Common rabbit diseases, health problems and solutions
Rabbits are usually disease free animals but negligence
is the only factor that causes complications. The most common diseases and
health problems that could affect your herd and possible solutions to these
problems are discussed in this topic.
Malocclusion:
Malocclusion, referring to the
misalignment of teeth. The lines of teeth in a rabbit's top and bottom
jaw should match up perfectly when the rabbit grinds its food. As a
rabbit's teeth grow continuously throughout their life, when the teeth do not
meet correctly they are not ground down at the same rate. This leads to
overgrown front teeth (incisors) and/or to spikes forming on the back teeth
(molars, or cheek teeth). Below are some of the symptoms associated with
this defect:
- Refusal of food or approaching food eagerly but unable to eat
- dropping bits of food while eating
- weepy eyes
- runny nose
Causes:
- Hereditary/genetic: Rabbits with malocclusion can pass this trait to their offspring. This problem is common in small breeds.
- Diet: Rabbits need a diet very high in fibrous material in order to grind their teeth down. 80% of a domestic rabbit's diet should be hay or grass. Many domestic rabbits are fed primarily on dry food nuggets or mix which, while providing all the nutrients the rabbit needs, does not provide any fibrous material and fills the rabbit up quickly, leaving it with no desire to eat hay. Dry food and vegetables should be fed as a small supplement to this diet of hay/grass.
- Accident: If a rabbit suffers a blow to the head it can knock the teeth out of alignment, or if it tugs on the bars of its cage or hutch. This may also lead to misalignment of the front teeth.
Prevention:
1. Feed
the correct diet of 80% hay/fresh grass.
2. Do not breed rabbits with this defect.
3. Eliminate (slaughter) rabbits with this defect.
Treatment:
Overgrown
front teeth can be clipped without the need for anaesthetic or may even be
removed altogether. Overgrown back teeth can be trimmed also but this has to be
done under general anaesthetic. In severe cases the only option may be
euthanasia (slaughter and eat).
Sore hocks:
Bruised,
infected or abscessed
areas on hocks. May be found on front feet in severe cases. Animal shifts
weight to front feet to help hocks, unwilling to
run around freely and shifting weight between feet.
Causes:
1. Wet floors
2. Irritation from wire
3. Nervous stompers
4. Obesity
Prevention:
1. Keep
hutch floor and rabbit’s feet clean and dry at all times.
2. Prevent
over weight by feeding moderately and giving the rabbit space with flat floor
for exercise.
3. Provide
a flat wood board for the rabbit to rest its feet if it is housed in a wire hutch.
Treatment:
Small lesions may be help by placing animal on
floorboard platform or on ground. Advanced cases are best killed. Medication is
temporarily effective.
Intestinal problem:
Diarrhea, no appetite (anorexia), sluggishness, loss of weight (check the
two bones at the end of the back beside the spine), wet or dirty rear, blown up
and/or spongy feeling abdomen are some of the symptoms that may show up at the
time of this problem.
Causes:
- Feed factors can cause a lot of gas to be developed (bloat) or reduce the rabbit’s resistance.
- Other factors are intestinal parasites and bacteria e.g. coccidia.
Prevention:
You should keep the animals away from their manure. Clean the hutches every
day. Do not give excessive wet feed. Note, however, it is probably not the wet
feed alone causing the enteritis complex (infectious intestinal diseases).
Rather, the intestine gets so disturbed by feed that is too wet or poor that the
disease agents have more opportunity to attack. Give the animals good quality
feed.
Treatment:
Give good quality, drier feed to help to rearrange the
intestines.Treatments with sulfa medicine (like sulfaquinoxaline,
sulfamerazine and sulfamethazine) can be very helpful, especially as a preventive
measure. Severely dehydrated (skinny) animals, as a result of diarrhea, should
be forced to drink by injecting water or milk, etc. in the mouth. The water
should preferably contain some salt and sugar (9 g salt + 9 g sugar/liter
water). A quantity of water of 10-20% of body weight gives you an idea of how
much liquid to give. There is a variety of sulfa medicines available. This
however does not help a sick animal which has already stopped eating and
drinking.
Problems of the respiratory tract:
The common symptoms are coughs, sneezes, pneumonia, noisy respiration and
dirty front legs because they are used as a handkerchief. Most of these cases
die, some live and give birth as they are supposed to; sometimes death occurs
quite unexpectedly.
Causes:
- Pasteurellosis is one of the causative bacteria of this health problem.
Prevention:
- Ensure fresh air, dust free and clean surroundings.
- Separate sneezing animals and slaughter them or sell them to the butcher if you think that you have a good replacement.
Treatment:
Besides some antibiotic treatments, not much can be done
which has not been described in the prevention page.
External parasites:
There are two kinds of really harmful parasites; skin mange (scabies) and
ear mite. These parasites rarely cause death but are a real mess and are bothersome
to the rabbit. Sometimes they may heal spontaneously. The scabies/skin mange
gives a scaly appearance (usually white) starting at the nose, and then onto
eye lids, ear edges, sexual organs, under the forelegs and other hidden places.
The ear mite forms a more blood coloured, pasty, dirty mass inside the ear, which
may sometimes cause other ear infections.
Causes:
- Ear mites: (rabbit and goat ear mite) and (cat ear mite)
- Mites: (rabbit fur mite) and (scabies or itch mite)
Prevention:
- Do not bring in dirty animals from other places, clean the stables throughout, and keep careful watch on nose, ears (inside and edge), eyelids and sexual organs for infected skin.
Treatment:
This problem can be effectively treated with good
insecticides like PERMITHRIN or CABARYL DUST (also other tick medicines either
for cattle, dogs or cats). Regardless of the chemical used in the pen house,
follow all precautions listed on the label to prevent the possibility of health
risks to your rabbits or humans. Bathing the animal completely will also eradicate the parasites. You should
keep the nose and mouth above surface. Make sure to use the right amount and
mixtures, and do not use cold water in a cold place. The animals will dry off
by themselves (sunshine or other warmth will help). If you do not bathe them
completely, the parasite will keep coming back from its hiding place. Use the
bathing water to clean the hutch walls and floor to kill the parasites there.
Other local medicines like sulphur solutions, palm kernel oil (applied all
over the animal) can be effective.
Caked breasts:
Breasts become
firm and congested, later hard knots form at sides of nipples. Knots may break
open, showing dried milk.
Causes:
- Milk not drawn from glands as fast as formed, because too few young or young not nursing sufficiently. Usually a management problem with high milk producing does.
Prevention:
1. If Doe has lost her kits, she should be used to
foster another does kits. Even if there are no orphaned kits, there are does
that produce more than they can handle (e.g. 10-15 kits liter size) share her
kits so the other doe can foster them to prevent this problem.
Treatment:
Do not wean young abruptly. If litter is lost rebreed doe and protect doe from disturbance so young can nurse properly. Correct faulty nest boxes that injure breasts.
Mastitis or blue breasts:
Breasts become
feverish and pink, nipples red and dark. Temperature above normal, appetite
poor, breasts turn black and purplish.
Causes:
1. Bacterial infection of the breasts: Staphylococcus
or Streptococcus.
Prevention:
Refer to the prevention page.
Treatment:
Inject 100,000 units of penicillin intramuscularly
twice a day for 3-5 days. Disinfect hutch and reduce feed concentrates. If
severe case, destroy. NEVER transfer young from infected doe to another doe.
Minor cuts and wounds:
While some cuts and wounds
may be obvious, others may be hidden under the hair. It is important to check
your rabbit daily and look out for patches of wet looking or crusty hair.
Causes:
- Minor cuts and wounds on rabbits are usually inflicted by another rabbit.
- They may also be caused by collision with an object such as a nail that is sticking out of the hutch. Keep a close eye on any cuts as there is a risk they may become infected and lead to the formation of an abscess.
Obviously, any wounds inflicted by a predator such as a cat or dog are likely
to be much more serious and will need immediate veterinary attention. If
your rabbit is bleeding, apply pressure to the wound with a clean towel and
take it to the vet straight away.
Prevention:
- Always separate rabbits at the first sign of fighting.
- Ensure their living quarters have no sharp objects in them.
Treatment:
Minor
cuts and wounds should be washed thoroughly with a cotton wool ball soaked in
warm water. A dilution of an iodine-based antiseptic can be added to the water if required any
wounds that are deeper than skin level should be seen by a vet.
