Rabbit Remedies

| Modified on Aug 21, 2022
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Pet rabbits can be afflicted with a variety of diseases and health conditions, many of which can be safely addressed with natural home remedies. If your rabbit is suffering from constipation/wool block, eye infections, ear infections, parasites such as fleas and mange, or other illnesses and conditions please consider the user tips below for caring for your bunny.

Rabbit Care: Rabbits need plenty of water, some veggies and greens in addition to rabbit feed, and amusements to keep them stimulated and happy.

Home Remedies: For conjunctivitis and other eye issues, rabbit owners often use echinacea (dietary or as an eye drop) or chamomile drops to soothe and restore eye health. Pumpkin mash can be used to help restore digestive health in a rabbit with constipation or wool block.



Belly Massage for Rabbits

2 User Reviews
5 star (2) 
  100%

Posted by Adrienne (Vancouver, Bc) on 09/11/2014
★★★★★

RABBIT BELLY MASSAGE: Please read!!

I just went through a very scary situation with my rabbit. He stopped eating, drinking, and pooping and I knew it was an emergency. The vet gave him intravenous fluids, pain meds, and did x-rays, and showed me how to syringe-feed him with critical care.

But here is what I learned from YouTube that really changed things for us: belly massage! When your rabbit is lying down, put your hands underneath and gently massage the abdomen. You will actually here the stomach start to gurgle. Within 5 minutes he jumped into his litter box and went to the bathroom. We all cheered! Do this every half hour as part of treatment.

I think I could have saved myself $500. My vet did not mention massage at all....

Replied by Heather
(Welland, Ontario)
08/25/2016

The only trouble with this is, some bunnies are very shy about being restrained at all. If I put both hands on either side of bun, she jumps away immediately. It must be something form her past---she is a rescue, and I shudder to think what she went through before we adopted her.

If it is something you can do however, I'm certain it would be very comforting and helpful for your rabbit.

Replied by Mel
(Rochester, Ny)
09/06/2017
★★★★★

Thank you SO much for this advice! I think it may well have saved my bunnies life!

Replied by Sandra
(Florida)
09/23/2018

I have learned with my bunny when he needs a tummy rub to put my hand under him and rub his tummy with him relaxed and he approves by licking my hand to continue rubbing. No picking him up, only working with him the way he thinks is best.

Replied by Audra
(Beaverton, OR)
01/18/2021

Giving 3 ml of Baby Gasx (liquid Simethicone) will also really help make it easier on them to break up the gas bubbles if you are lucky and catch this early on, but don't wait too long. If bunnys bloated tummy doesn't feel softer and they don't perk up and start eating and pooping they probably need the fluids, pain and gut motility drugs. They usually hide their problem so long that but he time it's noticeable you need vet help. You can styringe some water or the gasx and try to see if their tongue and mouth look normal pink. If they are looking pale with almost a blue tint you should get to a vet asap. They are dehydrated and need subq fluid and immediate help! The sooner they get treatment the quicker they recover.

I've been part of rabbit rescue and fostering for over 15 years and unfortunately have been through quite a bit of this. Some bunnies seem more prone to it. Especially ones that aren't very good hay eaters.


Critical Care, Pumpkin

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
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Posted by Jessi (Fairfield, IA) on 01/10/2009
★★★★★

It's a serious matter if a rabbit stops eating. They need constant roughage going through them, or they'll die. If your rabbit loses its appetite and its poop pellets get small and dry or stop coming, it is a sign of wool block. Some readers here call it "constipation," but that's not what it really is.

[01/05/2009: Joyce from Arcadia, CA, USA writes: "I WILL TRY THE PUMPKIN FOR MY SAD CONSTIPATED BUNNY. I HOPE IT WORKS."]

It's actually much like hairballs in cats, only since bunnies can't vomit, the fur can get stuck inside their gut and actually kill them. You have to get the gastric track moving again as soon as you see this problem start. If your bunny stops pooping, or if her pellets are starting to look small and dry, that's a sign she's blocking up. Lack of appetite is another symptom.

My vet, who is a rabbit specialist, has me keep a product called "Critical Care" on hand for wool block emergencies. This is even better than the pumpkin treatment. I get my Critical Care from my vet but you can probably get it online or at your pet food store, especially if you ask for it. You mix a little of this stuff with water, suck it up into a big syringe (one about the size of your middle finger, being sure to remove the needle and toss it in the trash before you work with the bunny!). Then you put the plastic tip of the syringe into the side of the bunny's mouth and VERY SLOWLY squeeze out a little at a time. They will like this and swallow it, if you don't disperse it too fast. Wait a few seconds between each dispersal. Only give about a couple teaspoons for each dose, then wait about three hours and do it again.

Pumpkin can be fed the same way if your bunny has wool block. Make sure you use pure 100% canned pumpkin NOT canned pumpkin PIE filling, which has spices in it and could hurt your bun! I've found the Critical Care quickly eliminates wool block (you give it 4 to 6 times a day until they start eating and pooping normally again). I used to do the pumpkin treatment until I found the Critical Care, and pumpkin worked pretty well, but failed to work with one bunny who I almost lost to wool block on account of "pumpkin failure." I brought her to the vet in time (you've only got a couple of days to save them if they stop eating), who gave her Critical Care, and the bun was fine in just a couple of hours. Believe me, this stuff is AMAZING.

The vet said my buns get wool block because I wasn't feeding them exactly right. In my case, it was too many vegetables. Now that I'm feeding the right diet and giving them more exercise, they've been doing fine. (Exercise and plenty of water are important for maintaining intestinal motility - the constant movement through of food. So is brushing them when they're shedding.)

Right diet for a rabbit means unlimited quantities of timothy hay (or orchard grass) always available to the rabbit (you can get this at a pet store but ordering it online is much cheaper. In some parts of the country, feed stores sell timothy.) You also have to feed about a half cup of fresh vegies a day for a medium-sized rabbit (3/4 to 1 cup a day for a giant breed). Certain vegies, though, will kill bunnies if fed over time, so choose from the "safe vegie list": green pepper, collard greens, swiss chard, parsley (a little), cucumber (a little), cilantro, endive, mustard greens, lettuce (NOT iceberg), carrots (only a small slice a few times a week), broccoli (only a tiny flowerette a couple times a week), certain weeds including dandelions, chickweed and plantain (if not subject to exhaust fumes from cars). Visit www.rabbit.org for the full list of diet do's and don'ts. You can supplement this diet with a bit of daily timothy pellets, available from Oxbow (NOT alfalfa pellets - these are only for babies, and fed long enough they can kill an adult).

Make sure your bun has unlimited access to water - a crock is ideal for most bunnies, as they can then drink all they want. I put 3 drops of vinegar in my rabbits' water, and now they love drinking.

In case anyone reading this has a pet bunny living in a cage, please know that buns can easily be litterbox-trained and make wonderful house pets. I have house bunnies living happily alongside my two house cats. You have to introduce them to each other gradually, of course. All sorts of tips on how to make your rabbit a successful house bunny are available on www.rabbit.org, the website of the nonprofit organization called House Rabbit Society. If it weren't for them, my buns would have been dead by now. I made so many mistakes at first, having no one to show me. I have six precious buns, and I've had 5 of them for six years. Most buns only live a year as pets, studies show, because owners make mistakes with their diet or other errors with these delicate creatures. It's very easy to keep bunnies if you're taught how to do it, and very easy to lose them if you're not. Check out that website and also the chat room "Etherbun." Between those two places, you'll find all the info you need. There are some snotty people on Etherbun, though. Don't let them hurt your feelings if one of them gets nasty. Just visit there for your bunnies, learn what you can for their sake, and don't let the bullies get to you.

Jessi

Replied by Carolyn
(Houston, Tx)
02/04/2011

Can ACV be used to clean rabbits? I know it's ok for cats, dogs and horses. Also, adding 3 drops of vinegar to bunny's water - regular vinegar or acv?

Replied by Erica
(South Pasadena, Ca)
09/21/2012

Jessi from Fairfield, IA, Your advice saved my rabbit! You wrote this in 2009. It is the best advice I ever saw, after reading many blogs, web sites, and information on rabbits.

My rabbit stopped eatting, pooping, peeing, and drinking. I saw your advice, and made a vet appointment to get "critical care" from my vet. My vets protocol was X-rays, blood tests, & weighing my rabbit. He never looked at the poop samples, nor listened to my suggestion of using critical care. I said "no" to the X-rays, and blood test. Why spend all tha money, cause even if they found something, the survival rate of a rabbit getting operated on is not optimal.

My vet wanted me to ground up timothy hay in a blender, until it is powder, and mix with water, to feed by seringe. This sounds great in theory. But the reality is timothy does grind up into powder, with alot of tiny splinter size pieces that clog any size seringe. I even used a horse size seringe, and the timothy would clog. I went back to the vet and purchased the critical care in apple bannan flavor. The next step was getting this into my rabbit who fought like a tiger. I wrapped my rabbit in a towel, grabbed her jaw (gently) from behind her ears, so she couldn't bite me, and fed her. Once she had the seringe in her mouth she did great. With in less than 24 hrs my rabbit was peeing & pooping. And 12 hours after that her appetite came back. Also when using critical care, I offfered my rabbit water often. Critical care absorbs a lot of water. I even gave water by seringe to keep my rabbit hydrated.

I am grateful for this web site, and the good advice that saved my 3 month old rabbit.

THANK YOU JESSI

Erica from South Pasadena Ca Sept 20, 2012

Replied by Patti G
(Southgate, Michigan U.s.a.)
09/24/2012

This message is for Jessi, IA, what great information you have given all of us and this website is wonderful. I found it by accident, while looking for information on a possible flea problem or dry skin patches on my Newfoundland. I had two bunnies at different times years ago and never knew all that I have read here. They both passed, too young. Back then there were no computers and the vets don't always know about Bunnies. I never knew about all the neat things you could feed bunnies, just gave them Timothy Hay and the kibble for them. I don't like going to vets as they $$$$ you to death. My three dogs all died too young following their advise, and not getting enough information from them and those darn shots they push on them all at once. I prefer homeopathic even for myself. I know have my daughters two bunnies and decided to look up homeopathic for them and what to feed domestic bunnies. Your wonderful and so is this site. Wish it had been available when I had the other Bunnies. I just love animals. Right now my Daughter is staying with me, my Granddaughter and her dog and the Bunnies, I have a Newfoundland and three cats and her cats are at my Mom's house and her frog. Its a zoo, but I love it. Take care and God Bless. Love the animals, we are their voice.

Replied by Maggie
(Coventry)
07/04/2014

Hi I read your article after taking my bunny to the vets recently. It helped greatly some I like to try the organic /natural treatment first. Great tips especially the critical care :-) I was just wondering if you could change something? please. You should never ever throw a syringe into the trash. You could potentially hurt yourself, family, an animal in your trash and then it goes in the street. May I suggest a sharps dispenser box great for discarding needles. But the most simple would be to get a syringe without a needle. Every animal feed store/pharmacy sells them. Thank you

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
07/05/2014

Hey Maggie!

Just wanted to provide some info to you re; syringes in the trash.

It is perfectly fine to discard a syringe in the trash; the syringe is the plastic unit commonly used with hypodermic needles. The hypodermic needle is the part that is unsafe to discard in ordinary household trash.

To safely dispose of sharps such as hypo's - I bring these items to my veterinarian and he is happy to dispose of them safely for me.

Replied by Jim With Giants
(Colorado)
01/12/2016

Having rescued all breeds for 17 years and breeding continental giants for 5 we have seen almost all of it. Please always keep a small bottle of Infant GasX on hand and give a full dropper at the first signs of stasis. Also, give your rabbits chunks of fresh pinapple or papaya which helps to breakup and disolve ingested hair. Using these you may never need to get to the wonderful product, Critical care. An eye dropper of fresh pinapple juice can be used if your bunny wont eat the chunks, but start with the Infant GasX. Remove their pellets and give only grass and dark green veg. Jess is right on about cilantro, it is like crack to rabbits. They absolutely love it. Walmart usually sells it 3 bunches for a dollar.

Replied by Claudia
(Fairfield, Iowa)
02/06/2016

Jessi, Could you tell me the name and the phone number or address for a Rabbit Vet in Fairfield or near our city. Thanks!

Replied by Kinzee
(Minnesota)
06/21/2016

Yes you can use ACV in your rabbits water. I'm a rabbit breeder and I use it all the time in their water. It helps with their coat and many other things. Very good for their health. Hope this helps.

Replied by Heather
(Welland, Ontario)
08/25/2016

I just today experienced the panic and worry when you realize your bun is not pooping and also not happy.

I had given the bunny some sorghum before (trimmed off any mildewed leaves, of course) which has been growing under my bird feeder for the last few years. And she loves it---so I figured, after all the advice I read here, "Why not?". It's a grain, she seems to love the entire plant, fresh or dried. And guess what? It worked (comfortably, it appeared) within an hour of giving her some (1 stalk, freshly cut, with the seed heads attached).

I will now be growing it in my garden, so some is always on hand fresh or dry, for situations like this again.

Seeds can be purchased very cheaply from major farm seed suppliers. And a little bit goes such a long way.

Replied by Gemma
(England)
01/18/2017
1 posts

I adopted a young bun off someone who had locked her in a cage outside for days left on her own no food etc, it's been a month now and my dog is fine as long as I keep them separate at feeding times, I'm massively struggling with litter training and I keep her out from 8am till at least 11pm, do u use apple cider vinegar in their water?? I will definitely go on to the site you've mentioned thanks so much for your helpful advice it's very much appreciated, I've got her out and she's got a pink eye with green discharge so going to try lavender oil diluted.

Gem x


Ear Infections

Posted by Nancy (Wonder Lake, IL. USA) on 12/10/2008

Recently my 9 year old rabbit has a ear infection, I took him to the vet he prescribed antibiotics.,no cure so far just started with antibiotics.

Replied by Jessi
(Fairfield, IA)
12/23/2008

Make sure you're taking your bunny to a vet who sees a lot of rabbits. Most vets are not trained in treating bunnies, and when they attempt it, they can actually hurt them. I don't know about the ear infection you mention, but I do know one of my pet buns had some kind of bugs or parasites in his ears, and my rabbit vet flushed them with something. Visit the Etherbun online forum to ask your rabbit health questions. Some of the people who write in there are pretty snotty, but it's the rabbit health forum on the web. Lots of knowledgable people, including some rabbit vets, respond to readers' questions. Another great source of rabbit health information is the archives at http://www.rabbit.org That's the website for The House Rabbit Society, a nonprofit dedicated to informing owners about proper bunny care. Excellent source for answers to questions about all kinds of things.

Replied by June
(KC, KS)
12/25/2008

Try a few drops of h202 in your pet's filtered water. My cats love it.

Replied by Crystal
(Brownwood, Tx)
07/27/2009

I have raised rabbits for about 15 years, when they get ear mites I use a medicine dropper and put about 15 drops of olive oil in each ear. You will have to hold the ear and kind of massage it down in the ear. As the oil is running down the ear, the rabbit will try to shake the oil out. Keep this up until the mites are gone.

Replied by Anna Nikki
(Toronto, Ont)
12/23/2011

Goldenseal tincture is a homeopathic antibiotic you can use for your pets and humans it is good for upper and lower body infections such as ear, nose, urinary tract, headtilt and other illnesses where antibiotics are needed.

Replied by Chulookin
(Nanaimo, B.C. Canada)
08/08/2014

Polysporin pinkeye is an antibiotic on the shelf brand, I found through a lot of research that Natures Way coconut oil is non GMO WITH 93% MCT's so I got an eye dropper and used that with Johnson wipes and added 500mg of L-Lysine to the bunnies food per day instead of using the other rubbish like Vetericyn Ophthalmic gel or a 1% solution of hydrogen peroxide mixed with a couple of table spoons of Borax. Poor bunny has to put up with our floor mounted air conditioner blowing dust around while I work 13 hour shifts while lazy wife sleeps all day...Grrr!!!

Replied by Lilly
(Shasta, CA)
08/20/2022

Rabbit with inner ear infection

My rabbit has an ongoing ear infection. No mites. It's in his inner ear. He has been on four different antibiotics and I really don't like giving him antibiotics. The last antibiotic I gave him caused seizures. Is there a natural remedy for him that I can give to help his ear infection or do you have anything there?

Mary
(NY NY)
08/20/2022

Fresh parsley is antibacterial. Feed 2 stems.

According to website

https://resources.bestfriends.org/article/rabbit-diet-what-feed-bunny

The bottom of a rabbit food pyramid would contain long-stemmed fiber, in the form of hay, which makes up 80 to 90 percent of a rabbit's diet. As grazing animals, rabbits need to have an unlimited supply of fresh hay daily.

You'll want to feed your rabbit grass hays. Good types of grass hay for bunnies are timothy, orchard grass, brome and oat hay. You can feed your bunnies either one type or a mixture of different grass hays. Buy the freshest hay possible and check for the presence of mold or dust, which could make your rabbit sick.

Rabbits count vegetables and herbs among their favorite foods. Most greens found in a supermarket are safe for rabbits, with a few limitations and exceptions.

Here is a link about ear infection remedy

https://www.allthingsrabbits.com/allthingsrabbitsblog/2019/12/12/ear-infections-amp-how-to-cure-head-tilt

Good luck!

Mary
(NY NY)
08/20/2022

A bunny needs some salt. Chloride in sea salt kills bacterial infections and can be added to the bunny's water.

According to website

https://peteducate.com/do-rabbits-need-salt/

In the published works Nutrient Requirements for Rabbits (1977), it states that adding up to 0.5% of a rabbits daily diet in salt appears to be a safe amount.

According to website

https://vetchick.com/2016/07/cleanpetears/

Your veterinarian can provide an ear cleaner that is appropriate for your specific pet. Some ear cleaners even have anti-yeast ingredients, while others are more geared towards bacterial infections. By knowing the kind of infection your pet has, or is prone to, your veterinarian can select an ear cleaner that is not only safe, but will work much much better than rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide!


Ear Mites

Posted by Harold (Mae Sot, Thailand) on 03/05/2014

My name is Harold and I am the Founder and President of a foundation. ( www.therightsofthechild.org ) .

We have build a rabbit farm in Mae Sod whose sole purpose is to feed rabbit meat to the orphans on the Thai/Myanmar border. Most if not all of the orphans suffer from Protein deficiency which affects their growth and learning ability. We now have a major case of mites at the farm where we house over 3000 rabbits.

Any help and suggestions is appreciated. We need to try to take care of this situation in the barns (3) where the rabbits are raised.

Thank you so much. H.

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
03/05/2014

Hey Harold!

That sure is a lot of rabbits!

My first inclination is to depopulate: cull and harvest as many animals as you can - this to lighten the work load for the treatment required to clean up three barns of bunnies. Pare down to your essential breeding stock and clean those up, along with the facilities and begin anew.

Ideally, if you could reduce or consolidate the population down to 2 barns, you could then put your efforts into sterilizing the empty barn. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized so that all parasites are destroyed and reinfection cannot occur. A fresh solution of one part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water sprayed on non-porous surfaces and allowed to sit wet for 10 minutes is effective. Another consideration is Oxine combined with Citric Acid - this can be used both as a spray or as a fogger. Once you have the facility sterilized you must clear out the infections in the rabbits before reintroduction or your work will be for naught.

There are several things you can do to clear out the infections in the rabbits; environmentally friendly ones are labor intensive and require repeated bathing of the infected animal - and require the infected animal to be in quarantine so as not to be reinfected during treatment. Injectable Vermectin/Ivermectin requires several injections and you must wait for 49 days before you can harvest that animal for food.

You don't state which kind of mite you have - ear mites may not require such drastic culling as I envision, and a simple carrier oil along with a miticide such as Vectin/ivermectin used in the ear until the mites are resolved might be the way to go.

Once you have your stock cleaned up you can introduce to the cleaned up barn and then start all over again with barn 2, and then again with barn 3. It is essential that staff handling the rabbits do not cross contaminate the barn by going from infected barn to clean barn; ideally staff would change clothing completely before entering the clean barn.

I strongly urge you to work with a local veterinarian - they can best advise with eyes on your actual set up and assist with obtaining the necessary medication in volume if needed.

Ban Nuea Veterinary Clinic Address: Inthara Khiri Rd., Mae Sot, Tak

Veterinary Clinic Address: Highway 12, Mae Sot, Tak

Mae Sot Livestock Address: Mae Sot-Mae Tao Rd., Mae Sot, Tak

Si Phanit Veterinary Clinic Address: Si Phanit Rd., Mae Sot, Tak

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
03/05/2014

Hey Harold!

MY bad - you DID state it was ear mites in your title line, and my eyes just didn't pick it up!

The most basic treatment of ear mites is oil in the ear - of any type. The idea being the oil smothers the mites. So flooding the ears with olive oil, mineral oil, etc. should work towards this effect. The life cycle of the mite is 21 days, so you would need to treat each animal a couple of times a week for up to 4 weeks - in addition to sterilizing the living quarters. An over the counter product campho-phenique often works with only 1 application. Honey mixed with warm water and applied twice daily for the first week, and then every two days for the next 2 weeks [so total of 21 days treatment/full life cycle of the mite] is also effective and non-toxic, although the bunnies will be very sticky around the neck with this treatment and may require bathing or cleaning up every few days if you go this route.

it must be said that any bunny who gets infected with mites of any sort is sending the message that something is not right; you may need to increase the quality of the rations you feed your rabbits to provide more vitamins, or more sunlight, and so on.

Good luck with this noble endeavor!

Replied by Susan
(Texas)
07/04/2014

I've been raising rabbits for meat for my family. when rabbits get ear mites I just spray some coconut oil in their ears. It starts working by the next day. Any kind of cooking oil would probably work as well. I don't use any chemicals on my animals.


Echinacea

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Dottie (Boca Raton, Florida) on 01/06/2009
★★★★★

For my Rabbits I take 4 capsules of Echinacea to one gallon of water and boil cool and refrigerator each day i put 1/4 cup in there drinking bottle water fill with fillter water boost their immune function.


Eye Infections

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5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Kathryn (Illinois) on 05/22/2016
★★★★★

I always keep diluted lavender oil and some cotton rounds to cure my bunnies eye problems. 2 drops in 4 ounces of distilled water. Shake well before application. Just press the saturated cotton round on the bunny's eye for a minute or two. You can also wipe their whole body afterwards. Unless they need an antibiotic cream, this works great. BTW - lavender has natural antibiotic properties.

Hope this helps.


Eye Infections
Posted by Carolv (West Babylon, Ny, Usa) on 11/28/2010

Just wanted to share this with everyone. My Rabbit ( Boo) had a runny eye which was red and irritated. I had ruled out that it did not have sniffles. Boo showed no signs of it. I looked on this website and read about the wonders of apple cider vinegar and put some which was diluted with water on the back of his neck. This worked wonders as Boo's temperament started to come back to his perky self. However his eye was not clearing up. So I began flushing out his eye with some warm water with baking soda and sea salt. I did this twice a day.

I then purchased "NFZ Puffer" which is made to clear eye infections in rabbits. The NFZ caused a fungal infection in the rabbits eye. I noticed a white cloudy fungus on the eye. I stopped using the NFZ Puffer and just flushed out the eye as I had been doing. I then used some "Tea Tree Oil"- one drop into a tablespoon of mineral oil and dabbed a little just under his eye which has cleared up the fungal infection along with all the redness. I do hope that this helps others who have animals with fungal infections of the eye. Better that antibiotics which can cause major problems in rabbits due to their digestive system.


Eye Infections
Posted by Wendie (Whittier, California) on 04/01/2010

I have a blind rabbit who has been getting treated by a vet for continuing on-going eye infection that hasn't been getting any better with the antibiotics, so I was wondering if there are any holistic medications that I could try to help boost his immunity.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Replied by Tina
(Toledo, Ohio, Usa)
06/06/2010

Try activated charcoal water in its eyes.

Replied by Ashley
(Storm Lake, Ia, Usa)
11/15/2011

My 11-year-old miniature rex rabbit BreiiBreii has a bad eye infection, and has swelling near the eye. The vet thinks it's either glaucoma or a cyst. He gave bunny a shot to help with the swelling, and gave us some antibiotic ointment to apply near the eye, but it seems that bunny is going blind in that eye.

Anyone have a similar problem with their rabbit, and how did you treat it?

He was eating fine before he went to the vet, but now seems to be decreasing his intake. He's had blockages before, and we used the syringe technique with pumpkin puree, pineapple juice and gatorade. Would it be best to give him fruit juices (like apple and pineapple, his favorites) to get some fluids in him as he is not eating as much as he normally does?

It seems to me when rabbits stop eating it's very serious and usually means they are quite ill.

Any help would be great! Thank you.

Replied by Vanillaspices
(Whitman, Ma)
11/22/2011

Hi I use to bred, sell, and show rabbits a long time ago. Have you tried bag balm? All the breeders out there know when their rabbits get injuried like a fly nests in their belly we all use bag balm. It has natural healing minerals and stuff in it to heal the wound and if the animal licks it they won't get sick.

Also you want to make sure that if they are not eating they are getting electrolytes. The last thing you need is for them to get dehydrated. We use to use a little gatorade mixed in the water just a teaspoon or two in a bowl of water every few hours until they were drinking normally. Also I would consider allowing the animal to have a few snacks that it likes just be aware not to over do it because it could get in the habit to refuse to go back to not eating any normal grain and too much electrolytes (from water and favorite treats) can make it have diarrhea. But a good balance is the key!

Replied by Ernie
(Albion, In)
12/14/2013

Tina from Ohio, I have a Rabbitry in Northern Indiana, You have a bunny who has gone off feed, try Yogurt (berry flav) and your bunny will eat like crazy, I have used this for years and it works great for me.


Fibrosarcoma

Posted by Smeagol (Murrieta, Ca) on 12/06/2012

I am looking for anyone who may be able to suggest a natural remedy to slow or stop the growth of a fibrosarcoma that is on my rabbit's lip. I have no idea about such things, but am hoping there is an effective plant that is not toxic to my bunny's internal health in case of ingestion by "licking", but can kill off aggressive fibrosarcoma cancer cells.

My sweet bunny, smeagol, just turned 3yrs old on Dec. 1, 2012. He's a mini-lop, blonde and about 7. 5 lbs. He lives indoors in my room, but not caged. In May 2012, I noticed a red bump on the outside middle tip of his upper left lip. Since rabbits upper lip is split, this is located in the "middle" of his upper lip. I took him to two different vets that told me since it didn't seem to be bothering him, it wasn't changing shape, size or color, then I didn't need to worry about it. There was no sign of abrasion, cut, bite or reason for the lump. We were living in Japan at the time, I didn't speak the language, and couldn't find a vet in our area that was very "rabbit knowledgable". Over the summer, we re-located to the U. S. , southern california. Around the end of Sept. 2012 he went to the vet for neutering surgery. We asked the vet to take a look at the red bump on his lip while he was under anesthesia. The vet inserted a needle in order to get a fluid sample. He also put him on a general antibiotic. The test came back inconclusive, but the lump seemed to get infected. After approximately two weeks we did a biopsy. It came back positive for fibrosarcoma cancer. His lip looked worse also. We took him to a different vet more specialized in rabbit care. He attempted to remove the tumor stating that there was not room to get "clean" margins because of the location of the tumor being basically against the opening of his nasal cavity. We had hoped to remove the tumor, then start radiation to kill off any remaining cancer cells understanding fibrosarcomas are extremely aggressive. But, we couldn't consider radiation until the wound healed. Well, it just isn't healing. It's been about a month and the cancer is back. It's grown quite a bit blocking much of his left nasal opening. The vet, although educated in chinese herbology, stated there is nothing more he can do for him. He expects the tumor to grow much larger within two weeks. I asked if there was an alternative medication I could give smeagol to slow the growth, or fight the cancer and he stated he didn't know of anything that would be safe if accidentally ingested from being on his lip. He said there was something, but it would have to be injected directly into the tumor, would be extremely painful and he feared the medication would not help fast enough to combat the speed at which the tumor is growing. He is currently on Baytril (antibiotic), Metacam, and buprenorphine. For the last month, the tumor will grow in size, changing appearance sometimes multiple times a day. Then, it will start bleeding, quite a bit, suddenly and the outer scab will seperate and come off. It's quite stressful for him (and us) as the blood will get in his nasal passage and cause difficulty breathing I think

. The only options I see right now are doing nothing and watching it grow, or taking him to the oncologist and asking about radiation possibilities. I am hoping that instead, there is an alternative treatment that can slow/stop the growth of the rapidly enlarging tumor and keep him comfortable. I would greatly appreciate any help. - Christina


Flea Remedies

Posted by WildHeart (Andover, MN) on 05/02/2009

Is there any home remedy for fleas that is safe for outdoor rabbits? anything I can put around the hutch or on them to keep the flease from the wild rabbits at bay? thanks.

Replied by Sandy
(Sanford, Fl)
04/11/2011

Eucalyptus is great for repelling fleas. I am not sure if you can put it directly on the rabbit, but you can sprinkle the oil outside. Be careful not to put it where he eats. And make sure you get pure oil and not just the fragrance.

Replied by Tntfreedom
(Ottawa, Kansas)
09/26/2012

I use flea free in there water it keeps fleas, flys, tick, mosqetios and other blood sucking hungery animals off them. All flea free has over 200 hundred natural vitamins and minerals treat ear mites, ring worm and more. Hope this helps. The taylor's Family rabbit farm Ottawa, Ks


Homeopathic Remedies

Posted by Calra (Homer, MI/USA) on 04/10/2009

Misc Remedies for Rabbits:

I have not tried any of these myself but was given the list through another rabbit website.

Okugest tablets

Okugest tablets are a homeopathic medicine for humans, which are used for, diarrhoea, bloat and for improvement of the gut motility, intoxication.
the tablets do contain the following homeopatic ingredients:

Okoubaka aubreveille D3 - prevention and treatment of poisoning, (foodpoisoning, pesticide poisonong, and self poisoning (auto toxic) diseases/ alergy .Okoubake helps the body regain control and normalizes the immune system to fight of other potential aggressors. For treatment, gastroenteritis, intestinal infections/ intoxification, and diarrhea.

Arsenicum album D12 - treatment of indigestion, anxiety, fever, pain and lots more.

Carbo vegetabilis D6 - treatment, bloat/gas, Abdominal distention with cramping pains, worse lying down,

Croton tiglium D6 - treatment acute and chronic diarrea, upset stomach, gas,

Veratum album D12 - treatment, sudden collapse, painful cramping followed by great weakness and exhaustion, diarrhea or constipation


Loss of Appetite

Posted by Velvet Fujita (Us) on 02/07/2017

What can I do to detox my rabbit who may have eaten potato leaves? She has loss of appetite, seems weak and thinner, not her jumpy energetic self.

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
02/08/2017

Hello Velvet,

You might consider giving your bun activated charcoal. You would have to get the capsules from the health food store, grind them up and add enough water to make it easy to suck up in a syringe, and then use the syringe to your bun's mouth to get him to drink it down. Another option would be bentonite clay, administered in the same way.


Mange Remedies

Posted by Dorothy (Colorado Springs, Co) on 11/28/2009

I have house rabbits that picked up mange mites possibly from a pair of guinea pigs we took in. Anyway, I've been searching for a way to treat them that is not Ivermectin or Revolution or Advantage or any other of those heavy chemicals that may cause other problems down the road. Anyway, I read up on borax, and it is NOT a safe product to be using. Even the box carries a warning. And it has been known for a long time that hydrogen peroxide causes cell damage. So I'm wondering about the information on this site. I'm also wondering if anyone has a treatment that isn't dangerous that might work on my rabbits. Ointments are useless. Bathing is extrememly stressful for bunnies. I've started using diatamaceous earth, but it is very drying to their fur and doesn't seem to do anything very fast. They have a great diet (better and fresher than most people) with fresh items and quality hay.

Replied by Anna Nikki
(Toronto, Ont)
12/23/2011

Cedar oil is good for getting rid of parasites, fleas, mites and bedbugs and is harmless to animals and humans. You can find it at the health store or online.

Replied by Jennifer
(Austin, Texas)
06/21/2012

Please don't give your bunny cedar oil because it's poisonous to them just like using pine or cedar wood shaving for bedding is poisonous.


Pumpkin

Posted by Joyce (Arcadia, CA, USA) on 01/05/2009

I WILL TRY THE PUMPKIN FOR MY SAD CONSTIPATED BUNNY. I HOPE IT WORKS.


Rabbit Mite Remedies

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Marcy (Kamas, Utah) on 10/22/2016
★★★★★

My little rabbit had fur mites,,,

Steps:

1. I bathed her in Mane and Tail shampoo

2, I diluted apple cider vinegar with water and left it on her for 15 mins

3. I poured buttermilk on her and left it for 15 mins

4. Combed her with a flea comb

5. Fur mites are gone



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