KEEPING A HEALTHY BARN

PURCHASE HEALTHY STOCK: If you choose healthy, disease-resistant animals from a successful breeder you greatly increase the chances of keeping a healthy herd. Any new animals brought into your barn should be QUARANTINED for a period of time (ideally 30 days) to be sure they do not carry disease. (In an absolutely ideal situation, separate housing areas would be kept for the "show herd" which is coming and going all the time, and the "breeding herd" which stays home, but few of us can really accommodate that.)

FEED AND WATER: Feed a well-balanced nutritional feed. We suggest 15 to 17 percent protein and 17 percent fiber. Higher values of protein may cause enteritis (diarrhea) in weanlings. Make certain that the bunnies have plenty of CLEAN fresh water at all times. Without water, rabbits will not eat and will fail to grow and become ill

KEEP IT CLEAN: This means keeping a regular schedule of cleaning and disinfecting all cages and crocks every week. Does with litters should really be cleaned twice a week. Any time a rabbit has diarrhea the cage should be cleaned and disinfected. Sweep the floor, remove old discarded feed and water from the rabbit area.

KEEP IT QUIET: Try to keep your rabbits in an area where they will not be unduly stressed by loud noises or lots of activity. Pregnant does and does with litters particularly should be in a calm, quiet environment.

VENTILATION: This is extremely important in the prevention of certain respiratory diseases such as “snuffles”, which can be highly contagious and is considered by most to be incurable. Keep in mind that rabbits cannot withstand direct drafts, so be sure to provide air movement without an open window blowing directly on your bunnies.

LIGHT: Access to sunlight will keep your bunnies happier, and will actually aid in the conception rate of your does. Be aware that dark-furred rabbits who are exposed to direct sunlight may become sunburned in their coats, which is a fault when showing.

RODENT CONTROL: We took some PVC pipe cut into about two-foot sections and stuffed a packet of bait down into the center. These were placed along the walls under the cages. It is too small for any bunny to fit into in the case one should get out.

CONTROL EXPOSURE TO DISEASE: Along with quarantine of any new animals, keep dogs, cats, birds, and wild animals out of your rabbitry. Dogs can actually transmit tapeworm, birds have lice and other diseases, cats and wild animals may carry disease and also attack your bunnies. Also be aware that if you've been in another rabbitry where disease is present, you may actually track contamination into your barn on your shoes and clothes.

ROUTINE HEALTH CARE: Any rabbit herd should be on a regular schedule of worming and coccidia control. The wormer and coccidiostat should be rotated on a regular basis so as not to build up immunity. For information on dosage and medications see your vet. Also check out Lisa Smith’s webpage on my Links section.

OUR BUNNY FIRST AID CABINET

Here are some things we keep handy for various problems we’ve encountered:

- Oatmeal: for diarrhea, rabbits under stress, weanlings

- Kaopectate: for mild diarrhea, .25 cc for a senior

- Petromalt: cat hairball remedy, good for fur block

- Acid Pak 4-Way: add to water for bunnies under stress

- Electrolyte Replacement Powder: for bunnies under stress, especially if not drinking

- Rubbing alcohol: for disinfecting wounds and sterilizing needles and tattoo equipment

- Mycitracin: antibiotic for wounds

- Neomycin ophthalmic ointment: for infected eyes in newborns and older bunnies. You must get this from a rabbit supply store or your vet.

- Scissors, tweezers

- Syringes (w/o needles) for administering medications and hand-feeding babies

- Papaya tablets: given to help in prevention and treatment of fur block

- QwikStop powder: for bleeding toenails

BE A DROPPING PAN DETECTIVE

A good way to keep a check on a rabbit’s health is to keep an eye on the dropping pan under it’s cage. Tell-tale evidence from close examination can clue you in on several different types of health issues. Look for things like:

Diarrhea: One of the things that scares us the most. Diarrhea is always concerning because it can quickly lead to a critical situation, with dehydration and possible death.

*Mild diarrhea: could be brought on by stress, a change in feed or water, reaction to antibiotic treatment, worms or coccidia infestation. Treatment could range from adding rolled oats to the feed, adding more hay to the diet, reducing stress levels, adding Acid-Pak-4-Way or electrolytes to the water, or treating with antibiotics and Lactated Ringer’s Solution (for dehydration). Prognosis is good when caught early and treated properly.

*“Jelly”-like secretion with diarrhea: A sign of MucoidEnteritis, the most serious form of diarrhea. If you gently “shake” the rabbit near your ear you can hear a “sloshing” sound in the gut. Most often seen in young rabbits. The exact cause is still unknown. Once the rabbit exhibits these symptoms, the mortality rate is very high. (See Lisa Smith’s page for an excellent discussion on dealing with this heart-breaking condition.) Get to a vet immediately!

Lack of Droppings: If the rabbit has not been passing any fecal Pellets (and probably you’ll notice that it hasn’t been eating), you could suspect fur block. We increase hay and oats in the feed, give a couple papaya tablets on top of the feed, and treat with a dose of Petromalt cat hair-ball remedy for a few days in a row (you can also use 5 to 10 cc's of mineral oil). This could also signal the onset of an enteritis attack.

Lack of Urine: If the bunny is not urinating, then it’s probably not drinking and is becoming dehydrated. When we are concerned that a rabbit may not be drinking, we fill the water crock full to overflowing and check it the next day to see if the level has gone down any. Bunnies that refuse to drink are pretty ill. Keep a close eye on this, as a bunny can get dehydrated very quickly and this could lead to more serious trouble. See your vet or administer Lactated Ringer’s Solution under a vet’s supervision.

“String-of-Pearls” droppings: The fecal pellets are connected by little fibers and resemble a pearl necklace. We see this especially when the bunnies are molting, as they groom themselves and ingest higher amounts of wool. Up the fiber content of the feed and give more hay. Give a few papaya tablets over the next few days. Watch for signs of diarrhea or going off their feed.

“Rice” in the Fecal Pellets: Little white pieces of what looks like rice found imbedded in the fecal pellet are really pinworms. We actually look for these after we routinely worm the herd, to see if we were successful. Almost all rabbits carry worms to some degree, but a good regular health schedule will keep them under control.

Bright Orange or Red Urine: is related to the mineral content of the feed. We sometimes see this if we feed alfalfa hay instead of grass hay, especially in young rabbits. This is shocking the first time you see it, but harmless. It is transparent and not to be confused with blood.

Bright Red Blood on the Shavings: Most likely, the bunny has Broken or pulled a toenail. Sometimes this can bleed quite a bit. Also check to see if the bunny has been injured by the rabbit next door or by a predator. If it is a pregnant doe, she may have had her litter or aborted.

Feed Pellets in the Dropping Pan: Your rabbit is a “digger” or a “dumper”. He may dig in the pellets to get at his favorite part (especially if you put “goodies” like barley or oats in the feed). He may dump the feed bowl by accident if it is not a heavy enough bowl, or on purpose if he is annoyed by something or just bored. The same goes for finding water-soaked shavings and an empty water bowl. The bunny is not getting enough feed and will not do well unless you take care of the problem. Get a heavier bowl or one that locks into place on the side of the cage.

**Now that you’ve checked out the evidence UNDER the rabbit, stand back and take a look at the animal. Sick rabbits sit hunched up in the corner with their ears laid back and don’t respond to your presence. If you get to know your bunny through daily care, you’ll be able to see right away if it’s not acting like itself. If you suspect something might be wrong, don’t hesitate to take action. Once bunnies become ill, we can lose them very quickly if we don’t intervene.

HEALTH TIPS

BE A DROPPING PAN DETECTIVE