Learning to Live With Pets

Signs Your Rabbit Needs Immediate Care At An Animal Care Hospital

When you have a pet rabbit, you have a companion that is both unique and very loving. Pet rabbits can live a long time with proper care, but even so, they are tender creatures that can be very fragile. If your pet rabbit needs assistance at animal care hospital services, it's best to get them care right away. Otherwise, your rabbit is at risk of rapidly declining and can even die. Here are signs your rabbit is in need of emergency care at your nearest exotic animal care hospital.

Not eating or drinking

Like many herbivores, rabbits have to eat nearly constantly. This is because their bodies are always ruminating and creating gases from the fiber-rich foods they eat. If your rabbit stops eating, their digestive system slows down or stops, which can lead to a very serious and common rabbit problem: gastrointestinal stasis. Failure to eat or drink — which is often accompanied by refusal or inability to make a bowel movement — makes the gut slow down in rabbits, and if you cannot get your pet bunny's intestines to begin moving again, the condition is usually fatal.

Take your pet bunny to a vet right away so they can get treated for their failure to eat. Since eating and drinking can also be caused by stress, parasites, or dental pain, you will want to have your pet examined right away.

Tilting its head to one side

If your pet rabbit is tilting its head to one side, particularly if its ears feel cold or very hot to the touch, your rabbit may be showing signs of an ear infection or a fever of some kind. Sluggish or super sensitive behavior may accompany your bunny if they are tilting their head heavily to one side.

You should be able to tell if your bunny has a strange temperature by touching its ears. They should remain comfortably warm but not be seriously hot or very cold to the touch at all. A sudden spike or drop in your rabbit's body temperature can be dangerous, so seek care with the nearest animal care hospital services facility that allows rabbits. Not all veterinarians take rabbits, which are considered an exotic animal, so keep this in mind as you consider care for your bunny.

If your rabbit has runny stools, is urinating more or less than usual, or is exhibiting any other type of odd behavior that is not normal for them, then have your animal seen at an animal care hospital right away. Doing so can potentially save their life.

Speak with the staff at an animal care hospital to learn more. 


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