Caring for your Rabbit

In the wild, rabbits eat a range of grasses, weeds, leaves, shoots and twigs as well as the bark of trees, shrubs and bushes.  Rabbits are herbivores and their digestive system has evolved to be extremely efficient with the ability to eliminate indigestible fibre rapidly and ferment those fibres that are digestible.  Rabbits need a balanced diet with high levels of fibre to keep them healthy. 

As foragers, rabbits must be fed twice a day every day. The traditional rabbit mix sold in pet shops was originally designed to fatten rabbits up for the pot post war - some contain chocolate drops and inappropriate components, leading to obesity and overgrown teeth.  Supreme Russel Rabbit food is designed to fulfil all of the dietary requirements of a pet rabbit.  This can be bought in the surgery. 

Rabbit with normal incisors: It is important the right diet is offered to pet rabbits so as to keep the teeth working hard and help prevent them from overgrowing and becoming a problem. If they do become overlong, they curl into the gums and teeth causing big problems with eating. Routine examination of pet rabbits should be carried out by the owner (an adult, not a child). If the teeth appear to be causing a problem, it is important you take the rabbit for a veterinary health check.

Faeces: Because rabbits eat food high in cellulose (plant fibre), like grass and hay, some of the food they eat has to pass through the digestive system twice. Some of the faeces passed overnight are very soft and pale in colour and contain high amounts of this fibre. These are called caecophytes and are eaten by the rabbit to go through the digestive process a second time. This makes it easier to get the nutrients out of the tough fibre.

Fly strike: Any rabbit left to sit in damp and dirty surroundings is prone to disease which is why it is important to clean hutches and pens regularly. This is especially important in the summer when flies seek places to lay eggs. It is important to clean rabbits living spaces daily in the summer and to check the rabbit all over at the end of the each day. Fly eggs are very small, white and oval and they stick very strongly to the animal's hair. If these eggs are not removed and are allowed to hatch out (often overnight), they produce maggots. These maggots rapidly cause unbelievable injuries and pain to the animal. During the warmer months, rabbits should be checked over by the owner once a day.

Myxomatosis: This is a disease transmitted by fleas, or from contract with other infected rabbits. Symptoms are usually swollen eyelids and thick discharge from the eyes and nose. The rabbit will become very subdued and stop eating. This condition is usually fatal. Vaccination each year can prevent this disease.

Snuffles/pasteurella: This is a bacterial condition and can be related to stress.  The rabbit will develop cold-like symptoms with a runny nose, breathing difficulties and discharge from the eyes. Snuffles can lead to more serious problems such as pneumonia, head tilt and tooth rot abscesses.  The hutch should be kept well ventilated and at a constant temperature, removing wet bedding to reduce stress.