Rabbits

If you don't find what you are looking for here, there is a whole host of information available to your via our Lifelearn link.

Alternatively, feel free to contact your branch surgery for more specific information.

The topics that we have put together for you below are intended as a guide to routine healthcare issues that might affect your rabbit.

Is your rabbit vaccinated?

Why should I have my rabbit neutered?

Fly Strike

What should I feed my rabbit?

Rabbit teeth

You may be surprised to learn that the most common health problem in rabbits is dental disease. Rabbits have continuously growing teeth, with both the cheek teeth and the incisor (front) teeth growing by as much as 1-2 mm per week!

For simplicity the rabbit teeth may be divided into the front teeth (incisors) and the cheek teeth, which are hidden from view.

The incisor teeth should meet, thereby ensuring that as your rabbit chews, they will wear down. If they become misaligned they will continue to grow and will overgrow past each other; this invariably leads to eating problems.

Turning to the cheek teeth, rabbits can develop a variety of problems associated with continual tooth growth. Symptoms commonly include "slobbers" with saliva dribbling around the mouth and loss of appetite leading to weight loss.

If you are worried about your rabbit's teeth, we would be pleased to check them for you at one of our free Nurse Clinics, and advise you on diet and feeding regimes aimed at controlling many of the problems described above.