How do I keep my rabbit healthy?

What should I know about rabbits at a glance?

Pet rabbits live 8 to 12 years and most pet breeds weigh 1.5 to 3 kg. They do best in pairs, need room to run, and have teeth that never stop growing.

What health problems do vets see most in rabbits?

Dental disease and GI stasis, a gut that slows down or stops, are the most common reasons rabbits see a vet. Others are E. cuniculi, snuffles, flystrike and, in females that aren't spayed, uterine cancer.

• Dental disease: when the teeth don't meet properly, the back teeth grow sharp spurs that hurt when the rabbit eats. Drooling, eating less and weight loss are common signs. Rabbits fed mostly pellets instead of hay are more likely to have overgrown teeth.
• GI stasis: the gut slows or stops, often because of gas, pain, dental problems or a blockage. The first sign is usually a rabbit that stops eating, with fewer, smaller or no droppings.
• E. cuniculi: a parasite many pet rabbits carry without getting sick. When it causes disease, it can bring head tilt or weak back legs. A positive blood test often means only past exposure, so the vet reads it.
• Snuffles: a nose and chest infection, often with Pasteurella, with runny eyes and nose, sneezing and matted fur on the front legs.
• Flystrike: flies lay eggs in dirty fur, usually on a dirty bottom, and the maggots can kill a rabbit within hours. It is most common in warm weather.
• Uterine cancer: common in females that aren't spayed, and often fatal after 3 years of age, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. Spaying removes the risk.

Do rabbits need vaccines?

Where a rabbit vaccine is sold, vets vaccinate against rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD, types 1 and 2) and, in Europe and the UK, myxomatosis. Both diseases are usually fatal. No rabbit vaccine is sold in Brazil, and the US has an RHDV2 vaccine but none for myxomatosis.

Both spread through insects and on objects such as hay, shoes and clothes, so the RSPCA advises vaccinating indoor rabbits too. Most products below are labelled for 12 months, and your vet sets which vaccines your rabbit gets and when.

The Nobivac Myxo-RHD Plus label warns that a rabbit already vaccinated against myxomatosis may not build enough RHD protection from it, so tell your vet about any earlier vaccine.

Which parasites affect rabbits?

Rabbits get fleas (often from a dog or cat at home), fur and ear mites, E. cuniculi and, in summer, flystrike. Rabbit vets usually treat a parasite when they find one rather than on a monthly plan, and many dog and cat products are dangerous to rabbits.

• Fipronil (Frontline) is toxic to rabbits. UK labels say "Do not use in rabbits", and France's ANSES links fipronil to about a third of the drug reactions reported in pet rabbits.
• If a rabbit lives with a treated dog or cat, keep them apart until the product is dry, and don't let the rabbit lick it.
• Flystrike is prevented by keeping the bottom clean and dry and checking it every day in warm weather.

Which signs in a rabbit can't wait?

A rabbit that hasn't eaten or pooped in 12 hours is an emergency, according to the House Rabbit Society. Rabbits hide illness, so by the time a rabbit stops eating the problem is often advanced.

• Not eating or not pooping: "In rabbits this can be an emergency within hours. Call your vet."
• A dirty bottom: "A dirty bottom attracts flies. Check for maggots now and call your vet if you see any."
• A rabbit that dies suddenly: RHD often kills with no signs first. Keep the other rabbits apart and call your vet.

Find an emergency clinic that sees rabbits before you need one. Don't syringe-feed or give medicines at home unless a vet says so, because a blockage has to be ruled out first.

How do I care for a rabbit day to day?

Hay comes first. A rabbit needs hay or grass day and night, about its own body size every day, because chewing hay wears the teeth down and keeps the gut moving.

• Food: hay or grass as at least 80% of the diet, washed leafy greens and herbs, and a small amount of pellets. The Scottish Government's guidance caps pellets at 25 g per kg of rabbit a day. Never lawnmower clippings. Fresh water always.
• Teeth and weight: weigh your rabbit every week and watch for drooling. Weight loss is often the first sign of dental disease.
• Droppings: check every day. Fewer or smaller droppings are often the first sign of a gut problem.
• Housing: room to run, hide, dig and stand up, with the run open at dawn, dusk and night, when rabbits are most active. Indoors, keep them away from radiators, direct sun and draughts.
• Company: a compatible neutered rabbit of similar size. Rabbits and guinea pigs shouldn't live together, because a rabbit's kick can injure a guinea pig.
• Neutering: spaying removes the risk of uterine cancer. Ask your vet about the right age.
• Handling: support the chest and hold the back legs firmly when you lift a rabbit.
• Grooming: no baths, which chill and stress rabbits. Spot clean a dirty bottom instead. Brush every day while your rabbit sheds, because rabbits can't vomit swallowed fur.
• Medicines: some antibiotics given by mouth, like amoxicillin, clindamycin and lincomycin, can cause fatal gut disease in rabbits. Give only what a rabbit vet prescribed.

How do I keep my rabbit's health record?

VetVitae, a free pet health record app for iPhone, Android and the web, keeps your rabbit's weight in grams and warns you when it drops 10% in a month. It logs vaccines where they are sold, deworming with the fipronil warning, vet visits and medicines.

It also suggests rabbit routines like Fresh hay, Check droppings and Check the bottom. See small mammals in VetVitae and the vaccination card.

This guide is general information, not veterinary advice. Your vet knows your pet.

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