Tuesday 31 May 2011

Ringworm in Rabbits

Ringworm in rabbits is just one of them things that your rabbit may come across. If you are wondering, humans can catch it. In the information below, I will tell you all about ringworm in rabbits.


How it Started

Although it is not a worm it is a fungus, it still needs to be properly treated. The fungus that causes this is usually a variety called Trichophyton. This is also quite uncommon for bunnies to get but it is usually house bunnies that get it because they are around other animals that could have this. They normally catch it from objects and other animals through the air from the fungi spores


Symptoms


Here are some of the symptoms from this fungi:

Hair loss in affected area

round ring shape from fungi

dry, swollen area

common areas affected are:

legs, feet and head

Treatment

Usually bunnies affected will recover on their own, but if you did need any treatment you might be told by a vet to use an ointment. This helps your bunny to stop itching the sore area. If they did scratch it quite a bit, they could get some further issues.

Prevention

Some ways to prevent this is by having a clean environment (making sure that anywhere your bunny has went has been cleaned thoroughly), the hutch given a good clean. Until this is fully treated, keep your bunny away from any other animals and make sure to give your hands a good wash afterwords. Make sure that you stay clean as well.

Here are some bunny products which you may like. Take a look if you are interested!


If you have any questions or concerns about ringworm in rabbits, comment on this post.

Monday 30 May 2011

Wry Neck in Rabbits

Wry neck in rabbits can be a sad sight for some bunny owners. In the information below I will tell you all about wry neck in rabbits.

This is where they have a head tilt. As well a an immune disorder and can be in the brain, eye or ear. The side that their head tilts to is the side that they have something wrong.

Symptoms

causes or the head tilt are:

middle/inner ear infection

stroke

trauma

a cancer called neoplasia 

and

cervical muscle contracion

The ways to spot if your bunny has this is:

tilted head

walking in circles

rolling (in later stages)

lack of movement around the cage (staying in one corner)

loss of appetite

weepy eye

darting eye

staying low to the floor

weight loss

dehydration

and

staring at nothing

Treatment

The eye pointing down will need an ointment to keep it moist. Try to pick your bunny up as less as possible. When picking them up, hold them close to your body so they feel stable. Have something like a rolled up towel or a teddy bear that looks like a bunny near him so when he looses his balance, he won't roll over.

Make sure your bunny keeps eating and that you are there to hand feed him and encourage him.  Make sure to feed him a variety of greens, veggies and  fruits as they my not eat their pellets. As well as making sure that they get lots of hay.

If they stop eating, you have to be prepared to syringe feed them. If they stop eating, then he will die if you don't get any food into his stomach. Try to feed him as much as you can at once when syringe feeding. Also as frequently as you can.  

Prevention

To prevent this from happening again, you need to make sure that they get good ventilation (this will reduce any respiratory infections that your bunny could get). Also, good sanitation would help. I have heard that house rabbits may get this more because they are closer to household waste.
 
Here are some bunny products which you may find interesting!


If you have any questions or concerns about wry neck in rabbits, comment on this post. 

Sunday 29 May 2011

Snuffles in Rabbits

In this post I will tell you all about snuffles in rabbits.

What is it? Cause?

Snuffles in rabbits is a respiratory disease which may often become fatal if left untreated. Signs may be mild or severe.

Signs

The signs of snuffles in rabbits vary but are usually associated with the upper respiratory tract. The bunnies will usually develop a watery nasal discharge, followed by sneezing and then a thick, whitish/yellowish nasal discharge. 

They will often make a loud snuffling or snoring sound from all of the fluid and mucus in their nasal tracts. From bunnies using their front paws to clean themselves, you may notice discharge or mats on the inside of their front paws. 

This illness could travel to their eye's and become conjunctivitis or end up in their ears and become an ear infection. This could lead to becoming another illness called wry neck (a twisting of the neck). Infection may clear up in the nose but stay in the ears. 

Treatment 

This illness is generally treated with anti-biotics for about 15-30 days. If an illness is very mild and your bunny has a strong immune system, they will not need anything and will recover on their own. If the infection has lasted for quite a while without any treatment, this illness could then become very fatal. Some animals may only get this for a short amount of time, but have a sinus infection. that needs long tern or lifetime treatment. 

Prevention

Snuffles in rabbits is a very contagious disease and can be difficult to treat. You have to keep their hutch clean and make sure they have no contact with other bunnies until the illness is completely gone. This is why you should pick a healthy bunny when you are choosing from a pet shop. Make sure that they have no snuffles or any type of illness. 

Make sure to reduce any stress that your pet may have. Some common causes of stress in bunnies is: poor nutrition, improper housing, overcrowding, chilling, or aggression from another rabbit. From snuffles in rabbits being so contagious, any bunny owners have to be aware and ready to seek some veterinary help as soon as you can.

Here are some products which I thought you may find interesting, have a look if you are!


If you have any questions or concerns about snuffles in rabbits, comment on this post.

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Rabbit Bonding-Day 6

Here is what I did on day 6 of rabbit bonding.

Day 6

Today I just had pipkin and Pumpkin out on top of the hutch so they could smell each other but not get so close that they would fight. I let them get a good sniff of each other and lean against each other but that was it. They were out together for about 20 minutes. 

They were alright with each other but had no trust from the fight the day before. If your bunnies ever get into a fight when doing rabbit bonding like what happened with Pipkin and Pumpkin, just start off very simple again so they can remember that they can trust each other.

Here are some products which I thought you might be interested in, have a look if you are!


If you have any questions or concerns about rabbit bonding, comment on this post.

Monday 23 May 2011

Rabbit Bonding-Day 5

Here is a short summary of what I have done for my rabbit bonding today.

Day 5

Today I had them out in the garden, in this pen out of spare wood that I had put together. It was quite big and we put some of their toys in with them. We had them off of their leads to see what they would do together. They started off fine with Pipkin hopping around and Pumpkin following him from time to time. This was very cute! They did this for about 30 minutes. Then their was a fight.

Pumpkin had been right in front of Pipkin. Then Pipkin had nudged Pumpkin really hard as in saying to him to groom him but Pumpkin didn't take it that way. So he turned round and started to chase and nip Pipkin so he did the same. Some fur was pulled out in clumps. We went to separate them and pick them up but all they did was run away from us and try to fight with each other. We caught them in about a minute and luckily there was no serious injuries.

If your bunnies do this when you are doing any rabbit bonding, then make sure to separate them as soon as possible. We had them on top of the hutch for a minute but I didn't feel very safe doing this so they went back into their hutches.

Here are some bunny products which I thought you may like. Take a look if you are interested!


If you have any questions or concerns about rabbit bonding, comment on this post.

Sunday 22 May 2011

Rabbit Bonding-Day 4

Here is what I did for rabbit bonding on the forth day.

Day 4

Today I took my 2 bunnies out in the garden but made sure that they couldn't escape. We had them on their leads but let them go up to each other if they wanted. First of all, we placed Pipkin onto pumpkin's back with him slightly pinned down in case he would bite him. We did this the other way round and they seemed to be fine.  

We began to give them a bit more freedom so that they could hop around and see each other if they felt like it but the only difference was that we were more relaxed about it. They were out for about 45 minutes and they always seem to enjoy hopping around the garden and seeing each  other for this short amount of time.

Here are some very good bunny products that you may be interested in, take a look if you are!


If you have any questions or concerns about rabbit bonding, comment on this post.

Friday 20 May 2011

Rabbit Bonding-Day 3

Here is a short post about some male rabbit bonding that I have been doing.

Day 3

 Today with my two male rabbits, I put them on their leads and took them into the garden  to see how they react near each other in what they would call their territory. They actually were very good around each other, they weren't really bothered and went on doing their own thing with the occasional sniff of each other. If your bunnies are acting like this when you are doing some rabbit bonding, that is a good sign that they are becoming a bit more comfortable around each other.

Here are some nice products which you may want to consider buying!



If you have anything about rabbit bonding or any questions comment on this post.

Thursday 19 May 2011

Rabbit Bonding-Day 2

Here is what I did for the second day of my rabbit bonding with Pipkin and Pumpkin. They are both males.

Day 2

Today we began letting our rabbits have a bit of a closer sniff of each other. We were there with all of the equipment and making sure that nothing bad happened. They got along very well nuzzling into each other. They were out for just over 20 minutes. When you do any rabbit bonding, make sure you end on something positive so then they remember each other as good and begin building trust in each other. 

If you are thinking about doing any rabbit bonding, make sure that you don't rush into anything too fast because they might not get along straight away.

Here are some products you may consider using when bonding your bunnies!



If you have any questions or concerns, comment on  this post.

Wednesday 18 May 2011

Rabbit Bonding-Day 1

When you start doing rabbit bonding. You may want to look out for a few things. I will tell you about the equipment you need and what I did when I first started bonding 2 of my male rabbits.

Equipment

1) An old shoe that you can use to break up fights
2) A squirty bottle that you can use to stop any fights that are about to happen
3) A neutral area where there isn't each others scents yet such as in a bathtub or a new place
4) Some sort of positive thing such as treats that are good for them to have
5) Each rabbit on a lead if you have any

Day 1

Today was more of an introduction day where we just let them meet each other. This is a good way to start your rabbit bonding. We let them see that each other was there and let them smell each other by petting one and then the other. You don't want to do too much on the first day because they won't necessarily get on. We had them out for about half an hour. You would want to have them out for at least 20 minutes a day. The more that you have them out, the less time overall it will take for them to be very good buddies.

Helpful Tips

When doing any rabbit bonding, it is easier with a male and a female since they get along better.

Two males are harder because they are very dominant and don't get along very easily.

Here are some products which you can use to help you bond your bunnies!



If you have any questions or concerns about rabbit bonding, please comment on this post.