Rabbit Care

Once you have your new pet rabbit, allow them a few days to settle into their new environment before bringing them in to the surgery.

You can use this time to get them used to being handled, looking in the ears and checking eyes. This will help make the visit to the surgery less stressful. Once your rabbit has settled in, one of our veterinary surgeons will give your rabbit a full health examination and answer any questions you may have. We will also talk to you about vaccination protocols, insurance, neutering and parasite control, diet, housing and general care.

The diseases which we vaccinate against are very serious and can potentially be fatal.

Nobivac myxo vaccine:

This vaccine protects against myxomatosis. The virus is spread by blood sucking insects such as the rabbit flea and mosquitoes. It can also be spread between rabbits directly. Signs of myxomatosis include puffy fluid filled swellings around the head and face. If not vaccinated, myxomatosis can be fatal to rabbits; fewer than 10% of wild rabbits survive after being affected by the virus. The vaccine is given to rabbits over 6 weeks of age.

BOOSTERS ARE REQUIRED EVERY SIX MONTHS TO MAINTAIN IMMUNITY

Both of these vaccines protect against Viral heamorrhagic disease (VHD) which can be fatal in rabbits; vaccination is the only protection against the disease. VHD is also spread by insects and can also be transmitted on clothing and shoes. VHD vaccinations are normally given between 10 -12 weeks of age. The VHD vaccine can not be given within 14 days of the myxomatosis vaccine.

BOOSTERS ARE REQUIRED EVERY YEAR.

Neutering your pet is the term described to remove the ability of your pet to reproduce. Neutering your pet rabbit allows you to have more than one rabbit and will aid to suppress aggression as left entire rabbits can become territorial especially in the spring and summer months when their hormones are most active. In addition females left entire are at very high risk of suffering from uterine cancer in later life. Female rabbits can also suffer from symptoms of pseudo-pregnancy which may include increased aggression. We can perform the operation from 4 months of age. The operation is performed under general anaesthesia and your rabbit will be admitted to the surgery for the day only. They do not need to be fasted before the surgery as they can not vomit, so food and water can be fed right up to the operating time. All anaesthetics carry a risk and if you are worried about this please speak to a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse to discuss further.

Rabbits are social animals and enjoy the company of another rabbit. Consider a neutered pair but do not keep two un-neutered male rabbits together as they will fight and may seriously injure one another.

Micro-chipping is a safe and permanent means of identifying your pet. A microchip is a small implant slightly larger than a grain of rice which is injected under the skin of your pet. The microchip does not cause any pain or harm to your pet once implanted and your pet is totally unaware of its presence. The microchip number is specific to that chip and once registered with the national database, they are registered for life.

Most vets and animal welfare organisations have microchip scanners to assist the reunion of you and your pet.

Fleas are small, dark brown insects which live and breed mainly in the environment but cause irritation from biting and blood sucking. In severe infestations anaemia may result.

Warning signs include black specks of flea dirt in your pet’s coat or bedding, frequent scratching or nibbling the fur and even small insect bites on your own body.

An effective flea control program involves not only killing the adult flea but eradicating other stages of the flea cycle. We advise using Advantage spot on which can be used from 10 weeks of age. Certain flea preparations can be fatal to rabbits so use only those prescribed from the veterinary practice for your rabbit. It is also essential that the environment is treated if there is already a heavy burden; we recommend Indorex spray which is a once yearly treatment

Worming your pet rabbit is recommended as they can suffer from intestinal worms and parasites including Encephalitozoon cuniculi. E.cuniculi is spread by urine or between the mother and her offspring and can live in infected areas for weeks. We recommend Panacur, a syringe paste to be used every six months or every three months for rabbits with access to outdoors.

Flies are a problem mainly in the summer months and can use rabbit hutches to lay their eggs. Unfortunately they may also lay their eggs on rabbits. Rabbits at the highest risk are those having an inappropriate diet, overweight, dental disease, diarrhoea, urinary problems, and skin wounds. These conditions all make the hind quarters moist and a perfect place for the fly to lay its eggs. The eggs hatch quickly in warm conditions and the maggots burrow under the skin surface and can cause severe tissue damage which can result in death or the rabbit having to be euthanised. In the summer months rabbits should be checked twice daily and cleaned if soiled. In susceptible rabbits an application of a sponge-on preparation called Rearguard every 10 weeks to the hindquarters and regular hutch disinfection can help stem the problem. Rearguard is available from the veterinary surgery.

Fresh water should always be available to your pet rabbit. The main bulk of the rabbit’s diet, approximately 90%, should be grass or hay which should be provided throughout the day. Time outside with access to grass and other plants will enable your pet to forage as it would do in the wild.

Supplementary foods should be given in limited amounts. Certain vegetables, fruits and herbs can be fed as well as limited amounts of pellet diet. Pellets are recommended to be fed rather than a muesli form of diet as rabbits are good at selective feeding and leaving parts of these multi-form diets. Recommended diets are sold at your veterinary practice and good retailers.

Care should be taken in picking plants to give to rabbits as some are poisonous – if in doubt do not give.

If you are in any doubt whether your rabbit has eaten a poisonous plant or becomes ill after being in the garden consult your veterinary surgeon.

Rabbits teeth are continually growing and should be checked on a regular basis. The front teeth should be short and meet in the middle. If the teeth do not meet they may need to be shortened by the veterinary surgeon to keep them at the right length. Signs of dental problems include weight loss, runny eyes, slower eating, dribbling, selective eating or going off food altogether.

We strongly recommend insuring your pet. When looking at insurance policies please read the small print. Cheaper policies do not always provide the best value in the long term. It is also important to get a policy which covers your pet for each condition for a lifetime, not just the first 12 months.

We know you care about your pet, and it would be difficult for you if treatment decisions had to be made just because you couldn’t afford to pay.

We recommend Petplan because over the years we have found that they provide the best policies for clients and they also provide a good service to the client.