What do you look for:
Check your rabbits overall condition making sure he is able to move without difficultly.
Check eyes
They should be clear, bright, free from discharge, no swelling or bulging which can lead to blindness.
Check nose they should be clean, free from discharge, crust, sores, cuts, or swelling.
Check mouth they should be clean, free from excessive drooling, swelling, cuts, lumps, no discharge.
Check front teeth they should be level with no sharp edges, curling or cutting gums.
Check ears gently look inside they should be free from smell, dirt, parasites like mites and fleas which lead to disease.
Check fur they should be clean, glossy and free from parasites, balding, lumps, cuts, flaking, redness or bruising.
Check feet make sure there is no baldness, redness, no injury and nails aren’t overgrown.
Check bottom they should be clean, no soiling which can be a sign of poor diet, make sure there is no parasites, smells, scalding, balding, redness, cuts or lumps.
It is important to health check your bunnies daily and note down any changes or concerns.
Checking your rabbits teeth daily could be a nightmare unless your bunny is extremely docile, as long as you observe how your bunny eats and a quick check while he is eating, it is all about making it less stressful for them.
*Health checks from the veterinary surgeon at least twice a year can make a big difference to spot early signs of dental problems.
Why is it important to check teeth? Their teeth continuously grow which cause pain and suffering if not prevented, abbesses can occur at a later stage of dental disease and need rapid treatment.
The molars cause the most problems they are not seen so it is harder to know if they need assistance.
Take a look at the picture below of normal rabbit teeth and the signs to look out for when your bunny has dental problems.
Signs of dental problems:
• Decreased appetite
• Dropping food from the mouth while eating
• Weight loss
• Suspicious odor from the mouth
• Grinding teeth
• Drooling and/or wet fur around the mouth and chin
• Tearing eyes
Note other problems can cause these problems as well.
Take a look at this picture below of a rabbit that has over grown teeth. Shocking
Vaccinations are important:
Yearly inoculations should be kept up to date, this prevents your bunny from catching myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) which is spread by direct contact between rabbits but also via indirect contact from contaminated environments and also via mechanical transfer from insects
Clinical signs:
Runny eyes that could be confused with a conjunctivitis, this virus makes the eyes worse with excessive pus and swelling
Swollen genitals
Lumpy swellings on the head, ears and body
This brings us to your rabbits body weight take a look at the body condition score chart, all rabbits are different this chart shows you what your bunny would look like when they are under weight, at an ideal weight and when over weight.
