In this blog entry I am going to discuss the different illnesses and conditions that can affect rabbits, including signs, symptoms and when to seek advice from a vet. Rabbits are prey animals and will typically hide any health problems or pain as long as possible, usually until they have reached a critical stage and need emergency treatment. It is not always possible to see these problems due to them hiding them so well as a part of their survival instinct, however I am going to discuss the most obvious signs and symptoms of different illnesses and conditions and when to seek early advice from a vet to increase your rabbits chance of recovery.
One of the most common causes of death in rabbits is gut stasis (GI stasis). On average your rabbits should produce around 300 droppings a day (RWAF) they should be mostly large, round and a golden brown colour made up of mostly chewed hay and grass. It is normal for rabbits to produce cecotropes which are nutrient rich droppings that your rabbit can east, however if their droppings become predominately like this then there is a problem and you must see your vet.
Furthermore if you notice that their pellets are usually strung together or becoming abnormally small then this is also an indication something is wrong with your rabbits digestive tract. This could be due to your rabbit eating something they shouldn’t, or perhaps your rabbit moulting and ingesting its own or its bonded rabbits fur when grooming. A way to prevent this is by grooming your rabbits once a day and ensuring that your rabbits diet is made up of 85% hay/grass 10% leafy greens and 5% pellets (see previous blog on nutrition in rabbits). Ensuring that there are no toxic plants in your garden that they may be eating is also important.
In the same way you need to make sure they are actually eating. A rabbits digestive system is designed to be constantly working, mainly due to their teeth that constantly grow. If your rabbit is not eating then you may need to consider when their teeth were last checked. In the wild rabbits eat a particularly rough diet, however domesticated rabbits don’t have this diet and as a result their teeth can become overgrown causing pain when eating.
To help improve your rabbits digestion system and keep it healthy as well as working efficiently please see our 100% Natural Hungry Bunny Digestion Helping Tea.
If your rabbit has stopped eating then this is an emergency and you should see a vet immediately. If a rabbits does not eat or produce pellets for 24 hours then it can be fatal. It is not recommended to try any home remedies to encourage the gut to move incase your rabbit has an obstruction as the gut moving could then cause a fatal perforation
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