Keeping rabbits
This fact sheet provides some information which will help to keep your rabbit healthy. prevention is far better than cure!
Vaccination
We vaccinate annually against two major diseases in rabbits
- Myxomatosis is a viral disease which is transmitted by insects from infected wild rabbits. It is usually fatal after a period of suffering from sore, swollen eyes and respiratory distress.
- Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (HVD) is a viral disease which kills very quickly by causing severe bleeding disorders.
Nutrition
Surprisingly, rabbits behave like many children, preferring junk food to the healthier option. They are selective eaters and will choose the cereal component, instead of the pellets, in a standard rabbit mix. Unfortunately this leads to a deficiency of calcium and other minerals which causes weakening of the jawbones and subsequent dental problems.
Rabbits can live happily on grass, some weeds and hay they do not need anything else. Grass provides the optimum level of calcium for healthy bone development. Allowing your rabbit to graze in the garden is ideal as this also allows your rabbit to exercise at the same time as obtaining a proper diet. This is important as caged rabbits eating high cereal diets easily become obese, and are deprived of sunlight in turn necessary for the production of Vitamin D which is essential in calcium metabolism. However, providing fresh grass all year round is not always practical so new complete diets have been developed which provide all the essential nutrients. If you would like your rabbit to try this new diet, it available through veterinary surgeons.
Sex life!
Neutering of rabbits is now becoming much more common and has much to recommend it. In addition to the obvious need to prevent a population explosion, in a household, there are a number of other good reasons for neutering.
- Aggression and urine spraying
- The unmated female suffers from a number of hormonal problems, as ovulation only occurs upon mating. False pregnancies can lead to mastitis and aggression. A high proportion of unspayed females develop cancer or infection of the womb, both of which can be fatal
Fly strike
Every summer we see a number of rabbits that are being eaten alive by maggots. This is usually due to flies laying their eggs around the back passage if the rabbit has had diarrhoea, or is unable to groom properly (e.g. because of mouth problems or obesity). It is therefore very important to keep the hutch as clean as possible (daily cleaning is essential), to feed a suitable diet to prevent obesity and to seek veterinary advice if diarrhoea is seen or if the rabbit is showing signs of oral pain and is unable to groom. Handle your rabbit at least twice a day and check carefully for fly eggs stuck to the fur, before they can hatch into maggots. If eggs or maggots are found, telephone for an appointment as soon as possible, as they develop very quickly. If left untreated the condition is fatal.