Keeping your rabbit healthy can be challenging. However, the team at SASH can help, as we cater to our friends with scales, shells, feathers and more!
Rabbits make wonderful pets and can thrive in our homes. They adapt well to apartments and often love to be part of the family activities. However, it is a common misconception that they are low-maintenance. Rabbits have specific requirements that need to be met for them to lead long and happy lives. This includes an appropriate environment, specialised nutrition and preventative health care. They also have specialised nutritional needs and are not recommended as low maintenance pets.
We believe in providing a high standard of care for our rabbit patients and engage with specialists in a variety of fields to provide the highest quality care.
We offer all services for rabbits including:
- Emergency care
- Hospitalisation with dedicated ward and custom enclosures
- Annual health examinations
- Desexing males and females
- Vaccination
- Micro-chipping
- Laboratory testing – on-site pathologist and blood machines
- Diagnostic imaging – X-ray, Ultrasound, CT, MRI and fluoroscopy
- Dentistry
- Surgery for minor and major procedures
- Behavioural investigations and management
- Direct access to other specialities including oncology, ophthalmology, cardiology and imaging
Illness in Rabbits
Rabbits are prey species, and they can often hide signs of disease until the problem has become very advanced. Many injuries that initially seem minor, can also be very serious.
We recommend always erring on the side of caution when something seems unusual with your rabbit and having them examined by knowledgeable veterinarian.
Signs of illness or injury in rabbits:
- Less active, hunched or fluffed posture
- Refusing food, drooling, reduced appetite or inability to chew
- Reduced faecal production or gut stasis
- Diarrhoea
- Changes in the consistency, size or shape of faecal pellets
- Changes in normal behaviours or routine
- Having difficulty moving, limping or not using a leg
- Breathing difficulties, discharge from the mouth or nostrils
- Sneezing, coughing
- Changes to one or both eyes (swelling, redness, discharge)
- Drinking excessively
- Urinating excessively or changes to the urine consistency or colour
- Seizures, tremors
- Bleeding, wounds, lumps or swellings
- Fur loss, itching
Bringing Your Rabbit to The Vet
Bringing your rabbit to the vet can be a stressful time, especially when they are unwell or injured. SASH North Ryde has a dedicated Avian & Exotics wing, with its own waiting and consult rooms, separated from dogs and cats.
All patients need to arrive at the appointment in an enclosure. Carriers designed for cats or dogs are recommended. White or pale coloured fleece or fabric bedding is recommended rather than sawdust or hay.
Housing Your Pet
Although traditionally considered outdoor pets, rabbits will often be happier and healthier kept as indoor pets with supervised outdoor access.
Risks of being housed outdoors include:
- Predator attacks (snakes, foxes, cats, dogs)
- Escaping (especially rabbits)
- Heat stress and exposure to the cold
- Fly-strike
- Exposure to fatal viruses such as myxomatosis and calicivirus
Rabbits prefer a large area to roam, places to hide and protection from the weather. Rabbits will also use a litter tray and should be provided with safe litter, such as recycled paper pellets.
Nutrition
Rabbits are herbivores and require a high fibre diet to remain in optimal health.
Their intestinal tract is designed to digest low calorie, high fibre grasses and feeding energy rich foods often leads to serious problems, including diarrhoea and gut stasis episodes. The teeth of rabbits are constantly growing, and they require abrasive food to keep them in normal alignment and prevent dental abnormalities.
Rabbits should be fed:
- 85% high quality hay (oaten, timothy, barley, pasture, wheaten types)
- 10% green leafy vegetables and herbs
- < 5% pellets
Food that should not be fed rabbits and guinea pigs include:
- Lucerne hay or pellets made from lucerne (these contain high levels of calcium that can contribute to urinary problems in adult animals)
- Fruits, especially dried fruit
- Muesli or grain mix
- Seeds, nuts
- Onion, garlic
- Chocolate and other sugary foods
Preventative Care
Desexing
Female rabbits must be spayed when they are young to avoid serious disease. Desexing of female rabbits prevents cancer of the uterus and reduces the risk of mammary tumours. Uterine abnormalities are incredibly common in rabbits and some population studies report an incidence of uterine cancer at 80% in female rabbits over the age of 6 years.
Castration in male rabbits eliminates the risk of testicular tumours. If performed early, many unwanted behaviours can be prevented.
Vaccination
Rabbits require vaccination against Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (Calicivirus), a fatal infection that has no cure.
Young rabbits between 6-12 weeks of age, need to be immunised twice, four weeks apart and then vaccination every 12 months. After 10 weeks of age, a single vaccination can then be followed by annual vaccination.
There is, however, no vaccination available for Myxomatosis, a fatal and highly contagious viral infection. This is spread by mosquitos, fleas and other biting insects as well as by direct physical contact. Keeping you rabbit indoors can minimise this risk or ensure their outdoor enclosure is covered with mosquito netting before dusk. Control of fleas with topical preventative medications and environmental control is important.
Hazards In The Home
We encourage rabbit owners to be aware of various common household hazzards.
- Toxic food – avocado, onion, garlic, coffee, chocolate, rhubarb
- Toxic house plants – including azaleas, ficus species, oleander
- Poisons – rodent baits, cockroach or ant baits, snail bait
- Inhaled toxins – cigarette smoke, insect sprays
- Metal items – lead paint, galvanised wire, copper, rusty steel, coins, batteries, costume jewellery, electrical cords and wire
- Pet cats and dogs, wild rodents, snakes, foxes
