One of my Rabbits is in trouble

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I just found out that he has ear mites. :x My question is can this cause him to lose the weight?
 
It might, if he feels miserable enough that it affects his appetite. Fortunately, ear mites are easy to treat with a bit of olive oil or mineral oil squirted into the ear. The oil drowns the mites.
 
I highly doubt it was the food. Something else was going on. I've always only fed my New Zealand bucks between a level 5 oz. tuna fish can full of pellets up to a heaping 5 oz. can full, depending on the individual rabbit. That's about right for adult New Zealands. Overfeeding will often lower productivity. I've done that for years and my mentors did the same.

So my wild guess would be he's got a bug, teeth problems or has a physical problem. It would be a good idea to give extra feed until he's back to normal and keep an eye on his droppings and give a good check up. Mites can eventually kill a rabbit if not properly cared for. Something isn't right. You don't switch the food brand often, do you?

I would even think about a pea sized dose of Ivermectin in the mouth, then a second dose 10 days later. That would take care of the mites and some other possible problems (I'm not a vet, so take it for what it's worth).
 
I treated the whole herd with Ivermectin. They seem to be doing well. I'll get a better look on Saturday in the full daylight. There starting to hate me with the ear drops and now Ivermectin. They are all putting on weight. I thank everyone for all of your replies.

Question: Someone posted that apple was no good because, in part, of sugar. Yet another poster posted giving them pineapple. That has sugar too.

I did have a major setback to my heard. I found my champagne d argent doe dead. She was in perfect health. He weight was great and she was a gentle giant. She came from a great line and was my best doe, not just out of all of my different breeds but compared to my other champagne d argents from a different line. I found her on her side in her nest box. My best guess is a coon or cat came up and scared her to death from a heart attack. Has anyone ever had this happen? Do they lay on their side like a dog sleeping. I would have thought she would have curled up. :(

I have learned already that this is going to be a lot harder than I thought. I've been trying to disassociate them to make it easier to sell their kits and dispatch the rest. I'm going to do it but it's going to be hard.
 
Apple/pineapple question: Akane mentioned that the sugars in apples can be difficult to digest. Many give apple treats to their rabbits occasionally with no issue, but it's something to think about and watch for problems at first. Pineapples have a healthy dose of enzymes, which would not only help with the sugars, but also help break up ingested fur. :)

So sorry to hear about your champagne d'argent doe! :( Yes, plenty of us have had seemingly perfectly healthy rabbits die suddenly like that. Sometimes they are healthy, and die of fright, like you mentioned. Others were actually ill, but, since rabbits are prey animals and hide illness very well, the owners had no idea until they did a necropsy.

I had a doe die of fur impaction a few months ago, and she was lying like that, stretched out on her side.

It is hard. We've found that spoiling the breeders and playing with the little babies helps a lot. But it is still hard.
 
I've read that a lot of the "pet rabbit" people believe that fruits and veggies are good for rabbits. Most are not a natural part of their diets and contain too much sugar, it's basically all rabbit-candy.
You need weeds and 'real' greens, like grasses and other weed plants you as a human may think is no good for a well 'manicured lawn', its great for rabbits!
 
My Buck is back and Fat! Diet time.

I put drops in all their ears. One of the does had it too. A week later, I gave the whole herd Ivermectin. There all doing well now.
 
Seeker":399pv45l said:
My Buck is back and Fat! Diet time.

I put drops in all their ears. One of the does had it too. A week later, I gave the whole herd Ivermectin. There all doing well now.
Click to expand...

Glad everyone was successfully treated and back to health :)
 
Hi gang,this is my first post,but had too weigh in on the pineapple.......

I had a doe I bought 6 months ago and ever since I've had her she pooped like a dog,,,in other words,a bunch of berries smashed together in one piece...Then I heard about pineapple and working for blockages and gave it a try along with prarie hay daily..Took her a week too really get a taste for it but now has no problems and most of her poop is hanging like two balls connected by fur around the wire...

This doe sheds fur constantly and not sure why...?....Though she has the thickest plushest fur...She is an american and weighs 13 pounds....

Hope all gets well with your herd...
 
Some rabbits are horrible about shedding, but she shouldn't be in a full blown molt all the time still. What's her whole diet like (type of pellets if any, treats, other foods, chews, etc)? Water intake? Good weight? Brushing with a slicker for cats (or some thing similar) daily or more daily will help with the fur issue, she's got to be eating a lot of hair and I'm really surprised she's not had more complications. Is she easily stressed? Some times sudden temp changes or conditions can trigger it. Maybe some one else has better ideas/thoughts...
 
I mist my rabbits with vinegar and water, and just give them a good scratching to loosen the fur, and then rub the fur both with and against the grain, rubbing in one direction for several strokes at the least. They really enjoy it- and by stimulating the skin it increases blood flow, and that means healthier fur. You also spread their natural oils around that way.

If she is an indoor rabbit, without normal daylight cycles, she may shed all year.
 
SMR":dveyooii said:
Some rabbits are horrible about shedding, but she shouldn't be in a full blown molt all the time still. What's her whole diet like (type of pellets if any, treats, other foods, chews, etc)? Water intake? Good weight? Brushing with a slicker for cats (or some thing similar) daily or more daily will help with the fur issue, she's got to be eating a lot of hair and I'm really surprised she's not had more complications. Is she easily stressed? Some times sudden temp changes or conditions can trigger it. Maybe some one else has better ideas/thoughts...
Click to expand...

Purina complete,prarie hay and pineapple,water intake about a liter or so a day....Funny thing,I ran out of pineapple a week ago and after I made my last post went out to the barn and she pooped like a dog again...EEEEEk

On the lite,,they get pretty good lite but will test that theory....

Thanx

Thinkin on takin the shop vac to her,,but she would most definately woop up on it.... :lol:
 

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