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Coccidiosis in Rabbits
If your rabbit is acting abnormally and you have concerns please take them to a vet immediately.
Coccidiosis is a disease that can cause severe damage to a rabbits liver, it’s more common within birds, however, can be particularly bad with Rabbits as they can reinfect themselves.
Key Points
- More commonly seen in birds but can infect rabbits
- Your rabbit can infect themselves when eating cecotropes
- Particularly common in young and recently weaned rabbits
Symptoms
Coccidiosis Symptoms tend to appear more often in younger rabbits, and can be any of the following:
- General Weakness
- Lethargy (Lack of Energy)
- Extreme Weight Loss
- Dehydration/refusal to drink
- Lack of Appetite
What Treatments are there?
Treatment is typically time away from home and monitoring via your local veterinary practice. This is due to the need for continuous supportive care to prevent any chance of GI Stasis and further damage.
Your rabbit will need to be kept on a health diet that may need to be done via syringe-feeding due to potential loss of apetite.
In some minor cases, your veterinarian may recommend oral medication at home, if this is the case, you should continously clear your rabbits surroundings.
You will want to thoroughly clean your rabbit’s home repeatedly, due to being coprophagic (This means they eat their own feces).
Can it be prevented?
Yes, and No, The major prevention for Coccidia is to prevent it from entering your household or your Rabbit’s home. The problem is that this can be picked up whilst you’re out and about and can be brought into your home.
Your rabbit would need to eat faeces of a rabbit that has been in contact with a coccidia cyst. In basic terms, if your rabbit comes into contact with the faecal matter of another rabbit which has Coccidia, they can catch it.
What should I do if I think my rabbit has Coccidiosis?
Your first point of action is to contact your local vet for an emergency appointment. The sooner you suspect an issue, the sooner you should contact your vet.
Link is an incredibly spoilt rabbit who lives completely free roam. When he's not jumping on his owners heads at 5am or digging at carpet he can often be seen loafed or eating copious amounts of hay.
