Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Giving your rabbit some probiotics such as Benebac gel can help improve digestion when you don't
otherwise know the cause of the diarrhea. Many breeders will give probiotics anytime antibiotics
have been administered as well, because antibiotics will destroy the healthy gut flora that helps
with digestion. Be sure to provide plenty of water, remove feed rations, and give the highest-fiber
foods like hay and whole oats to give your rabbit the best chances at recovery.
Heat stress.
This can be a serious problem for rabbits in warmer climates. Keep good ventilation
in your housing to help them maintain their body temperature, and never let their water run out.
Make sure their houses are turned out of the direct sunshine on hot summer days. Some breeds,
like the Angoras, need proper grooming to avoid mats that will increase their body heat during the
hottest days of the summer.
Over the Garden Fence
In the warmest climates, you might try an old trick that works great—freeze water in leftover water bottles
or pop bottles and then place a frozen water bottle right into the rabbit cage. This allows your rabbit to
have a cool spot to snuggle up on during the hottest hours of the day.
Parasites.
Anytime you see loose stools you should check for the potential of parasites. Internal
parasites can sometimes spread from bunny to bunny. If you have a larger rabbitry with several ten-
ants, you want to identify the parasite and treat quickly to avoid spreading the disease. Obviously,
good sanitation will be a must in these cases as every cage and piece of equipment will need to be
sanitized, as well as hand-washing routines put in place in between the handling of each rabbit.
Pasteurella
. This disease causes coldlike respiratory symptoms in rabbits. If you notice your rabbit
sneezing a lot, any white mucous draining from the nose or on his paws from where he's been
wiping his nose, or weeping eyes from blocked tear ducts, chances are he has a
Pasteurella multocida
infection, or pasteurellosis. Pasteurella is a bacteria that almost all rabbits are exposed to; however,
only those with weakened immune systems will usually develop symptoms. Stress from weaning,
pregnancy, moving, overcrowding, poor living conditions, and other preventable situations can
trigger pasteurellosis.
Sometimes antibiotics will help prevent secondary infections, but there is no true cure for the
disease. That's why good breeding habits and good living conditions are so important. You should
never breed a rabbit that has shown symptoms of pasteurellosis, although offspring from a sick doe
that stay healthy to a breeding age may have a higher-than-average immunity.
