Rabbits

Vaccinations

Your rabbit should be vaccinated from six weeks of age against Myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD). These two vaccines are generally given two weeks apart and the cost for each one is £23.40. Myxomatosis vaccination should be repeated six-monthly, and VHD every year

Neutering

This can be done for the obvious reason to stop breeding where rabits of both sex are kept. It also stops fighting in male rabbits, and in females it stops nest building, etc, and prevents womb problems later in life.

It can be done from four months of age and the cost is £44.40 for a male, and £52.80 for a female

Feeding

Free choice of good quality timothy or grass hay.  Hay should be made available all the time.

Controlled access to grass or lawn.  When lush spring grass is present, the rabbit should be introduced to this very gradually to allow the gut flora to adapt to this change in diet.

 Small quantities of rabbit pellets.   Protein levels of 14% should be adequate.

Small quantities of greens and root vegetables can be offered as treats.  Vegetables may include collard, mustard, carrot tops, beet, broccoli tops, clover, parsley, lettuce and cabbage.

Worming

Rabbits should be wormed every three months using  Panacur Rabbit. This is an oral palatable paste that controls  Encephalitozoon cuniculi and intestinal worms. It has to be given daily for 9 consecutive days

Fly Strike

With the warm summer conditions, fly strike is very prevalent. It is caused by flies which are attracted to damp fur, urine, or faeces around the rabbit's back end. They then lay their eggs where they hatch within hours into maggots that eat into the rabbit's flesh. Often the first thing that you will notice is that he is very quiet and not eating. On closer inspection you will see the maggots round his tail. Get off as many as you can and bring him in to us as soon as possible.

Rabbits most as risk are ones that are overweight and hence have difficulty cleaning themselves properly, and those with teeth problems. The pain from this stops them eating the soft faeces that is passed overnight and it then becomes stuck to the rabbit's fur.

Prevention is based on keeping your rabbit as clean as possible with plenty of clean dry bedding. If he gets himself dirty,as many rabbits do, then his back end should be shampoo'd daily. We can also provide you with  a fly repellant which once applied lasts for eight weeks.