This topic contains 14 replies, has 0 voices, and was last updated by 
-
Posts
-
One of my rabbits (male about 4-6 months old) is very, very skinny, He’s eating plenty, and is very lively. As much as I feed him he just keeps getting thinner, And I can count practically every bone in his body. I don’t know what to do about this, and hope someone else has a suggestion before it’s too late.
already tried: extra food, plenty of hay, applecider vineager, fresh produce.
Maybe sassafrass??ummmmmmmmm have you tried a vet?????
seriously, he may have worms. take your rabbit to a vet or give him to a shelter if your not willing to. they will do it. he WILL DIE if you dont.I have to second Manderz’s response. It’s imperative you get him to a vet. This is NOT something an owner should try to diagnose. It’s very possible that he has a parasite, but it could also be a tumor of some sort. There is something that is definitely taking up the energy being created by the food.
You don’t mention if he’s having different droppings, not drinking water, or if he looks like he’s in pain. When you go to the doctor, bring fecal samples. They will need them to test and diagnose any parasites.
What you can do until you get to the vet is give him some unflavored Pedialyte. It will help him to not get dehydrated and offer some added nutrients.
Good luck & please keep us posted.
BunnyMomI live in a small town, I don’t have money for the vet, and the shelters don’t take rabbits. His droppings are the same, and he’s still drinking plenty water. thanx for the advice and I’ll see what I can do.
keep you posted…Hi, I have raised rabbits for 15 years in NC. I have encountered almost any health problem that rabbits may have. I may have a solution to your problem but I need two small bits of information about your rabbit. First, has your rabbit been on the ground outside for any amount of time? Secondly, the fur on your rabbit, is it glossy looking (healthy) or does it appear drab and dull? I do not believe that your rabbit has a parasite. If you would answer the two questions for me I would be able to help you more. Here to help, URBArep
Thanks, he wasn’t on the ground prior to his illness, but he’s been on it since. His fur looked really drab about 4-5 days ago, like he hadn’t been cleaning it. But it looks better now. He’s gained a little wait I think, since my first post.
Ok. I forgot to ask you if your rabbit has diarrhea now or if it has since you’ve had him? There are only two possibilities that this could be. First, if he does have or has had any sort of diarrhea (sometimes coccidiosis doesn’t have , you have a case of coccidiosis. Coccidiosis is pretty easy to get rid of. You will have to buy a product called "Corid". Corid is usually sold in large quantities for cattle, goats, horses, sheep, etc, but I think you can find a small bottle at a farm supply store. You’ll need to mix just a few drops of this concentrate with your rabbit’s water for about three days. It will take at least a month for your rabbit to get back into a prime look. I treat my entire herd at least once a year for coccidiosis just as a precaution.
If your rabbit has normal droppings, I will take back the statement about him not having a parasite. If he has normal droppings to go along with the conditions that you’ve stated before, I would diagnose your bunny with pin worms. I have never had worms in all of my years of raising rabbits. I’m not saying that it is impossible, but I’ve never encountered it. You’ll also want to look at some recent droppings to see if you can see the pin worms just to make sure that this is the case. If you don’t see any worms in his poop don’t treat him for worms. But if by chance you do find worms in his droppings, there is a product called Panacur that is good for worms and is safe to use in bi-weekly intervals for rabbits. I am sorry that I don’t know where you could purchase Panacur because I have not had to deal with worms.
I would advise any pet rabbit owner to treat your rabbit with a coccidiosis medicine as a precaution. Also, keep your rabbit off of the outside ground if at all possible as a preventive measure against worms, coccidiosis, and other possible health problems.
URBArepHis droppings are normal, no diarhea, no worms that I can see. I breed rabbits, and have raised him from a baby, he’s been completely healthy up until this. He does seem to be gaining some of his weight back. he did have a slight ear infection, but I’ve treated that and it’s pretty much gone. any more advice, it’s welcome…
PS
how do rabbits get worms??rabbits can get worms a few ways, if a fly laid her larva in the food bowl and the rabbit at it, bam, worms. if a misquito laid her larva in the water, bam, worms. if a dog pooped in the yard and the rabbit ate the grass later when the poop is long since gone, bam, worms. theres so many ways.
When was your rabbit last wormed? He could have internal parasites, so please see your vet about worming him.
A urine sample analysis should also be given to the vet – put him in a clean plastic box with a lid with airholes in it until he wees. Pour the wee into a clean pill bottle and take it along to the vet for testing to see if he has diabetes. If he has, then this is usually corrected by changing the diet and/or medication.
Finally, his teeth should be looked at by the vet. Even though you say he is eating plenty, he could be fooling you and not actually eating the food. Rabbits, being prey animals, are very adept at hiding illness as they can’t afford to look vulnerable in the wild. Get him to the vet asap to be checked out.
Kind regards,
Victoria CareyAnother possibility is Coccidosis, which is a parasitic infection that often resides in the intestine, making the rabbit appear bony with a distended belly. Ask your vet if he/she thinks this could be the case.
Coccidosis is easily treated.
Kind regards,
Victoria CareyHey Everybody,
Thank you guys so much for all the posts, I don’t know what it was, but he’s completely better and is looking very healthy now.
Aliei know he’s better, but you mentioned an ‘ear infection’ offhandedly, and noone mentioned it or pursued it further. Could you elaborate for me please. I have been breeding rabbits for the past 18 years, here in maryland, and know of only one type of ear infection in rabbits.
I guess it was some kind of ear mite or something, It’s completely cleared up, don’t really know how to describe, Dark reddish in color, kind of flaky after it got bad. I gave him mineral oil, and it cleared up within a couple of weeks. Is that what you wanted to know?
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
