Are bunnies just prone to being ill?

In all my life I've never been to the vets as many times as I have in the last year.

Are bunnies in general very prone to get ill all the time? Or are my 2 a little unlucky? Or am I just doing something wrong?

Eeyore and Twiglet have pasterella (existed before I got them). Since then Eeyore the one who's be suffering the worst with a couple of emergency antibiotic sessions.

Then he got Head Tilt of which we're not 100% sure of the cause.

Then he got mites.

On several occasions we've had sleepness nights when Twiglet and/or eeyore haven't eaten and we've had to force feed them (not in a nasty way - just baby food in a syringe as recommended by the vet).

Then Twiggy developed head tilt overnight a week ago. Although the cause of this was an ear infection and they checked eeyore too and he had an ear infection too! Thankfully the anitibiotics are working. If they didn't the vet said they might have to have an op.

It could be to do with diet, strange theory I know but not in the normal way :roll:

I've found that since feeding all 13 on SS and Hay, with very little veg that in over a year we've had no illnesses or vets visits other than Vaccs and Neutering

The trouble is once a Bun has Pasteurella it is never cured as such. The symptoms may disappear with abx treatment but some pesky bacteria will remain only to flare up again at a later date.
Mites are often associated with an immuno-compromised bun. So if they get 'run-down' the mites flare up too.
Some buns do appear to be more frail than others but if you took on two known Pasteurella Bunsters frequent Vet visits are only to be expected.

Do you use any complementary treatment aswell as the prescription meds. Adele is very knowlegable in this field and I am sure if you PM'd her she would be able to give good advice as to how you can help support your Buns immune systems and maybe the Pasteurella relapses will reduce in frequency.

Any stress will also trigger a Pasteurella relapse. Hot weather is a stressor to buns (AND ME :roll: ) As is any change in routine or environment. Even just moving the position of the hutch/run or indoor bed can be enough to set things off.

Janex

Hmmm, I think you must be just unlucky.

As a kid, I always had bunnies. Apart from one that died of myxi, all the rest lived to old age with no health problems. I can remember taking one bunny to have front teeth clipped (this was back in the 80s, I know things have changed now!) and my Grover had a few urine infections in later life. Evo is the first bunny I've had that has had health problems - he's my first house bunny, and also my first lop earred bunny. Don't know if either of these groups are more prone to illness. He has had teeth problems, many tummy problems, mites, lice......you name it.

Esmee has never seen a vet (other than vaccinations) in the 7yrs Ive had her. Touch wood Eli hasnt yet either !

I had two netherland dwarfs when I was little who never went to the vet apart from vaccinations, but this time round I feel like I'm always there!

I must admit though that two were ill before I got them, but the other two have also needed treatment.

I agree with Gem that poor diet can often be the cause, but also in-bred genetic probs- eg) teeth can be an issue.

Thanks for the advice.

I expect Eeyore will develop Teeth problems, but this was something I knew about before getting them. So far his teeth have been fine.

They both eat Excel, the dark green bag. This is what they were on at the rehoming place.

They eat brocolli, greens, spinach and carrot on a daily basis.

They also eat a bowl full of excel forage (the dried grass stuff). And they do eat their hay.

We're aware of stress bringing on the pastereulla, and also because of eeyores head tilt we've been told not to pick him up anymore if possible. I used to clean his snotty nose with him on his back in my arms, but he recently had some kind of panic attack. The vet said it was probably that he was scared and confused. So now we try and clean his nose without picking him up. Although the vet did stress that cleaning his nose takes priority and that we should pick him up if we can't clean it otherwise.

They been living in a room (well a shack) attached to the kitchen for the last 6 months or so as before they were down the bottom of the garden and we felt we couldnt keep and eye on them so well especially when it got dark early.

We were going to put them back in thier playhouse in the garden in the Spring, but instead we moved the playhouse and run right next to their room. This way they can stay in the room (which incidently is far cooler that the playhouse) and evenings and weekends we can let them out in the playhouse/run without having to pick them up.

As for their pasteurella, when they got diagnosed just over a year ago they were on Baytril, which IMO did ****** all. Twiggy has not had a flare up yet. She sneezes occassionally. But eeyores nose is constantly snotty and he has sneezing fits regularly. We have to clean his nose up every other day or so. But the vet is reluctant to give out antibiotics while he's like this. They said they should be saved for when he's very bad. He's been very bad once and we thought we were going to lose him, but the antibiotics worked very well.

Sorry, I've rambled a bit there.

Just re-read what I posted, I hope you didn't think I meant you gave your buns a poor diet, I meant before they came to you.

I've had 3 buns with teeth problems now, vet said possibly genetic but most likely poor diet in the past.

No, I didn't think that Mandy! But if I am please tell me

Next time either of them need Abx ask your vet for SEPTRIN. Far more effective than Baytril in treating respiratory tract infections. Septrin (generic name Co-trimoxazole) is a Paediatric Suspension. I have had a few severely snuffly/sneezy/wheezy Buns who have responded very well to it.


Janex

I wasn't implying a bad diet , sorry

I don't word things very well sometimes

You'll see what I mean when I eventually get round to posting my little feeding study

Most of mine are lops and I've only ever had one bout of mites, thats in about five years of having them :?

I know waht you mean though, it never rains it pours! I kept buns as a kid and they were NEVER ill. Now I'm more informed about them they seem to be ill all the time! Either eye problems, my baby stopped eating, my guinea pig has a respitory infection (he later died poor baby) etc etc. I think they get sick of seeing me.

The snot should be tested to see what the best treatment is, having bunnies with this is always going to be tricky, youve been unlucky buy rabbits react differently to the pasturells. Ive had a dwarf lop for three yrs with it and fingers crossed is managed to cope with it fine. Others are not so strong and it leads to lots of other problems. Your vet is right it not giving batril to often and its best kept till badly needed. Its better to have a test done though because there are lots of different drugs that could be used and this test will tell the vet the best one to use. The reason the vet said not to pick up your rabbit was because they loose there sense of ballence with a head tillt of ear infections and it scary for the rabbit to be opicked up. val