West Mount Vets

Rabbits

Rabbits are popular pets for all ages. They live, on average four to six years (although some can live as long as 10 years old!). Careful consideration must be taken before getting a rabbit as a pet as they do need a lot of care and attention. Many rabbits can have serious health problems if not properly cared for.

Diet

Your rabbit's health almost entirely depends on the food you feed it. An incorrect diet can be a contributing factor in all of these common problems in pet rabbits:

• Dental disease (mal-occluded/overgrown teeth)
• Obesity
• Diarrhoea
• Fly strike
• Gut stasis
• Snuffles

In the wild rabbits are a prey species: they eat food throughout the day, in order to be ready to run away whenever danger appears.
Small herbivores, such as rabbits and guinea pigs, have unique digestive systems.

The two main keys to rabbit nutrition are providing plenty of fibre (hay and grass), and being consistent in what you feed.
Rabbits digest their food with the aid of “good” bacteria. Fibre is needed to ensure these bacteria function properly and to also keep the digestion processes moving.

Hay is a primary source of fibre in a rabbit's diet and we recommend that you feed it free choice, which means you must always have plenty of fresh, good quality hay available for your bunny (Timothy hay is
the best). On top of good quality hay, rabbits will need fresh grass (which also gives you the perfect excuse to allow your bunny to stretch his/her legs!).

“Rabbit foods” should be given as a supplement and NEVER as a sole source of food. We recommend high fibre pellets (over 20% fibre). As a general rule we recommend ¼ cup per kg body
weight per day for adult rabbits. Example rabbit foods are the pellet variety (e.g. Oxbow Bunny Basic/T, Excel Supa Rabbit). We have found that many of the commercial mixes encourage the rabbits to “select” the high fat, coloured bits and leave the nutritious bits at the bottom of the bowl!

When converting a rabbit from one brand of pellet to another, do so gradually to help prevent digestive upset. A good method is to go by the 5/5ths rule. Substitute 1/5 of the old brand of pellets with the
new brand, and feed this combination for 5 days. An easy way to do this is to mix up five day’s worth at one time.

Some animals are pickier than others and will literally eat around the new pellet. If your bunny does this then be patient. There is always a small percentage of bunnies that refuse any changes and test the will and stubbornness of the owner!

WOW! All that time discussing fibre- but only because its so important!

Another “key” to maintaining a nutritionally healthy rabbit is consistency in what you feed. If you stick with a consistent healthy diet, the bacterial population within your bunny will stay healthy and consistent. As humans we feel the need to add variety to our bunny’s diet- both because we think they will like us for it and because we think, like us, they enjoy a varied diet versus the same old thing. If you start adding variations in the form of vegetables, fruits and treats, you can mess up the well-balanced bacterial population and cause problems. However, if we are to supplement our bunny’s hay and pellets with greens, vegetables and fruits, we need to be consistent and offer the same types of these foods everyday. We prefer you stick with greens (parsley, carrot tops, cabbage etc) at an amount equal to approximately ½ cup per kg body weight per day. Carrots contain a lot of sugar and carbohydrates and should only be fed in small amounts. Avoid gas-forming vegetables such as broccoli
and cauliflower. Fruits are not recommended- full stop! Fruits contain simple sugars, which can stimulate bacterial growth of the wrong kind, predisposing them to gas and gut problems.

Fresh water should always be provided (changed every day). Take care in winter as it may freeze and in summer it can become warm and full of algae (not very tasty).
I know this section of rabbit care is a little long winded, but there are so many health-related problems related to nutrition and improper diets.
Hopefully all this information will keep your bunny’s insides running smoothly!

Teeth

Rabbits are lagomorphs. This means their teeth are constantly growing, usually at a rate of 8-12cm per year. Rabbits often have poor teeth due to a poor diet. If a rabbit has no fibre source (hay), it is
unable to wear down the constantly growing teeth. This results in painful over growth of the teeth and this in turn prevents the rabbit from eating, they often hide the problem until it is too late.

Rabbits have 28 teeth in total. The only ones you can see without specialist equipment are the front incisors they have 4 on the top (although you can only see two, the others are peg teeth hiding behind them) and two on the bottom. These front incisors gnaw the food and should meet in the middle, if not, they can grow outwards/inwards and cause major problems. The other 22 teeth are premolars and molars and are used to chew the food.

Rabbits need regular check ups to ensure their teeth are growing properly. If they are not in-line (hereditary) or the bunny has a poor diet they can over grow causing may problems including:

• Abscesses
• Ulcers
• Blocked tear ducts
• Anorexia (unable or too painful to eat)

These problems can cause death in a rabbit if not treated.
Common signs to look out for in you rabbit for are:

• Anorexia
• Tooth grinding (sign of extreme pain in a rabbit)
• Weeping eyes
• Slobbers (wet patch on the neck)
• Weight loss
• Quietness/dullness
• Scurfy skin
• Dirty/smelly bottom (bunny is unable to clean itself as mouth too sore)
• Sore back legs (unable to clean itself)
• Lack of droppings (nothing going in..nothing coming out!)

If your rabbit shows any of these signs then it must be seen by a vet as soon as possible. If your rabbit has not eaten for more that 12 hours, it is an emergency.
Most rabbits will have no problems if they are fed a correct diet and have their teeth regularly checked although some rabbits may need their teeth trimming from time to time to keep them in shape.

Housing

In years gone by, bunnies were an outdoor pet. Nowadays, bunnies are becoming a popular house pet. Wherever your bunny lives, it should clean, warm and draught proof. An outdoor hutch should face south or west but never north or east, and should be in a sheltered position. Ideally a rabbit should be housed in a shed or out building during the winter, as they are prone to hypothermia especially ifs it's draughty. Garages are not a good place to house rabbits as car fumes can make them unwell.

No hutch can be too large. The days when it was thought acceptable to keep rabbits in cramped, confined hutches are over. Two small rabbits should have a minimum hutch size of 150 x 60 x 60 cm, and two large rabbits will need 180 x 90 x 90 cm. Your rabbit needs to have room to lay down lengthways and stand up on its hindfeet. Hutches should be divided in to an eating and sleeping area.
The hutch should be raised off the floor to allow air to circulate and should be well protected from predators. The floor of the hutch should not be made of wire mesh as this can cause very sore feet and even the odd broken toe!

Indoor rabbits should have a house that is rabbit proof, as rabbits do tend to nibble everything! Be very careful with wires and toxic houseplants.

Any rabbit should be cleaned out, checked and handled every day. The hutch should be thoroughly cleaned once a week. In the summer time we advise you clean your bunny out twice a day due to the
increased risk of flystrike (see further on). Be careful what disinfectant you use inside your rabbit's hutch, some can be toxic to rabbits. There are now special hutch cleaners on the market. Rabbits that
are kept in unsanitary hutches are likely to develop conditions such as snuffles, sore feet, urine scalding, dirty bottoms, and fly strike.

Bedding

You can use old lino to line the floor of the hutch. Layers of newspaper can also be used. Shavings should not be used but this can irritate some bunny’s eyes and chests and some enthusiasts now use pet fleece instead. Straw can be added as a bedding material and floor cover, but remember this does not replace that all-important hay! Hay can be placed in hayracks, and ensure your bunny has fresh water at all times.

Exercise

Runs allow your rabbits to freely exercise and graze on grass. Ideally, your rabbit should have 2 hours of exercise in it's run every day (except in bad weather). There are no recommended dimensions for a run - some people can make a secure, safe run for their rabbit out of the whole of their garden - others prefer a smaller run which is lightweight and can be moved to a fresh piece of lawn every day. Don’t forget to provide shade and water at all times. Never leave your
bunny unattended in a run, it can be disastrous.

Vaccination-essential protection

There are two major diseases that are life threatening to your rabbit.

• Myxomatosis
• Viral Heamorrhagic Diesase

What is myxomatosis?

Myxomatosis is a disease caused by a virus. It only affects rabbits (both wild and pet rabbits). The virus causes severe swelling of the lips, eyelids and genitals. Pet rabbits can sometimes recover from
the condition with very intensive nursing, but most are euthanased (put to sleep).
The virus causing myxomatosis is transmitted between infected and healthy rabbits by insects, particularly rabbit fleas, but also by flies. Cats often become infected by rabbit fleas and will bring these into your garden or inside your house. Therefore, even if your rabbit lives indoors or if you live in a city centre, far from places where wild rabbits live, your pet rabbit could still be at risk.

Rabbits can be vaccinated against myxomatosis from 6 weeks of age. The vaccination provides immunity for one year. In high-risk areas, such as East Anglia where there are high numbers of wild rabbits with the disease, or if you live close to area where wild rabbits live, it is advisable to have your rabbit vaccinated twice a year for maximum protection. Once vaccinated, your rabbit will require a booster every year

What is viral haemorrhagic disease?

Viral haemorrhagic disease (VHD or HVD) is a horrible viral condition that only affects rabbits. It is caused by a highly contagious virus, which is transmitted from rabbit to rabbit, or on contaminated equipment, clothing and feed. Insects, rodents and birds may also be able to carry the virus and infect isolated rabbits (such as pet rabbits). VHD is nearly always fatal - it causes massive bleeding (haemorrhage) from the internal organs and the animals die as a result of the overwhelming blood loss.

It is not recommended that vaccinations for VHD and myxomatosis are given at the same time. An interval of at least 2 weeks should be allowed between the injections.

If you wish to have your rabbit vaccinated then please speak to your vet.

Fly Strike

'Fly strike' is the term used to describe the condition caused by flies laying their eggs on the skin/fur of a rabbit. The eggs hatch out into maggots, which burrow into the skin of the rabbit and start to eat its flesh. The maggots release chemicals into the rabbit's bloodstream, which can kill it. This is a really horrible condition and the prognosis for affected rabbits is very poor. The flies are attracted by faeces or urine soiling on the rabbit's fur. This can result if the rabbit is overweight, has bladder or digestive problems, or is kept in unsanitary conditions.

If you find maggots on your rabbit - you must take it immediately to the vet.

Obesity

More and more bunnies are becoming over weight. Obesity in rabbits is very serious and causes many problems such as:

• Increased cholesterol
• Increased glucose levels (may lead to diabetes)
• Inability to clean itself- leading to flystrike
• Inability to eat caecatrophs – leading to digestion problems

If your rabbit is a little bit too cuddly then you must speak to your vet/nurse, as weight loss has to be gradual and controlled. Rabbits do not benefit from any fad/crash diets!

Neutering

Any rabbit can be neutered. It is a relatively simple operation and the benefits include:

• Prevents unwanted pregnancies- female rabbits come in to season up to 10 times a year, and with around four baby bunnies per pregnancy, that’s an awful lot of bunnies to find homes for!
• Prevents aggression- both male and female rabbits can become aggressive
• Prevents cancer- 80% of female rabbits develop uterine cancer!

Neutering will not have any significant effect on your rabbit's lifestyle apart from eliminating its sexual behavior. Because it is not expending energy in finding a mate and defending a territory, your rabbit may need less food but you should be able to prevent it becoming overweight by giving it slightly smaller meals. Most owners find that any changes in their rabbit's personality are for the better as
many neutered rabbits become more relaxed, affectionate and playful.

Insurance

With all these problems, its highly recommended that you insure your bunny. It could save you a lot of money. There are now lots of companies that provide insurance- shop around.

Friends

You can house rabbits in single sex groups or in neutered groups. We DO NOT recommend that rabbits and guinea pigs are housed together. This is for many reasons:

• Guinea pigs tend to get picked on making them stressed and prone to illness
• Bunnies posses very strong back legs that have been known to injure or even kill a guinea pig
• They do not eat the same food
• Rabbit faeces contains bacteria that is harmful to guinea pigs

Rabbits enjoy company; they should be handled every day and given plenty of TLC. Unfortunately many bunnies endure a life of being left on their own at the bottom of the garden.

You are a bunny’s most important friend and he cannot live without you.

We hope your bunny stays happy and healthy.

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