Basic Rabbit Health Considerations

Hi, my name is Aileen Carol Hogspot, I’m with Friends of Rabbits, we’re talking about how to care for your rabbit and we will be discussing basic health considerations today. And this is Lucy with me, we will be talking about Lucy, who is probably the best example of what a healthy rabbit is. Lucy is obviously not lethargic, she’s very active, we’re gonna talk about rabbits noses, it should be dry, they should be, no labor breathing. We’re gonna talk about eye should be clear, there should be no abscess, there should be no moisture, excess moisture, any type of crustiness around the eyes. They should be clear, they should be, they should be able to see and get some reactions from her when I do this. Her ears, should be warm to the touch, they feel a little warmer. Obviously they could be cold to, if you just wake up and you’re rabbits have been sleeping for a while, there is a possibility the temperature will drop in the ears. Her skin in general should be soft, obviously, rabbit sheds so, if you keep a good brushing will help keep this coat soft. Physical wise, you can see some problems with your rabbit if they have gas, they may shy away from you, they may not wanna move, they may hide. Also problems with gastrostasis, also called gastrointestinal stasis, which would be good common thing to look for and that is if your rabbit hasn’t been making any fecal droppings. That’s important, that means something is going in and nothing is coming out, that would need to be discuss with your veterinary doctor immediately, that is something that obviously can't wait, and you wanna make sure that you take care of that. Their feet should be soft, but they may have some soreness in the back of their feet, where their hair has gone and that’s something you need to, you know, make sure that you pay attention to. In general a litter box, you wanna make sure that you’re paying attention to what you’re seeing. You should be seeing fecal droppings, you should be seeing urine. Urine could be anywhere from a light yellow color, can be dark sometimes, just coz you see red urine, don’t assume that there’s a problem. Obviously, you check with your vet, if you have any questions, but the color of the urine can also be based on what they’re taking in. because, coloring of food can affect the color of urine. In general, your rabbit should be very active, lifestyle should be up and around, you see something out of the ordinary, you need to make sure that you address it and obviously if you go out of town and someone’s watching your rabbit, having an emergency list of vets in the area, the rope is important to you and to anyone else who you would possibly have house sitting for you. And those are some basic health considerations about your rabbit. Next we will discussing how to give medications.