All our rabbits are vaccinated against Myxomatosis and all adult males are castrated.

We recommend that owners continue their rabbits vaccination protection against Myxomatosis and speak to their vets about the VHD injection.

We check our rabbits regularly and treat them with REAR GUARD to prevent fly strike.

For prevention of fly strike in rabbits. Apply to the skin every 8-10 weeks during fly strike season.

This is a prescription-only medicine and can only be purchased at your vets or by getting a prescription and buying online.

BUNNY HEALTH AND INFORMATION

 Health and welfare

Plants that are poisonous to rabbits

Generally speaking, rabbits do not tend to eat poisonous plants if they are fed a well balanced diet. Do not feed rabbits with frost-damaged vegetables, dirty or mouldy vegetation. Do not feed grass that may have been treated with weed killer, pesticides or grass clippings or anything that has been soiled by cats or dogs.

Other plants known to be poisonous to domestic animals:

Identifying and preventing flystrike

Flystrike (‘myiasis’) is a major welfare problem that mainly occurs during warm weather. It’s a painful condition that can affect rabbits, guinea pigs, cats and dogs as well as farm animals such as sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas.

Even clean, well-kept animals can get flystrike. It only takes one fly and one area of soiled fur/fleece or damaged skin!

Flystrike occurs when certain species of fly lay their eggs on another animal. These eggs hatch into maggots that then begin to eat the animal’s flesh. Flies are attracted by soiled or wet fur/fleece, often around the animal’s rear end. However, any area of the body can be affected, as can any wound, cut or scratch. Flystrike causes serious pain and suffering and it can be fatal.

When does flystrike occur?

Flystrike can occur at any time of the year, but in the UK animals are particularly at risk between April and October when the weather is warmer.

Which animals are most at risk?

Animals that have a dirty rear end or generally dirty fur/fleece. Causes can include:

• Long-haired animals that may not be able to groom themselves thoroughly without human intervention.
• Obese/overweight and older animals that cannot reach round easily to clean themselves.
• Animals with dental, spinal or balance problems, which make cleaning difficult or painful.
• Animals that are ill, as they may not feel well enough to clean themselves thoroughly and, depending on their illness, may also produce abnormally smelly urine or have diarrhoea, which will attract flies.
• Animals that have an inappropriate diet.
• Animals that have an internal parasitic infection.
• Animals with an open wound anywhere on the body.
• Unshorn sheep of woolly breeds.

Prevention is better than cure!

Animals at risk of flystrike should be inspected twice a day during the months above. Their body should be checked all over, especially around the rear end where the fur/wool can become contaminated with droppings and urine.

Flystrike can occur in a matter of hours. Because the toxins released into the bloodstream by the maggots can cause the animal to go into toxic shock, death can result very quickly if flystrike is not spotted and treated rapidly.

Owners/stock-keepers should discuss with their vet the most appropriate ways of reducing the risk of flystrike before the high-risk period starts.

What should I do if I suspect flystrike?

If an animal becomes infested, it should be examined by a vet immediately or, if this is not possible, seek immediate veterinary advice.

Is flystrike treatable?

If caught early, flystrike can be successfully treated, but success depends upon how much damage the maggots have done and if your vet considers your animal to have a reasonable chance of recovery. After treatment, wounds can take several weeks to heal. During this time, your animal will be at increased risk of further bouts of flystrike and infection, so it will require careful nursing and additional preventative measures should be taken

  Make sure your rabbit has a healthy diet

• Without water to drink a rabbit can become seriously ill.
   
• Rabbits are grazers and naturally eat only grass and other plants.
   
• The rabbit’s digestive system must have grass and/or hay in order to function properly.
   
• Some plants are poisonous to rabbits.
   
• Rabbits do not naturally eat cereals, root vegetables or fruit.
   
• Rabbits naturally eat for long periods of time, mainly at dawn and dusk.
   
• How much a rabbit needs to eat depends on its age, lifestyle and state of health.
   
• If a rabbit eats more food than it needs it will become overweight and may suffer.
   
• Rabbits' teeth grow continuously throughout their life and need to be worn down and kept at the correct length and shape by eating grass, hay and leafy green plants. Failure to eat the right diet can result in serious dental disease.
   
• Rabbits produce two types of droppings – hard dry pellets, and softer moist pellets that it eats directly from its bottom and which are an essential part of its diet.
   

Things you should do  

• Provide fresh clean drinking water at all times. Check the water supply twice a day. Make sure water doesn’t freeze if your rabbit is outdoors in winter.
  
   
• Good quality hay and/or grass should make up the majority of your rabbit’s diet and should be available at all times.
   
• You can feed a small amount of commercial rabbit pellets or cereal mix, but hay and/or grass are much more important. If pellets or mix are provided, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Don’t keep topping the bowl up as this may result in it not eating enough hay and/or grass. Growing, pregnant, nursing or underweight rabbits may need a larger portion of pellets or mix. Your vet or a rabbit nutritionist will be able to advise you about how to provide the best diet for your rabbit.
   
• Find out which plants are safe to feed your rabbit. Offer safe, washed leafy greens or weeds every day.
   
• Do not feed lawnmower clippings as these can upset your rabbit’s digestive system and make it ill.
   
• Only give root vegetables like carrots, or fruit, in small amounts as a treat. Don’t feed any other treats as these may harm your rabbit.
   
• Adjust how much you feed your rabbit to make sure it does not become underweight or overweight.
   
• Don’t make any sudden changes to your rabbit’s diet as this could upset its digestive system and make it very ill.
   
• Monitor the amount your rabbit eats and drinks. If your rabbit’s eating or drinking habits change, the number of droppings gets less or stops, or there are soft droppings sticking to its back end, talk to your vet straight away as it could be seriously ill.