Preventing sickness.

[Zeppelin Bunny]

Hello all, I have been a new rabbit owner for a few months now and I enjoy spending time with my bun! Zeppelins health has greatly increased since we rescued him from a home where he was not well taken care of, I enjoy watching his progress everyday! I love my rabbits to death and want the best for them, So in that case as I was wondering, are there any good tips some of you have for preventing rabbit sickness? I know it is not completely preventable but I figured maybe there were some good tips out there! All answers and feedback are greatly appreciated!

[Bam]

Hay is key to their GI health. GI health is key to their overall health. Boring answer, still true =)

Apart from that, I like the idea about strong colors in vegs and fruit signifying a high content of antioxidants. Dark green vegs, red or dark berries (and the leaves from the plants) like strawberry, bramble, blueberry. I give mine a few pomegranate seeds when I’ve pomegranate myself. (If you have a rabbit with light fur, pomegranate can stain the fur so it look like the bun is bleeding from its mouth, which is scary). I give a few pumpkin-seeds now and then as a treat.

Preventing sickness you do by ensuring good food and good company (bunnies love company!) and good living arrangements (away from draft and moisture f ex), but if a bunny does get sick, it’s so important to detect it early. A bout of gas might be fixed easily at home, but if it progresses undetected to stasis, it’s a vet emergency and it’s really serious. So keep a good eye on the bun, especially appetite-wise. If a bun refuses a treat, it’s an alert. Never wait for the bun to get hungry, the way you can with a(n adult) dog that refuses its food.

Most of this I assume you knew already, but it’s still like the basics. Zeppelin looks adorable in your avatar. Thank you for rescuing him from bad conditions!

[Eepster]

Most of the same things you do to keep your human family healthy are also good for all animals. As Bam pointed out, a good diet is huge.

Frequent hand washing, so if you have germs on your hands you don’t spread them. Especially before handling food.

Taking off shoe when entering the house so you aren’t tracking in dirt from outside. Which not only can have germs, but usually has environmental contaminants like lead and pesticides.

[Author]

Messages