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HOW TO KNOW YOUR RABBIT IS SICK

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As much as rabbits are great companions and lovely animals to take care of, they often fall sick. As prey, rabbits most times try to avoid their predators. In a bid to avoid their predators, rabbits often hide their weakness. This makes it uneasy to detect when your rabbit is sick.

Do not be discouraged. Despite the difficulty that lies in understanding your rabbit’s language, there are some symptoms to watch out for so you can detect early enough when your precious pet falls sick. These symptoms include:

Low Energy Level

When your rabbit is sick, it will exhibit low energy levels. Of course, a rabbit would have times when it has high-level energy, like in the morning and evening, and a rabbit may be sleepy during the day. Nonetheless, there are times when your rabbit would exhibit an unusual level of energy. To be able to detect this, you have to be very observant. Because rabbits are like humans and have fluctuating energy levels, you must spend time studying your rabbit to be able to detect if the low level of energy your rabbit is exhibiting is a symptom of illness.

Changes in Appetite:

Changes in appetite are a symptom common to many rabbit illnesses. Rabbits eat a lot, so whenever there is a drop in the amount of food your rabbit takes, there’s an indication that your rabbit is sick. A reduction in food intake may be caused by overgrown teeth, side effects of pain or GI stasis. When rabbits are sick, they may often struggle to eat, pick up food in their mouths and drop it. Other changes relating to appetite include eating more than usual and losing weight simultaneously. The sign your rabbit is sick could also be indicated by acceptance of pellets alone and a sudden refusal to eat hay.

Salivating:

It’s quite unusual for rabbits to salivate. Observe your pets to check if they are wet in their chin. Salivating like this could be a result of respiratory or tooth problems. If your rabbit is a sloppy drinker, he may wet his chin. However, if the rabbit is going through difficulty in breathing or overheating, the rabbit may want to breathe through its mouth, causing it to salivate.

Irregular Defecation:

One other way to detect your rabbit is sick is if it has irregular droppings or no droppings at all. Usually, rabbits defecate a lot. Also, if your rabbit has diarrhea or hair in its poop, that’s a sign that your rabbit is sick.

 Irregular Behaviour:

Rabbits are very active. One way to detect your rabbit is sick is a reduction in the level of its activity. Although the level of activity in rabbits declines with their age, this decline is a gradual one. It helps if you watch out for unusual expressions or any change in the way your rabbit behaves. If your rabbit aggressively growls, there may be a reason for you to worry.

Loss of balance:

There is a cause for alarm if your rabbit loses balance. Generally, rabbits have a reasonably good balance. Your rabbit is most likely ill and needs to visit the vet if it starts losing postural balance, tilting its head or going round in circles. When this happens, your rabbit may often stumble or stagger when it tries to clean itself. An infection in the ear or a neurologic issue causes this symptom which can be for a brief moment or longer time. Whether this symptom is temporary or permanent, it’s best to take your rabbits to the vet.

Weight changes.

A sudden loss of weight may be an indication that your rabbit is sick. Rabbits get to a certain point of optimum growth and maintain their attained weight. At this point, sudden loss in weight no doubt indicates illness and a need to visit the vet.

Generally, it would help if you watched out for these significant symptoms to detect when your rabbit is sick to take it to the veterinarian. It is also essential to prioritize your rabbit’s healthcare to prevent it from falling ill frequently.

The following are ways to prevent your rabbit from falling sick frequently is to

Regularly ensure your rabbit is clean and in a healthy environment.