While patting the rabbit’s head, sometimes you may feel their warm ears. Many pet owners wonder whether it is normal or if their rabbit is sick.
It is natural for rabbit’s ears to be warm when you touch them. It is because their body temperature varies from 100.5 to 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Your pets use their ears to control their temperature. So, hot or cold ears can imply a decline in body heat or a fever. Sometimes the rabbit’s ears feel cold when it is trying to retain heat.
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Other Signs That Your Rabbit Is Sick
In general, rabbits use their body language to express themselves. By spending more time with the rabbit, you can know its normal and odd behavior. It could become a great start to understand how the rabbit is feeling under specific weather.
Here are two common ways to determine whether the rabbit is sick or not:
- Eating habits
- Changes in its defecations
Rabbits tend to eat the food you give them daily, such as hay, pellets, or lettuce. Your rabbit could be sick if it is avoiding food or eating only one particular food. During those times, you need to look out for other habits.
Watch your pet for detecting any abnormal walking or hopping steps. Check your pet’s fur to see if it is losing hair or looks dull. As the rabbits are active creatures, they often move around. So, keep an eye on the movements of your pet.
While you are near the pet, check if there are any fluctuations in its breathing. Changes in their breathing pattern could also determine whether a rabbit is sick or not. Be aware of the rabbit’s respiration.
When a rabbit is feeling sick, sometimes it can become bloated. While laying on the floor, it will start to push its stomach to release the gas. It is better to check the body temperature of your pet if you notice this kind of behavior. After that, take some necessary actions to help and comfort your rabbit.
How To Help Your Rabbit If They Are Sick
Rabbits are extremely sensitive creatures. When they become sick, their health can deteriorate quickly. It is your responsibility as the owner to help your pet when it is feeling ill. You must do everything to bring back its health.
The primary thing you need to do is to check the temperature of the rabbit. It is a delicate procedure so try your best to make it safe. Keep in mind not to hurt the pet while doing this.
Another best method to help the rabbit is to make it happy. You can keep your pet comfortable by making it warm. Drape a blanket around your rabbit or put it near the heat lamp.
Plus, make sure to keep the rabbit hydrated. Your pet’s body contains plenty of water and works better with water stimuli. It is better to store a water bottle near the pet. Check whether it is drinking more water or not.
One of the primary things is to feed food to your rabbit. But when a pet is feeling sick, it would not have any appetite to eat food. If this is the situation with your rabbit, get some soft foods so that it would not have to nibble. Thesprucepets.com says to use baby food or applesauce. Besides that, it has some other great ideas on how to maintain your pet’s health:
At last, one of the most effective ideas is to visit the local veterinarian. Remember that the rabbit has delicate health. Due to that, your vet might take some actions like prescribing pills. Use them, and your rabbit will become healthy again. The skilled vet will know more about what your rabbit is suffering from and will diagnose precisely.
How To Keep Your Rabbit Healthy
The best thing is to visit the vet for an annual check-up until your rabbit is four years old. This regular check-up can keep a track of your pet’s health. Besides that, your vet will know if there are any severe complications in it.
After the first four years, it is better to go to the vet with your rabbit every six months. This routine check-up will make it easy for the vet to find any issues regarding its health.
In general, the lifespan of the rabbit ranges from eight to twelve years as a house pet. Rabbits above four years old tend to have a high risk of falling sick. Besides that, as the rabbit becomes old, it may develop several other health problems.
Giving around three to five hours for exercising every day is another method that can keep your rabbit healthy. This idea enables the immune system of your pet to function more effectively. Plus, your rabbit gets a better chance to work well.
Another thing you need to follow is keeping the rabbit on a healthy diet. Your pet’s diet should contain plenty of hay because it offers the necessary nutrition. Plus, you can include tiny pieces of vegetables. But make sure that these veggies are fresh and free from harmful substances. Do not feed excess amounts of pellets. Giving pellets in small quantities can boost the rabbit’s health.
Common Types Of Sickness In Rabbits
There are different reasons for rabbits to become ill. Their illnesses range from a wide variety of outside sources to simple internal pain. As an owner, you must be aware of all those things.
Almost several of the most common diseases come under internal troubles. It includes swelling around the head because of tumors or abscesses. It is better to go to the vets as they can treat these diseases effectively.
You might have noticed that the rabbit is often tilting its head. It is a sign that your pet is facing problems with balance. The primary reasons for this problem are brain infections or inner ear infections.
Several rabbits will get sick depending on what they consume. It might result in bacterial infections in their stomach. Because of this, your pet would not have any appetite for food. Rabbits must eat food every four to six hours. If your pet is not eating any kind of food, you can visit the vet.
One of the least common disorders in rabbits is Myxomatosis. Vets-now.com says:
“This disease results in a constant swelling of the area near the ears, eyes, anus, and genitals. It can become fatal. Vaccinating your pet is the only way to prevent this infection. But if there are no above symptoms in your rabbit, go to the vet as soon as possible.”
We listed some important diseases that you need to be aware of as a rabbit owner. After knowing them, you can immediately determine if the rabbit is sick or not. In many cases, going to the vet is the best way to cure rabbits.