pet/talk soothingly until he/she calms down. Put your rabbit in a place where he/she feels secure, such as your room, his/her hutch, etc. Monitor your rabbit for at least one day to make sure all signs of fright disappear. If your rabbit still seems excessively frightened, take him/her to a vet. If a rabbit becomes frightened enough by someone or something, there is a chance that he/she will die of fright.
FLYSTRIKE: Flystrike occurs when a fly injects its larvae (egg) sac under a rabbit's skin. This often happens in warm, damp weather. Flystrike is very easy to detect, so check your rabbit for it frequently. (Checking means looking for the wound and feeling for any lumps under your rabbit's skin.) *NOTE* rabbits often do not show any signs of discomfort when they have flystrike in its first or second stage. It is up to you to spot flystrike in its first two stages!
Flystrike, in its first stage, looks like a small hole in the rabbit's skin. Fur falls out in the area surrounding the opening in the skin. There will be a little blood around the wound. The egg sac is just under the opening in the skin. DO NOT PRESS ON THE WOUND AREA, or else the egg sac might burst. The egg sac grows under the rabbit's skin and the hole widens. More fur falls out and the egg sac becomes a large, hard lump. Flystrike is now in stage two. (Try to catch it in stage one; when
Flopsey had flystrike I did not know what it was so the illness proceeded to the second stage before I took her to the vet.)Once you detect flystrike, take your rabbit to the vet IMMEDIATELY. The vet will shave the wound area and extract the egg sac. Your rabbit will have to stay indoors for a few days and you will have to give him/her antibiotics with an oral syringe. The hole in the skin will close up and fur will grow back.
If not extracted in time, the egg sac will burst and fly larvae will be living under the rabbit's skin as parasites. They will eat away at the rabbit's tissues and your rabbit will get a fever and show various signs of illness. If this does happen, take your rabbit to the vet right away for he/she will need surgery to remove the larvae and dead tissues. At this point, the illness is potentially deadly to your rabbit, so I can't stress enough: CATCH FLYSTRIKE IN ITS FIRST OR SECOND STAGE. When checking your rabbits for flystrike, be sure to pay special attention when checking fatty areas such as dewlaps (skin folds under the necks of female rabbits) and behind leg joints.
HEAT CYCLE: Heat cycle is not really an illness, but when rabbits hit puberty, they will start acting rather strangely. These signs of heat cycle can actually be mistaken for signs of illness.
Signs of puberty or the heat cycle include mounting (of other rabbits, of your feet/arms, of stuffed animals, etc); aggressiveness; nest building (females only); pulling out of fur from the dewlap (females only); swollen genital area; and musk odor (musk glands are located under a rabbit's tail and you should check the glands regularly to make sure excess musk is not drying into cakes. If this drying occurs, you or your vet can clean the area out.) Your rabbit will most likely hit puberty between the age of 6 months and 1 year, and puberty will most likely set in during warm weather.
When puberty does hit, you can do one of two things: let it run its course, or get your rabbit
spayed. Also, read up on what happens when you own more than one rabbit/pet.CUTS: When your rabbit gets a small cut, wash the area with warm water and a very mild soap such as ivory. Rinse the area thoroughly and keep your rabbit indoors until the wound closes. Keep the wound clean and dry.
STOMACHACHE: Stomachache symptoms include constipation, swollen stomach, refusal to eat/drink, or excessive drinking. Sometimes, if the stomach becomes very swollen, your rabbit will lose its balance when walking/hopping.
Stomachache often occurs when your rabbit ingests something unhealthy (see the list on the
food/drink/treats page). My rabbit Flopsey chewed on cloth, and this caused a blockage in her digestive system.When stomachache occurs, call your vet immediately. Make sure your rabbit is either eating or drinking something (if not food, then hay; you may even feed your rabbit extra treats just to be sure he/she is eating SOMETHING.)
Flopsey nibbled on hay and drank water excessively. Eating is necessary because it pushes the blockage through your rabbit's digestive system. It is also a help if your rabbit will lick petroleum jelly off your fingers. This helps break up the blockage.If your rabbit is not eating or drinking anything, you may have to start force feeding fruit juices and water. This is not an easy task as it is done with an oral syringe. Ask your vet to help you learn the proper technique for force feeding if it becomes necessary.
Your vet will most likely prescribe a medicine to help aid your rabbit's digestion;
Flopsey received a supply of papaya pills which were crushed into her water and food. She was better within a week.Proper grooming keeps your rabbit looking gorgeous and it also prevents hairballs. Grooming is fairly simple and it is a way for your and your rabbit to bond.
Keeping claws trimmed is part of grooming. Vets and pet stores will often provide this service for a price, but if you feel comfortable trimming your rabbit's claws you can do so with dog/cat nail clippers. Buy a quality pair of clippers with a guard that prevents you from trimming the nails too much. Trim your rabbit's claws about once a month or once every two months, depending on how fast they grow. If you do not know how to determine whether or not your rabbit's claws need to be trimmed, ask a vet or pet store manager to show you how.
*NOTE* unlike cats, rabbits can not be declawed.
The second part of grooming is, of course, brushing and combing your rabbit's fur. Short haired rabbits such as rexes, dwarfs, etc. hardly need any grooming. Run a fine-tooth comb over their fur once a week and this will be fine.
Breeds will slightly longer hair such as satins and some lop-eared breeds need to be groomed more often (every other day, or twice a week). Use a fine-tooth comb or a pet comb (which can be purchased at pet stores or a supermarket). Special combs are not necessary for short-haired or medium-haired breeds.
Angora and chinchilla rabbits, as well as any other rabbits with long silky fur, need daily grooming with special combs. Some rabbits may even need grooming twice a day. Visit
commercial rabbit sites for further info on a long-haired rabbit's grooming needs. I have only had short-haired rabbits, so I can not offer complete grooming information for long-haired rabbits.Your rabbit will not need regular bathing like dogs, as they keep themselves very clean, but you may want to buy a bunny bath solution from your local pet store in case your rabbit gets exceptionally dirty from playing outside. Bath your rabbit in warm water, rinse soap from the fur thoroughly, and keep your rabbit in a warm area until his/her fur is completely dry.
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