Why Rabbits Bite

There are a few reasons for why rabbits bite. In this post, I am going to tell you all about it.

With some cases your bunny may just like to nibble and bite things. This isn't always the case though. Another reason is that your bunny may be slightly aggressive, yet the reason they may be like that is because your breaking their 'bunny rules'.

When rabbits bite you, it's like them telling you off in their way as you have done something wrong. Amongst themselves, they have a strick code in which they follow, but they won't have a sign which they have made saying 'don't do this or I will bite you'. This is just general bunny behaviour of in which ways they treat each other.

This is like giving you a warning, telling you not to do it again. Sometimes they will be protective of their cages as it is where they live, so when you try to clean it out or rearrange it, they may give you a 'telling off'.

They may think of themselves as the boss and when they want grooming , you have to groom them. If you have your hand near them, or they come up to you and start nudging or nuzzling your hand, this is a sign of them wanting to be groomed.

In your bunny's mind, if you don't understand their 'code' then you are far too stupid (which you aren't).  Rabbits bite you to try to 'teach you a lesson' and to make sure you understand that you did something wrong.

They think of us as very large, furless bunnies who are badly behaved and need to be punished.

They think differently of how things work and what you should do, unlike a dog they don't see you as an 'owner' or 'master'.

From this post you may think of rabbits as very strange, yet they are actually highly intelligent which is why it's good to bond with your bunny and to play with them all the time.

I hope this post about why rabbits bite has given you a better understanding about them.

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Weaning Process for Rabbits

Depending on the breed, the time in which you wean them can vary. Also how well they have been developing and the owners desire's and past experiences.

The age is normally in between 6-8 weeks. Yet it used to be 8-10 weeks.

The process in which I have heard is effective:

The doe and litter should be separated at one time. Yet keep the whole litter together.

The weaned rabbits should be kept together for about 2-3 weeks after weaning from their mother as the stress on weaned kits is reduced if they are kept with each other.

If you remove them all at once, it reduces the risk of mastitis in the doe.

As you remove them all at once, then the doe's milk will dry up faster as if they keep some with her, then the milk keeps stimulating.

Due to the stress of weaning and the fact the young rabbits consume a lot of solid food, they are more likely to have diarrhoea and enteritis.

Some breeders use different techniques to avoid this. For example some add an electrolyte to their water supply as this helps them to become rehydrated.

If you are requiring more advice on this topic, I would recommend you to visit your local veterinary practice as they will have some useful tips which can help you as well as they may have something they can use to help.

I hope this post about weaning process for rabbits was useful for you.

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Paralysis in Rabbits

This is described as the loss of ability to move a body part.

This can be hind limb paresis and that can be caused by: 

• Trauma to the spine, pelvis or limbs
• spondylosis or osteoarthritis 
• damaged or ruptured vertebrae discs
• bacterial infection
• the roundworm parasite

Symptoms:

• signs or wobbliness or weakness in their hind legs
• has occasional trouble staying upright
• during normal activities sometimes falls over

 If your rabbit does have paralysis, then you will wan to visit the vets to find out of any treatment which they can have. If they completely can't use their back legs you may want to consider either buying them some rabbit wheels or if it may be time to put them down.

This is a very stressful topic as people can become very attached to their pets as they are companions for them, yet you have to consider what the best way is for them.

Sometimes this can be cause by a broken back leg from the way you may have handled them, or if a predator had attacked them. If thats the case, then you will have to see in ways of having their leg protected by having it checked at the vets.

This can be caused by trauma (being physically injured) or by pathogens (which is similar to a virus).

I hope this post helped you to understand paralysis in rabbits better.

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Coccidiosis in Rabbits

This is a highly contagious sporozal infection which effects the intestine. This is a disease of birds and mammals.

This is caused by the protozoal parasite. From what I have learned there has been 25 species of coccidia  observed in the gastrointestinal tract of the rabbit. These are rarely a danger to humans which means you can handle them without ending up with it as we are mammals.

Healthy bunnies can be carriers of this, yet from their faeces, they can contaminate their environment -  including their food and water, and this especially effects the younger animals.

You should be giving your bunny dry pellets, washed fresh vegetables and clean drinking water. If your bunny is living in these conditions, it is said that the coccidiosis in rabbits is much less likely to occur.

Symptoms:

These can vary depending on if the disease is a hepatic or intestinal infection.

They may loose their appetite and loose weight.

They may have diarrhoea.

They may get a 'pot-bellied' appearance or pain in the abdomen.

They may become dehydrated and present signs of weakness.

Treatment:

If you have you doubts on weather or not your bunny has this or not, I would take them to the vets to have them checked to make sure. What has previously been used to treat this, has made the parasites more resistant to it, yet there is a stronger medication in which thy can use. Also if they have any secondary bacterial infections, they will also be treated but with anti biotics.

So after you take them to the vets, listen to the instructions in which they have given you to do with your bunny to help cure this vile disease. I have heard that it is recommended that they are kept separate from any others in which they may be living with.

I hope this post gave you a better understanding about coccidiosis in rabbits!

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Sore Hocks in Rabbits

Sore hocks in rabbits is also known as bumblefoot or ulcerative pododermatitis. This is a bacterial infection of the skin. The part it effects is when your bunny is sitting, the part of their back feet which are touching the ground (called their hock's).

If you leave this untreated it can deteriorate to become a disease on the skin in which emits pus which is also known as pyoderma.

Cause

This is an inflammation of the balls of the feet and is usually caused by infection. This infection occurs when you pet ha broken skin on the bottom of their feet and bacteria gets into it. This is a wound or abrasion on the foot.The skin can become broken from the bottom of the cage floor if it is just wire mesh.

Their are different grades of this depending on how bad it is:

Grade I - This is a milder form of the disease and they could have fur loss, and some other early symptoms on their back feet

Grade II - At this stage they will have fur loss on their feet and possible have swelling and redness on the feet and hock's.

Grade III - At this stage they will experience broken skin, with possibly a scab which could potentially be an opportunity for an infection

Grade IV - By this stage the rabbit is highly likely to have an abscess, and inflammation of the tendons or deeper tissues within the hind limbs of their body

Grade V - The rabbit at this stage is likely to experience severe symptoms of the sore hocks in rabbits, including bone marrow infection, swelling of the joint tissue and possibly inflammation of the tendons which is known as tendonitis. From this they may walk abnormally or have an abnormal stance or posture.

Symptoms

This will usually first appear as a small, reddish bump/lump on the bottom of the foot. This may look similar to calluses on human feet. Their is a closed abscess inside the lump. When the lumps grow large, they may break open and bleed. This is when they could be infected.

Treatment/Prevention

There isn't a certain treatment for this so you may have to visit a vet to see what would be the best for your bunny. To help prevent bumblefoot in rabbits, you need to make sure that there is no trauma to feet which could be from walking on wire mesh, a clean hutch so they can't get an infection and solid surface floors.

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Rabbit Treat Recipe - recipe 3

Its nice to treat your bunny to something in which you know they enjoy as this is a way of bonding with them. Make sure NOT  to overfeed you cute bunny as this can cause obesity if you do happen to overfeed them, I would give them 1-2 a day depending on the size in which you make them.

In this post I am going to give you a recipe which I made up myself and I think it actually sounds tasty in a way! Below I am going to give you a list of ingredients and a step by step method.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of oats
• 1 small ripe banana (make sure it looks appealing to eat)
• A few bits of parsley

Method:

1. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper (or an alternative to this)
2. set your oven to 180degrees (or gas mark 4)
3. Start by mashing your banana until it is creamy
4. Place it into a bowl and combine it with your oats
5. Add in your parsley
6. spread it evenly onto your baking tray slice it into small reasonably sized pieces
7. Put in your oven for approximately 10 minutes (or until it is golden-brown)

leave them to cool down for about another 10 minutes and you are ready to feed them your homemade rabbit treats! Enjoy!

Please be sure not to overfeed them. Also I would recommend you to store these in a cool dry place, or in your fridge as long as this doesn't make them too solid.

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