Common Rabbit Illnesses

Common Rabbit Illnesses

Common health problems include ear mange, coccidiosis, and pasteurellosis. 

Many diseases are spread by introducing new animals into an established herd.

 New animals should be quarantined from the main herd for 14 days and observed for any sign of disease during this time. 

If you do find a sick animal, either a new arrival or one from your established herd, the sick rabbit should be isolated from the rest of the rabbits, preferably in a different building. 

The sick animal should be cared for only after you have taken care of the healthy rabbits.

Wash your hands and disinfect your shoes after caring for the sick animals.

If the rabbit dies, its carcass should be burned or buried to stop the spread of diseases. 

Any pens and equipment used for caring for the sick rabbit should be cleaned and disinfected before being reused.

Coccidiosis: This disease is caused by a protozoa parasite. 

Coccidiosis affects the liver and intestine of rabbits and causes diarrhea, loss of appetite, and weight loss. 

Occasionally a rabbit will die from coccidiosis.

 It is spread through fecal contamination of cages, waterers, and feeders, so daily cleaning of these items will help reduce the incidence of coccidiosis.

 Treatment is through feeding a medicated feed for two to three weeks to reduce the number of parasites.

Conjunctivitis (pink eye): Young rabbits are commonly affected by conjunctivitis, especially those that are raised in crowded conditions. 

Bacteria invade the conjunctiva (the red lining around the eye) and cause infection. 

The eye then becomes red and swollen. 

A thick discharge collects around the eye frequently, pasting the eye shut. 

One or both eyes may be affected. 

You can treat

the affected area by gently washing the eyelid with a warm washcloth to remove the discharge, flushing the eye with sterile saline, and treating the eyes with an eye antibiotic ointment.

Ear mites: Ear mites are the most common external parasite of rabbits. 

Mites invade the ear and thick, brown crusts of serum accumulate inside the ear. 

The rabbit shakes its head and scratches its ears due to the intense itching. 

When the rabbit tries to scratch the itch, the toenails on the hind feet cause scratches to the outside of the ear, as well.

 Serious infections can cause weight loss, nerve damage, and ear infection due to bacterial invasion. Even if only one rabbit in your herd is showing signs of an ear mite infection, all rabbits should be treated because it is so easy for the mites to pass from rabbit to rabbit. 

If there is a lot of debris built up in the ear, mineral oil should be placed in the ear to soften the debris. The material should then be wiped out with a cotton ball. 

Medication is readily available in the form of eardrops, which you can pick up at your local veterinarian’s office.

Each ear should be treated and the base of the ear massaged after applying the drug.

Enterotoxemia: This disease is characterized by an explosive diarrhea.

 It usually occurs in young rabbits 1 to 2 months old. The rabbits may be normal one day, and then found dead the next. 

It is caused by a bacterium, Clostridium spiroforme, which releases a deadly toxin causing death in one to two days after infection. 

How the rabbits are infected with these bacteria is not entirely known, but it is thought that giving rabbits extra fiber such as supplemental hay will help reduce the disease occurrence.

 Giving rabbits penicillin will also cause enterotoxemia.

External parasites (fleas, mites): Rabbits generally have mites on their skin, which usually does not become a problem unless the animal becomes unhealthy. 

Then the mites can flourish, causing intense itching, hair loss, and sores. To treat external parasites, apply a cat flea powder weekly.

This treatment is also effective against the rabbit flea, a seldom-encountered parasite in domestic rabbits. If your rabbit does have fleas, its environment will need to be treated with an insecticide to destroy flea eggs and larva.

Fungal infections: Rabbits can harbor fungus that cause skin lesions.

 These

fungi also can be transmitted by and to humans. 

A rabbit with a fungal infection will have patchy hair loss, usually around the nose, eyelids, ears, and face. 

The affected skin may also become thick and have yellow crusts.

  Usually, a young rabbit will show more severe hair loss and skin changes.

Treatment consists of spot treatment of affected areas with an antifungal ointment. 

If many rabbits are affected, oral medication can be given.

Hutch burn: This condition is caused by rabbits being subjected to wet and dirty floors.

 The anus and genital region of the rabbit become chapped and red. 

The damp condition irritates these delicate membranes, and soon, they become infected with a secondary bacterial infection.

 There is no reason for this condition to occur if you keep your pens clean and dry. You can treat this ailment by cleaning and drying the pen and applying antibiotic ointment to the affected areas.

Malocclusion: A rabbit’s teeth continuously grow throughout its lifetime, and they should be straight and meet evenly. 

If the teeth do not meet properly, this condition is called malocclusion. 

This can become a serious issue, as overgrown teeth will lead to the rabbit not being able to eat properly or to mouth and jaw problems. 

A rabbit with this condition will need to have its teeth regularly trimmed by a veterinarian. Ordinarily, rabbits with normal teeth do not need to have them trimmed.

Hay in the diet seems to help lessen the occurrence of teeth overgrowing.

Pasteurellosis: This disease is caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida. 

Pasteurellosis causes many different types of infections including snuffles (rhinitis), abscesses, pneumonia, pyometra (uterine infection), ear infections, and eye infections.

 This is a common disease of the nasal sinuses. 

The rabbit has trouble breathing due to a thick discharge from the nose and makes a characteristic nasal sound when trying to breathe.

 The front paws may become wet with the discharge as it tries to clean its nose. The rabbit can spread the disease through sneezing, and objects used in its cage become loaded with the microorganism.

 It is difficult to eradicate the bacteria from the infected rabbits, although antibiotics can be used in pet or show animals. 

If the rabbits are used for meat, it is not advisable to give them antibiotics as it can remain in the meat

for some time after administration; this is an illegal practice in most states.

 Penicillin is not to be used in rabbits, as it can cause a fatal toxemia in this species.

Rabbits affected with pasteurellosis in a commercial enterprise should be culled and their carcasses burned or buried to prevent the spread of the disease.

All equipment and cages the sick rabbit contacted should be thoroughly disinfected.

Pododermatitis: This condition comes with ulcers or sores on the feet or footpads. 

It is usually associated with rabbits kept on wire-floored cages.

  To treat, place a flat piece of wood on the floor of the cage, and clean it frequently if it becomes dirty. Using straw bedding can help alleviate the condition as well.

Sores or ulcers can be treated with protective ointments you can obtain from your local veterinarian’s office.

Torticollis (wry neck): Wry neck occurs when otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear) spreads to the inner ear.

The inner ear regulates an animal’s equilibrium, so when it is infected or damaged it causes the head to tilt.

An inner ear infection is hard to treat as antibiotics have difficulty penetrating this area of the body. Rabbits that do recover from an inner ear infection may have a permanent head tilt.

Urolithiasis: Rabbits excrete calcium in their urine, which gives the urine a cloudy appearance. Because of this excretion, they are prone to urine calcium sludge or stone formation. Feeding rabbits an excessive amount of calcium (as can be found in alfalfa hay) or genetics can predispose a rabbit to this disease.

A rabbit affected by urolithiasis will strain when trying to urinate, will go off feed (meaning they will refuse to eat), have a painful abdomen, and bloody urine. To prevent this from occurring, feed your rabbits grass hay and make sure they have plenty of water at all time.