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Emergency health concerns, such as a rabbit not eating or head tilt require immediate veterinary attention. A veterinarian can also assist with chronic conditions such as malocclusion.[1] In most regions, house rabbits do not require vaccination; however, in the UK they do to protect against myxomatosis and hemorrhagic viral diseases.[2][3] Some owners visit a vet for advice on topics such as diet, although others rely on their own experience or the experience of others, such as knowledgable people in a house rabbit organization. In any case, house rabbit organizations recommend finding a vet before an emergency occurs, since not all vets are knowledgeable about rabbits. The House Rabbit Society maintains a list of veterinarians who practice veterinary medicine on rabbits.
Rabbits have nails and teeth that grow continually. A veterinarian should check your rabbits front teeth and molars occasionally. Rabbits are quite prone to disease of the teeth. Rabbits have six incisors, or front teeth, four on the top and two on the bottom. The second set of upper incisors, called peg teeth, are hidden right behind the set that you can see easily when you look in the mouth. These teeth are used primarily for grabbing food and cutting it. The rest of the rabbit's teeth are located in the back on either side of the mouth. These molars are used for grinding the food. All of the teeth grow continuously throughout the rabbit's life, and are kept worn down by the action of chewing and grinding of tooth against tooth. Rabbits do not require sticks or other items to chew in order to keep the teeth at the proper length, because the teeth take care of themselves by grinding against each other whenever the rabbit is eating. When the teeth get out of alignment, then we see them become overgrown. This is called malocclusion. When this occurs only a veterinarian knowledgeable about rabbits should be used. The incisors may need filed down and/or molars floated. The latter requiring a general anesthesia. A rabbit usually needs to have his nails trimmed by a human at least once a month. Many owners learn to do this themselves.
Rabbits shed on average of once every three months. During this shedding time, it is beneficial to brush the rabbit with a gentle rubber brush. A neutered or spayed house rabbit will be happier, healthier, and will be easier to litter box train. Unless they are being used for breeding, it is generally agreed that female rabbits should be spayed, as unspayed rabbits have high incidences of ovarian cancer. Rabbits, unlike dogs or cats, don't go into heat, they are constantly ready for breeding as soon as they reach breeding age, thus the adage "breed like rabbits." There are some health and behavior benefits from the neutering of male rabbits as well.[citation needed] If left intact, rabbits may spray urine in order to mark territory. Male rabbits and female rabbit spray as part of sexuality and will soil most of the food and water dishes of nearby rabbits, and the rabbits themselves. Rabbits can be very aggressive towards other rabbits unless they have bonded. Spaying or neutering both animals may help make this process successful. It is not recommended to house two unbonded rabbits together in the same cage and assume that they will cohabitate. Even normally docile rabbits can become violent when left with an unbonded partner. This is common, but does not always take place. Females especially are very territorial, and thus when breeding must be taken to the male's cage. Unlike cats, rabbits cannot be declawed. Lacking pads on the bottoms of their feet, rabbits require their claws for balance, and removing a rabbit’s claws will render it unable to stand, permanently crippling the animal. Rabbits with access to rough surfaces will naturally keep their claws worn down to a certain extent when running, but pet rabbits will normally require their claws to be clipped regularly. This is especially true of house rabbits that only run on soft surfaces such as carpets. It is very important that claws are clipped by someone with experience (preferably a trained veterinary practitioner), as clipping the claws too short will damage them.
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Sunday, 07 September 2008
