Rabbits can make wonderful pets whether you keep them indoors or in an outdoor pen with a shelter. Bunnies are lively, engaging, and endearing, and you can often tell how they’re feeling from their body language. Of course you want them feeling well health-wise, so you need to keep your bunny out of harm’s way and to pay attention to warning signs — keep emergency contact numbers handy, just in case.
Things to Keep Away from Your Rabbit
Some everyday things you don’t think twice about are dangerous to your rabbit. And some things toxic to you are especially bad for your bunny. Your hopping pet can do damage to household items as well. To keep everybun (sorry!) happy and healthy, keep your rabbit away from these things:
Antifreeze
Balconies
Carpet edges
Cleaning fluids
Electrical cords
Heating elements
Paint fumes
Stairways
Telephone wires
Toxic plants
How to Recognize a Rabbit Health Emergency
You need to be familiar with your rabbit’s normal condition and behavior so that you notice when something is wrong. Bleeding is fairly obvious, but raspy breathing may be harder to detect and just as dangerous. Contact your veterinarian as soon as you see any of the symptoms in the following table.
Handle an injured rabbit gently so that you don’t hurt your pet further, and be sure to use a pet carrier when transporting your bunny to the vet.
| Symptom(s) | Possible Cause |
|---|---|
| Bleeding | Injury (Apply pressure to stop the bleeding) |
| Blood in urine | Uterine disease in intact female rabbits. |
| Inability to stand; staggering | Severe illness |
| Paralysis | Injury to the spine |
| Rapid breathing, raspy breathing, heavy coughing | Illness or infection |
| Refusal to eat | Serious illness or mild colic |
| Severe pain indicated by refusal to eat, teeth grinding, and limping | Injury or illness |
| Straining to defecate or urinate | Intestinal or urinary blockage |
| Swelling on body part that’s hot to the touch | Injury |
| Teary, closed, red, or cloudy eye | Eye injury or infection |
| Temperature significantly above or below 101–103ºF | Chill or fever |
| Tilted head | Injury, bacterial infection |
How to Read Your Rabbit’s Body Language
Although your rabbit may make some sounds when communicating, bunnies do most of their “talking” with their body language. The following list can help you interpret what your rabbit is saying:
Hopping, leaping, and racing: “Whoopee! I’m happy!”
Binky-ing (a high jump, with vigorous twists): “I am incredibly happy!”
Kicking: If being held the wrong way, “Let go!” or, if playing, “What fun!”
Circling: “I’m in the mood for love.”
Flattening: “I don’t want you to see me.” A scared rabbit will lower herself to the ground as if to hide.
Stretching out (on side or back): “Ah, life is good. . . .”
Ear shaking: “I don’t like that.” Frequent ear shaking can be a sign of a medical problem and should be assessed by a veterinarian.
Head butting: “Hey!” A persistent rabbit will head-butt you when she wants something — petting, food, whatever.
Stomping: “Warning” or, maybe, “I’m annoyed.”
Biting: “I don’t like what you’re doing.” A gentle nip is a rabbit’s way of saying “I’ve had enough.” You’ll be able to tell the difference between a nip and a bite.
Sitting up tall: “I’m curious,” or “Is there trouble afoot?”
Licking: “I love you.”
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