By Priya Nair RVN · Last updated 20 May 2026
Rabbits are not low-maintenance pets and they are not easy to keep alive. They are prey animals, which means they hide illness aggressively, and they have a gut so finely tuned that a few hours of not eating can kill them. This pillar covers the conditions every rabbit owner needs to recognise on sight — starting with the big one, GI stasis, which kills more pet rabbits than any other single cause.
Pair with our rabbit diet pillar (diet is the biggest preventable factor) and our rabbit breeds encyclopedia (breed-specific health watches).
GI stasis — the rabbit emergency
Gastrointestinal stasis is when the gut stops moving. In a rabbit, this is fatal within 24-48 hours without intervention. The gut requires constant motion (fed by constant fibre intake) to maintain the right pH, prevent harmful bacteria like Clostridium overgrowth, and keep the rabbit eating. When motion stops, gas builds, the rabbit becomes too uncomfortable to eat, and the cycle accelerates.
The early signs
- Smaller, fewer, or irregular poops in the litter tray (you should know what your rabbit’s normal output looks like)
- Refusing favourite foods (a rabbit ignoring banana or fresh herbs is a red flag)
- Hunched posture, sitting in a “loaf” with eyes half-closed
- Grinding teeth audibly (different from soft contented teeth-clicking — this is louder, harder, distressed)
- Pressing belly to the floor or lying stretched out flat
- Not drinking water
What to do
- Phone the vet now. Not tomorrow. Now. Find a rabbit-savvy vet today — the wrong vet will mismanage this.
- Don’t force-feed solid food. Tempt with fresh herbs, water-rich greens, or wet hay first.
- Warm the rabbit if it’s cold — wrap in a soft towel, sit with them.
- Don’t give human painkillers — paracetamol and ibuprofen are toxic. Don’t give peppermint or “rabbit gas drops” without vet approval.
- Gentle massage of the belly in small circles can sometimes help — slow, never pressing hard.
What the vet does
- Pain relief (meloxicam, buprenorphine)
- Prokinetic to restart gut motion (metoclopramide, cisapride)
- IV/subcutaneous fluids — dehydration is part of the cycle
- Syringe feeding with Critical Care (Oxbow) — recovery food specifically for rabbits
- X-ray if a foreign body or blockage is suspected (different from “true” stasis and managed differently)
Prevention
- 85% hay diet, unlimited — this is THE single biggest factor.
- Fresh water always — bowl preferred over bottle (bigger volume drunk).
- Exercise daily — gut motion follows whole-body motion.
- Stress reduction — sudden changes, new pets, vet visits, hot weather all trigger episodes.
- Spot-clean the litter tray daily and know what normal output looks like for YOUR rabbit.
Dental disease — almost universal
Rabbit teeth grow continuously (2-3mm per week). They are designed to be worn down by chewing fibrous plant material — hay, grass, twigs. A rabbit on a pellet-heavy diet doesn’t chew enough side-to-side and the teeth overgrow.
- Signs: drooling, wet chin, pawing at the mouth, food sorting (eating only the soft bits), weight loss, runny eye on one side (tear duct compression by an overgrown upper molar root).
- Action: rabbit-savvy vet, dental check under sedation, burr down overgrown teeth.
- Prevention: hay-first diet from weaning, limited pellets, no muesli-style food (rabbits sort out the bits they like and leave the rest, so teeth get uneven wear).
E. cuniculi — the parasite to know
Encephalitozoon cuniculi is a microsporidian parasite. Around 50-70% of pet rabbits in Australia/UK test positive — most never show symptoms. When it does flare it causes neurological signs and kidney damage.
- Signs: head tilt (the most recognisable), loss of balance, rolling, hindlimb weakness, urine scalding (kidney damage), cataracts.
- Action: vet immediately. Treatment is fenbendazole for 28 days, often plus anti-inflammatories and supportive care. Catch it early and recovery is usually good.
- Spreads by: urine of infected rabbits. Hygiene + clean water source matter for multi-rabbit households.
Fly strike — summer emergency
Flies lay eggs on damp, faeces-soiled fur. Maggots hatch within hours and eat into the rabbit alive. Fly strike kills with horrible speed in Australian summers and is one of the most preventable rabbit deaths.
- At-risk rabbits: obese (can’t groom rear), arthritic, ill, dirty bedding, dental issues (drooling), long-coated breeds.
- Check rear and belly daily in summer. Any damp fur, faecal staining, or maggot is an emergency.
- If you see maggots: emergency vet. Don’t try to remove at home — there are always more under the skin.
- Prevention: Rearguard spray (cyromazine, prevents larval development) every 10 weeks in summer. Clean rear daily. Keep weight down. Treat dental issues.
Snuffles / Pasteurella
“Snuffles” is a catch-all for upper respiratory infection in rabbits, usually Pasteurella multocida or Bordetella. Common, often chronic, sometimes manageable, sometimes not.
- Signs: sneezing, runny nose (watch for crusty discharge on the front paws — rabbits wipe their noses), eye discharge, mucky chest fur from grooming.
- Action: vet. Cultures + sensitive antibiotic (often enrofloxacin or trimethoprim-sulfa) for 4+ weeks. Symptomatic care.
- Prognosis: some rabbits clear it, many become lifelong carriers with periodic flares.
Myxomatosis & calicivirus (RHDV)
Two viral diseases that are particularly significant in Australia because the federal government deliberately released them historically as wild-rabbit population control. Both kill pet rabbits with high mortality.
- Myxomatosis: swollen eyes, lumps on body, conjunctivitis, death within 10-14 days. No vaccine is approved for use in Australia. Prevention is mosquito + flea control (the vectors).
- Calicivirus (RHDV1 + RHDV2): sudden death often the only sign. RHDV1 vaccine (Cylap) available in Australia. RHDV2 not yet vaccine-protected in AU — talk to vet about import options or annual Cylap as partial protection.
- Action: annual Cylap vaccination, indoor housing in mosquito season, fly screens on hutches.
Reproductive cancers — the spay/neuter conversation
- Uterine adenocarcinoma: up to 80% of intact does over 4 years develop it. Spay is preventative and we recommend it for all does at 4-6 months.
- Testicular tumours and behaviour: bucks should be neutered for behaviour reasons (spraying, mounting, aggression) and to allow bonding with another rabbit.
- Surgical risk: in skilled rabbit-savvy hands, anaesthetic risk is low. Find an exotics vet who does these regularly.
Head tilt — the dramatic symptom
A rabbit holding its head tipped 30-90 degrees is alarming and confronting. Two main causes:
- E. cuniculi: central (brain) — usually responds to fenbendazole + anti-inflammatories.
- Inner-ear infection (otitis interna): peripheral — usually responds to long-course antibiotics + anti-inflammatories.
- Either way: rabbit-savvy vet, ideally same-day. Many rabbits recover well with early treatment. Some retain a residual tilt and compensate — they live happily.
- Supportive care: low-sided litter tray, food and water at floor level, soft bedding to prevent corneal abrasion, sometimes a small enclosure to stop rolling injuries.
Heat stress
Rabbits don’t sweat. Above 27°C they struggle, above 30°C they’re in trouble. Australian summer is genuinely dangerous for outdoor rabbits.
- Signs: wet nose, fast shallow breathing, ears flat back, lethargy.
- Emergency action: bring inside immediately, wet ears with cool (not cold) water, vet ASAP.
- Prevention: indoor housing in summer, shade and frozen water bottles for outdoor rabbits, ceramic tile in the enclosure to lie on, fan with damp towel.
The rabbit-savvy vet question
Most general practice vets see rabbits rarely. Rabbits are physiologically very different from cats and dogs — most medications dosed by cat or dog protocols are wrong, sometimes dangerously so. Find a vet who advertises as exotics or who is part of the Unusual Pet Vets network in AU. Ask before you need them in an emergency: “How many rabbits do you see a week, and which surgeries are you comfortable with?”
Where to next
Diet is the biggest preventative lever you have. Read our rabbit diet pillar for the 85% hay rule that prevents most GI stasis and dental disease. For pairs of rabbits (which we strongly recommend for welfare) see our bonding pillar. And our breeds encyclopedia covers breed-specific health watches.
Sources: Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF) clinical guides, Harcourt-Brown F Textbook of Rabbit Medicine, Australian Veterinary Association Rabbit Vaccination Guidelines, Frances Harcourt-Brown’s clinical resources.
Page last updated 19 May 2026. We re-check our pet-care content regularly and update when something changes.
