Rabbit Health

This section is intended to provide general information about rabbit health risks. It does not substitute for a trip to your veterinarian or more in-depth study of rabbit veterinary medicine. Furthermore, we are focusing on the most common life-threatening concerns. We recommend that everyone who has a rabbit research further, consult with Medirabbit online, and join online forums that include rabbit veterinarians.

It’s up to you to make sure that you’ve done your homework to help your rabbit, should she develop a health problem. Choose your veterinarian wisely, and treat her or him with respect, but don’t be afraid to get a second opinion and do your own research. We also recommend that you have alternative veterinarians in case your primary vet is unavailable, and that you consider in advance what you will do if your rabbit has an after-hours emergency.

Click here for information on Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2, a deadly disease now endemic to many states in the U.S.: RHDV2

Here are some of the most common problems we see in domestic rabbits:

GI hypomotility (also known as GI stasis, or ileus, or “a hairball”)
GI stasis can lead to death if you don't take prompt action. Learn about GI stasis on our YouTube video here: youtu.be/MG1bmGy4DwM.

Overheating
Any temperature over 80 degrees Fahrenheit can be dangerous for a rabbit. See our heat warning section for more detailed information and tips on how to keep your rabbit cool during the summer months or whenever there are unexpected spikes in temperature.

Injuries
Rabbits have a delicate spine and powerful back legs. As a result, when they are dropped or struggle to get free from being held, they can break their own backs. Before you adopt a rabbit, learn how to properly handle one. There are many demonstration videos on YouTube showing how you hold one hand under the rabbit’s front legs and another over the tail, holding the rabbit securely and firmly against your body. Never lift the rabbit with her front legs or with your hands around her belly; always support her spine and sternum (under the bones). Always have one hand supporting her back. We use the phrase “always support the back of the bunny” to reinforce this message.

If your rabbit is injured, you must take her to the veterinarian to assess the damage. X-rays are often necessary to determine the extent of injury, and a course of antibiotics may be necessary. It’s important to know that predator attacks can be fatal even if you see no injury to the rabbit. A cat’s mouth is teeming with bacteria that can be fatal to a rabbit, especially a baby, if the rabbit’s skin is broken. Raccoon attacks are often fatal even when the rabbit is not killed outright. You must keep your rabbit safe from predators! Rabbits can have heart attacks and die with absolutely no physical contact. This happens most often when rabbits are in backyard hutches, when a raccoon tries repeatedly to get at the rabbit. Another common problem with backyard rabbits or indoor rabbits that are not kept clean is fly strike, which can be fatal.

Poisoning/Change in diet
If you suspect your rabbit has eaten something toxic, call the poison control center or your veterinarian immediately. You can administer liquid charcoal and fluids if you have those on hand. Do not feed your rabbit human food or change your rabbit’s diet suddenly. Sudden ingestion of fruit or human foods like sweet cereals can lead to bloat, which is usually fatal.

Tooth problems/malocclusion
You can look at your rabbit’s front teeth to see if she has incisor malocclusion, but your veterinarian will have to look at the back teeth with a scope. Signs that a rabbit might have molar problems include drooling or a slowdown in consumption of hay (or pellets) to a greater extent than veggies, or eating in a more gingerly fashion, or making a "chewing" motion with back teeth without actually eating food. When the back teeth cut into the gums and tongue, it becomes painful to eat hay; you may see your rabbit start to eat hay or pellets and then let them drop out of her mouth. It’s best to be proactive and have a wellness exam every year to detect problems before they impact your rabbit’s ability to eat.

URIs (upper respiratory infections), abscesses, and other problems caused by bacteria
Bacterial infections in rabbits are common. Rabbits will sometimes have long-term bacterial infections in their upper respiratory system. You should try to clear these up under the supervision of a veterinarian, with one or more courses of antibiotics. A culture and sensitivity test will help your veterinarian determine which antibiotics are likely to be effective. Sometimes rabbits get pneumonia, which probably rates as the “second silent killer” of rabbits after GI hypomotility since rabbits tend to hide their symptoms. Abscesses often have to be surgically removed and then treated aggressively with antibiotics. Head tilt is often caused by a bacterial infection or abscess. If left untreated, these problems can become serious. With proper treatment, however, many rabbits have recovered completely from head tilt, URIs (including the often misnamed “pasteurellosis”), abscesses (even the formerly dreaded “jaw bone abscess”) and have gone on to live long, healthy and happy lives.

Ear mites/fur mites
these are very easily treated but absolute misery for the rabbit when they are not. If your bunny has a crusty brown buildup in one or both ears and scratches them often, odds are she has ear mites. Fur mites are harder to detect; flakes and loss of hair are among the signs that your rabbit should see a veterinarian. The most common effective drug of choice now for treating ear mites or fur mites is selamectin. It is available only with a prescription from your veterinarian. Ivermectin is available without a prescription, however, it doesn’t have selamectin’s residual effect and has to be administered more often.

Defining an emergency:
Any change in your rabbit’s normal behavior should be cause for concern. The most serious is a change in appetite, or refusal to eat. Any time a rabbit refuses to eat for several hours at a time, it should be considered an emergency. Other signs of a health emergency include but are not limited to: lethargy, sitting in the litter box or in a corner for a prolonged period of time, head tilt, drooling, panting, tooth grinding (a sign of severe pain). As prey animals, rabbits hide symptoms of illness; if you detect that your rabbit is in pain, it’s probably extreme. If you have any doubt, consult with a veterinarian who has extensive experience treating rabbits.

See our list of experienced veterinarians in the Los Angles area.

Useful links
- Rabbit References
- Medirabbit

Useful publications
- Rabbit Health in the 21st Century
- 4th edition of The House Rabbit Handbook.

Heat Warning
Temperatures over 80º Fahrenheit can be dangerous for a rabbit. In hot weather, please observe the following to protect your bunny from overheating:

NEVER leave a rabbit unattended in your vehicle. Even with the windows down, cars heat up fast. When you transport your bunny to the veterinarian or pet-sitter, make sure you bring along frozen water bottles to place in the carrier in case of emergency. Avoid traveling with your rabbit in the middle of the day.

Housing a rabbit in an outdoor hutch is not recommended. If you absolutely cannot keep your rabbit indoors during the summer, make sure the hutch or outdoor run has adequate ventilation and is shaded throughout the entire day. When the outside temperature reaches 80º F or higher, place a jug of frozen water in the hutch to keep bunny cool. Wash a plastic jug or liter bottle, fill it 4/5ths full of water and put it in the freezer overnight. Be sure to have an extra bottle or two ready to swap out. Your rabbit will lie against the frozen bottles of water to cool off and drink the moisture off the sides of the bottle. Misters can also be used to cool the air around the rabbits (don’t train the misters on the rabbits unless it’s very hot). But keep in mind these measures may not be enough to protect your outdoor bunny if the temperatures get too high.

If your bunny lives indoors but you do not have air conditioning, keep her cool on hot days by placing bottles of frozen water in her living area. Cross-ventilate when possible by leaving windows partly open.

Provide water in heavy crocks if possible, rather than in water bottles with a sipper—rabbits drink more water from an open dish. The water crock must be heavy to prevent your rabbit from tipping it over. You can add ice cubes to the water to keep it cool longer while you are away at work. Water must be easily accessible; make sure if you do use a bottle that it’s at a comfortable height and your rabbit can drink (about 6-8 inches from the bottom of the cage or fence for an average-sized adult rabbit, lower for babies).

Place a ceramic tile or marble slab in the corner of your rabbit’s living area. The tile provides a cool spot for bunny to lie on. You can put the tile in the refrigerator or freezer to make it even cooler.

Rinse a towel with cold water, wring it out, and hang it in front of a fan so the cool air blows through it. Don’t train the fan directly on the rabbit, and make sure she doesn’t have access to the fan or electrical cord.

If you go on vacation, choose an experienced pet-sitter who knows how sensitive bunnies are to the heat.

Symptoms of overheating include: listlessness, wet nose and mouth, hot ears, mouth breathing, convulsions or frantic activity.

To treat an overheated bunny, wipe cool water on her ears and wrap her in a cool, wet towel before rushing her to a rabbit-savvy veterinarian.