Keep your pet rabbit healthy

This week I didn’t recognise Stewie. First of all I should tell you I did not fabricate Stewie’s name, and possibly only in Malta can a pet rabbit have a name that simultaneously suggests a local epicurean delight as well as the shortened form of Stewart. So Stewie it is.

I didn’t recognise Stewie because the last time I saw him, which was three months ago, he was suffering from the worse case of mange (also known as scabies) that I have ever seen in a rabbit.

Mange is caused by a microscopic mite which falls under the Arachnida class – the eight-legged invertebrates to which ticks, spiders and scorpions also belong.

The mange mite is not visible to the eye and burrows into the outer layers of skin, resulting in a build-up of multiple layers of dead skin.

In rabbits, the usual mange lesions are found on the ear flaps, the toes, and the nose tip. Stewie had a nose which was overgrown by at least two inches, and ears so heavily laden with extra scale that they they had flopped downward.

Mange mites are obligatory parasites (they can only survive a limited amount of time unless they have a host) and Stewie had been purchased three months previously, which was most probably also how long he had been infested.

Luckily, mange mites are what we call species-specific; there is no risk of these mites infesting other animals or humans.

The good news is that there is a very effective injectable insecticide treatment which has been available since the early 1980s, and which has made it possible to eradicate mange from rabbits, even when it is present in large commercial holdings.

Now I could finally see Stewie for what he really is, looking perfectly normal and healthy. But mange is only one of the ailments that typically affect rabbits.

The lifespan of pet rabbits is about eight to 12 years. There are a large number of breeds of rabbits, yet it is usually the minature types that are kept as pets like, for example, the Polish, the lion head or the Netherland dwarf.

Rabbits are hind gut fermentors which means that the bulk of the digestion process is done by fermentation and this occurs after the stomach, in the caecum and colon.

Fermentation is a very delicate process, so to avoid intestinal problems do not introduce sudden changes in diet.

There are other reasons why rabbits are taken to a vet. These could include trimming of the front teeth which are overgrown due to malocclusion. The incisors of rabbits grow continuously so, if they are not perfectly aligned, they overgrow.

Torticollis is another ailment rabbits may suffer from. This causes the rabbit’s head to be permanently tilted. Treatment is not often successful, though the rabbit can otherwise eat and drink normally when this condition occurs.

If you have pet rabbits, especially if you own a small breed, it is important to remember that due to the large surface area relative to body weight they can easily become cold and suffer hypothermia, especially if left in a cold and drafty place.

Rabbits can also suffer from normal ailments like eye infections, respiratory problems, skin infections or bone fractures. One of the smallest plasters I have ever placed was on a two-year-old rabbit called Sally.

Also important to mention are two infectous diseases for which we can fortunately vaccinate against: myxomatosis and VHD (viral haemorraghic disease), which has only been around since the early 1990s. Your veterinarian will be able to advise when and how often these vaccinations should be administered.

Rabbits can make excellent pets. Besides the benefits of having an animal companion, rabbits can serve as an excellent medium to educate children about the importance of animal ownership and care.

Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.

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