HEALTH

Health & Wellbeing

Rabbits are experts in hiding their illness and pain. This is a survival tactic as a prey animal, to conceal weakness from predators. It is our role to observe their behaviour closely and identify changes which could indicate a health concern and to ensure our rabbits have regular check ups with a rabbit vet.

Vet Care

CLICK HERE to read more about finding a rabbit vet and which vets we recommend in Scotland.

Health Emergencies

Emergency reasons to see a rabbit savvy vet NOW:

Not moving, limp
Change/loss of appetite
Small or fewer poos
Broken bones or legs
Collapse
Mouth breathing
Runny eyes/nose/coughing/sneezing/wheezing
Fly strike
Blood in urine
Dribbling/wet fur around mouth
Haemorrhage
Fitting
Screaming
Bad wounds
Diarrhoea
Lumps or growths

Toilet Habits

By recognising problems early, you can help solve the issue before it gets too serious. One of the best ways to keep an eye on their internal health is by observing their urine and faeces.

URINE

Rabbits can pee all sorts of colours from clear to bright red. This can change depending on what they have eaten. All colours are normal however look out for any white urine or chalky deposits in the urine. This is a sign of too much calcium and can quickly turn into kidney and bladder issues.

Normal urine colours

FAECES:

Rabbits have 2 types of faeces

Droppings - droppings tell you a lot about a rabbits health. You want to be looking for lots of large golden poos that crumble when pressed. They should look like lots of tiny bits of hay compressed. Few, small, dark or misshapen droppings is a sign there is something up. It could be a change in diet or they may have gone into gut stasis. If you see poos stringing together with hair, they can have a blockage in the gut with fur. This is common when they are moulting. Groom them everyday to get rid of excess fur and give plenty of hay and water to flush their gut out.
Caecotrophs - wet shiny poo. This is normally produced early morning and night. This should be eaten straight from the anus as rabbits take their vitamins back from them. If you see them and they have not been eaten this can indicate their diet is too rich. Cut back on pellets and fresh food and increase hay consumption.

If your rabbit has not pooped for a while, take them to the vet asap!

Vaccinations

Rabbits are suceptible to 3 viruses in the UK: Myxomatosis, VHD1, VHD2.
ALL rabbits BOTH indoors and outdoors require vaccinations to all 3 viruses annually. These viruses can be picked up and spread quickly and easily regardless where your rabbit lives.