Rabbits should receive annual health checkups. Veterinarians may examine rabbits using techniques similar to those used for dogs and cats. Veterinarians typically examine the mouth to evaluate dental health. Gender can be determined by examining the rabbit’s genitals for a slit-like vulva (opening to the vagina) in females or a penis in males. Sometimes this difference can be very hard to appreciate, especially in very young rabbits. Males’ testicles become apparent at 10-12 weeks of age, but males have the ability to pull their testicles back into their abdomens when they are very nervous, making the presence of testicles an unreliable means to determine gender. Normal body temperature is 103°F to 104°F (39.4°C to 40°C). A body temperature of less than 100.4°F (38°C) or greater than 105°F (40.6°C) is cause for concern.
Spaying (surgical removal of the ovaries and uterus) female rabbits is essential in preventing not only unwanted litters, but also in the development of uterine cancer – a fatal illness that is very common in rabbits after 3 years of age. Neutering (surgical removal of the testicles) male rabbits helps reduce the likelihood of aggressive behavior and urine spraying to mark territory.
Routine Care of Your Rabbit
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Nails should be trimmed every 1 to 2 months or as needed. Rabbits should not be declawed.
The only vaccination recommended routinely for pet rabbits is against rabbit hemorrhagic disease – a fatal, highly contagious illness caused by infection with RHDV-2 virus. Because this virus affects both domestic and wild rabbits, this vaccination is especially important in rabbits that go outside (in areas where wild rabbits have been) or that have contact with other pet rabbits. Rabbits should be given 2 doses of vaccine, 3 weeks apart, and then a booster vaccine annually.
Signs of Illness
Signs of illness include discharge from the nose and eyes; fur loss; red or swollen skin; dark red urine; loss of energy, appetite, or weight; drooling; diarrhea or no droppings for more than 12 hours; not hopping or moving normally; and trouble breathing. A rabbit in pain may chatter or grind its teeth while sitting in a hunched position. If any of these signs occur, you should take the rabbit to your veterinarian immediately.
Giving Medication
Very few drugs are approved for use in rabbits. Occasionally, drugs approved for use in other species, such as cats or dogs, are used to treat rabbits. Caution is necessary when using antibiotics that suppress the normally occurring, harmless digestive system bacteria in rabbits. The use of inappropriate antibiotics may result in an imbalance in intestinal bacteria, severe diarrhea, or even death. This has been called antibiotic toxicity. Antibiotics that should not be used in rabbits include clindamycin, lincomycin, erythromycin, ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and cephalosporins. The flea treatment fipronil should not be used in rabbits because it may be poisonous for some individuals. Be sure to check with your veterinarian before giving any medications to your rabbit.
Prolonged fasting before a surgical operation is not required or recommended. Rabbits cannot vomit (a concern with other species during general anesthesia). Your veterinarian may administer medication before surgery to help reduce stress. It is crucial for rabbits to start eating after surgery, and treatment with pain medication for 1 to 2 days after surgery will help prevent loss of appetite. Hay and water are typically offered as soon as possible after surgery. Alfalfa hay or treats (like bananas) may improve a rabbit's appetite after a surgical procedure.
Rabbits will chew out skin sutures. Therefore, veterinarians close surgical incisions with absorbable sutures buried beneath the skin or use other skin closure methods.
Dental Care
Dental problems in rabbits are common because all of their teeth grow continuously throughout their life, and if they do not eat hay, they do not have the opportunity to wear down their teeth as they grow. Proper dental care and an appropriate diet help reduce dental problems.
Dental Malocclusion
Teeth malocclusion, rabbit
All of a rabbit’s teeth (incisors, premolars, and molars) grow throughout the life of the rabbit. Tooth length is normally kept in check by the wearing action of opposing teeth when the rabbit chews. However, problems with overgrown teeth can occur when the teeth are positioned unevenly in the jaw, known as malocclusion. Malocclusion is probably the most common inherited disease in rabbits and leads to overgrowth of both incisors (front teeth) and cheek teeth (back teeth, called premolars and molars). Malocclusion often results in difficulty eating and drinking.
Rabbits with malocclusion may have obviously overgrown, long upper and/or lower incisors, uneven wear of their incisors (so that they appear shorter on one side than the other), or the inability to close their mouths. A veterinarian can anesthetize a rabbit with malocclusion and trim the teeth to minimize problems. Malocclusion can be inherited and can be seen in rabbits as young as 3 to 8 weeks old. But young rabbits can also damage their incisor teeth by pulling on the cage wire, which results in misalignment and possible malocclusion as their teeth grow. In addition, rabbits eating only pellets, rather than hay, may develop overgrown teeth because chewing on crumbly pellets doesn’t enable them to wear down their continuously growing teeth as does chewing on long-stem, fibrous hay.
Sometimes, when the cheek teeth overgrow, they develop sharp, pointy edges that can cut the tongue or insides of the cheeks. These points must be filed down by a veterinarian.
Dental Abscesses
Infection of the tissue surrounding a tooth may lead to abscesses. Abscesses can be caused by foreign objects (often plant material) that become embedded between the tooth and gum, by cuts or sores that form in the mouth from contact with pointy edges of unevenly worn teeth, by exposure of the sensitive tissue at the center of a tooth (pulp) after tooth trimming, or by other diseases or dietary problems. Several teeth are commonly affected. A thorough dental examination and radiographs (x-ray images) or computed tomography images (CT scan) are required to confirm the diagnosis. The abscessed tooth may need to be extracted. If multiple cheek teeth need to be extracted, the chance of recovery is small, and abscesses often recur despite tooth extraction. Long-term treatment with rabbit-safe antibiotics to prevent abscess progression may be all that can be done.
