BudgetBunny

You may be terrified of these little guys or perhaps indifferent, but either way many bugs mean trouble for rabbits venturing outside.  Here are some of the more common problems bugs can cause:

• Mosquitoes: Okay nobody likes these guys and we all know mosquitoes can carry lots of nasty diseases that they spread to us humans.  Well, it’s no different when it comes to our pets.  A pet bitten by one of these buggers could contract a disease or illness that could be fatal.  Take this in to consideration when building an outdoor rabbit run or letting your rabbit play around.  Although you want to keep your rabbit in a shady area, avoid places that are damp.  Areas in your backyard that are marshy, or where you have a pond or bird bath are major mosquito attractions.
• Fly Strike: Rabbits who are older, living in poor or damp conditions, have weak immune systems or have poopy bum syndrome (as I like to call it) are more susceptible to fly strike.  Flies are attracted to smelly, damp areas to lay their eggs.  Within a 24 hour period their eggs can hatch and maggots can burrow in to your rabbits skin to grow.  I know, doesn’t it make you gag just thinking about it?! Although rabbits outdoors are more likely to become victims of fly strike any fly flitting around your house could cause this.  Another major reason to keep those cages clean!
• Ticks/Fleas/Mites: The reason I personally hate ticks and fleas is because they can go unnoticed!  Mites pretty much go undetected to the naked eye, only their symptoms show up in your rabbits.  Fleas and ticks are fairly small so unless your looking for them, can be hard to detect in the early stages.  One of the most creepy things I’ve read is that where you find 1 flea, you can expect another 100 to be around.  Blech!  The fur mite is the most common mite to infect rabbits and causes dandruff like symptoms.  These bugs can be transmitted easily from outdoor wildlife to your rabbit if they come in contact.  They can cause itching and quick infestations in your house if left untreated.  All of these cause discomfort in your rabbit and lead to intense scratching.  If left untreated they can cause hair loss and damage to the skin including open wounds which may quickly become infected.  Checking your rabbits fur regularly is a great way to make sure their skin is healthy.  You can also use a flea or tick comb when grooming to see if anything comes out of their fur.  Contact your Vet if you suspect one of these culprits.  Revolution has been approved as a safe program to use on your rabbit and treats fleas, mites and ticks.  Shots of Ivermectin are also options your vet may recommend to kill mites.  This is applied just under the epidermis, every 2 weeks usually for 6 weeks.  If you have multiple animals in your house, it is recommended that you treat them all since these bugs spread so easily.  Then it’s time to thoroughly wash, clean and vacuum repeatedly for the next month or so to make sure you kill all bugs, eggs and larvae.  We somehow ended up with mites in the middle of our -30C Canadian winter and have been fighting them ever since.  I now keep all of our pets on Revolution so they can’t be infected again.  Talk to your vet about prevention, especially if you have other animals in the house or those who are frequently outdoors (such as dogs) and oh yeah – these can spread to humans too!
• Myxomatosis: This is a horrendous disease that kills approximately 90% of the rabbits it comes in to contact with.  The good news for us fellow North Americans is that it is unheard of in Canada and has only been reported in a few coastal areas in the United States such as California and Oregon.  In Europe and Australia however, it is a widespread and much feared disease for pet bunnies.  Myxomatosis is actually man-made and was created to control wild rabbit populations.  The problem with it is that it can now easily be spread by fleas, mosquitoes, ticks, lice and through contact with infected rabbits.  This disease causes puffiness and tumor like lumps around the head and nether regions of the rabbit.  Later on it can cause blindness, seizures, fevers, loss of appetite and listlessness.  Within approximately 2 weeks follows almost certain death. In the UK your vet can administer an annual vaccine to protect your rabbit from Myxomatosis.  It is recommended that rabbits in any susceptible areas are vaccinated (if it’s offered) and kept away from areas where wild rabbits frequent.  Again rabbits outside should be kept away from damp, moist or wet areas that could draw infected bugs.

I realize this is a pretty gruesome blog.  Nobody wants to think about these pests infecting our rabbits and getting in to our homes.  I do however, believe that knowledge is a great form of prevention so although this is not a happy post it will hopefully make you more mindful of the dangers your rabbit faces when being taken outdoors and preventative measures that can be taken first if you are planning to bring your Bun outside.

A few weeks ago I blogged about bringing your rabbit outdoors.  Did you know rabbits prefer cooler weather conditions?  And that they moderate their body temperature through their ears? As summer approaches paying attention to signs your rabbit is suffering from heat distress is vital to keeping your rabbit healthy, whether your rabbit is indoors or outside.

Here are a few ways to prevent heat stroke from happening in the first place.

Indoors:

A/C: Air conditioning would be ideal of course but isn’t always an option.  If you have air conditioning make sure your rabbits cage isn’t near any drafty areas.

Open The Windows: If there’s a nice breeze outside open a window and let the air in!  Your rabbit will love you for it!

Keep Out Of Direct Sunlight: If you don’t have air conditioning make sure your rabbit’s cage isn’t in direct sunlight or if it’s a room that gets full sun, that at least half of the cage is in shade when the other half is getting sun.  That way if your rabbit gets too hot it can move.

Blinds or Curtains: Blinds or curtains are a must have for your rabbit’s room if it gets a lot of sun.  This way you can partially or fully close your blinds during those peak times to prevent the room for overheating.  I close our blinds 3/4 of the way upwards for the first few hours in the morning when the sun is coming right in our rabbit room.  By about 11am I can open them again because the sun is now high enough that the tree in our front yard filters it.  If you aren’t home during the day light curtains could stay closed so your rabbit still gets daylight but it’s filtered light.  They will also help keep out the intense heat.  Please don’t leave your rabbit in complete darkness all day.

Fans: A large oscillating fan is a great way to keep the heat down in your rabbit’s room.  Just don’t have the fan pointing directly at your rabbit all day.  Ollie will actually move with the fan because he loves having it blow on his face!  If it’s especially hot you can drape a damp towel over the front of the fan so it will blow colder air.

Water: Rabbits drink more water than most other domesticated animals so during the warmer months it’s especially important to make sure they’re well hydrated.  Change the water once or twice a day to make sure it’s nice and cool.  If it’s really hot you can also throw in a few ice cubes.

Flooring: We used tile in our rabbit condos because it stays nice and cool.  On warm days our rabbits are never wrapped up in a fleecy blanket, they’re fully stretched out on the cold tile.  If you’ve used hay, shavings or carpet for flooring you could opt to take it out (if the bottom of your cage is plastic) or just add a ceramic tile for your rabbit to stretch out on.  If you have a large freezer, putting it in there to make it extra cold for about an hour and then placing it in the cage will be an even nicer chilly delight.  Word to the wise – if you’re putting a chilled tile in your rabbit cage make sure there are areas in the cage your rabbit can still go to not covered by the tile(s) so they don’t get too cold!

Outdoors:

Of course many of the above methods will work for rabbits spending the day outdoors but here’s a few extras to keep in mind.  Unlike inside, you can’t control the outside temperature.

Location, location, location: Choosing a shady spot in your backyard for a hutch, play pen or run is going to do wonders for your rabbit.  It can easily be 10-20 degrees cooler in the shade.  You can also create some shade of your own by using plants to block the sunlight.  There is only about an hour in the late afternoon where the sun hits our run but because we built flower beds on either side of the run there is a very small patch of sunlight that gets in and that’s it.  Just be careful of what plants you put near the cage.  Poisonous ones are okay as long as your rabbits have no way to access them.

Flooring: We used large ceramic stones to line the bottom of our run.  Not only does it make it impossible for them to escape and helps file down their nails but it stays nice and cool!

Frozen Water Bottles: Honey loves this one! Fill a water bottle about 3/4 of the way full with water and throw it in the freezer.  On warmer days put the water bottle in a sock and put it in the cage with your rabbits!  They will love laying next to it because it will keep them cool but the sock will prevent it from being too cold or wet.

Hidey House: All runs, hutches or outdoor pens should have a hidey house anyways in case your rabbit feels threatened but it will also provide your rabbit with a dark and cool place to hide out the hotter hours of the day.

Above all use your common sense.  If they’re calling for it to be so hot and humid that even you wouldn’t go outside unless there was a pool nearby then keep your rabbit indoors!  Experts say anything over 30C (85F) is considered extreme to a bunny and could quickly become life threatening.  Personally I’ve never brought my rabbits outside when it’s hotter than 25C (77F) and only then if the humidity is low and there’s a nice breeze.

Signs Of Heat Stroke:

I’m assuming you will take all of the above advice to keep your rabbit as cool as a cucumber but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be aware of the symptoms of heat stroke in your pet:

• Laboured Breathing
• Flaring of the nostrils
• Panting and/or Salivating
• Lethargy
• Disorientation
• Ears Becoming Red
• And In Extreme Cases: Convulsing

As temperatures rise so does your rabbit’s body temperature and with their thick coats it can rise quickly.  Using the above preventions and knowing the signs of heat stroke can help save your rabbit’s life!  So now that you have all of this great rabbit knowledge get out there and enjoy the day with your Bun!