Rabbits are susceptible to a variety of diseases and conditions, including overgrown teeth, hairballs, parasites, and cancer. They also tend to hide signs of illness or pain.

Contact our Toronto hospital if your rabbit exhibits any abnormal signs, including discharge from the eyes or nose, runny stool, a gurgling stomach, drooling, scratching at the ears, sneezing, tilting of his or her head, a development of bald patches in his or her fur, loss of appetite, unusual quietness , or other abnormal behaviour.

In addition, your rabbit can benefit from regular checkups.  Checkups are recommended every 6 months and are vital to evaluating your rabbit’s health and exposing potential problems before they turn into serious, potentially life-threatening conditions.  Routine annual wellness blood work will greatly aid in establishing an overall health picture of your rabbit.  In addition, annual wellness blood work will develop a specific blood profile for your individual bunny, which will be useful should your rabbit fall ill in the future.

We also strongly suggest that you have your rabbit spayed or neutered. Not only can rabbits potentially give birth once a month, but they can also have up to 14 babies at a time! Even in households with a single rabbit, spaying or neutering has plenty of benefits: it can protect your rabbit from several types of cancer and reduce or eliminate aggression, as well as other undesirable behaviour, such as spraying, mounting, destructive chewing, and biting. Spaying or neutering will not change your rabbit’s personality.

If you have any questions about how to best care for your rabbit, we’d be happy to discuss proper diet, housing, grooming, and handling.