Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Yucky Stuff
Please remember that I am not a vet. Do not follow any advice found here without checking with your vet first.
I love watching babies playing and romping the very first week they get out of the nest box. I love to see a coat in prime. I love to find a first time mom with five clean, well fed babies snuggled under a pile of fluffy fur. I love to see a buck with his head stretched out of his cage for some affection.
There's a lot to love in this hobby of ours, but there's a yucky side, too. Today is all about the yuck.
Warbles
Warbles are actually blowfly larva implanted under the skin of your rabbit. It feels like a small marble under the skin. It differs from an abscess or tumor in that you can find an air hole. It may be crusted over, but just by washing the lump with some peroxide and a cotton ball, you'll find a distinctive and quite large air hole.
The adult blowfly is a fairly large fly - 2 cm or more in length. But the larva can be 4 cm or longer. The eggs are laid in warm weather and may grow for almost two months under the skin.
If you find a warble cyst on your rabbit, the warble must be removed intact. Trauma to the larva could result in shock in the rabbit. The air hole must be enlarged. You can use a sterilized Xacto knife to enlarge the hole. The skin around the cyst is quite dead and you might be surprised how little reaction your rabbit has to this step. The entire larva must then be removed. This step is not as easy as it sounds. They can be quite stubborn.
I had a rabbit with a warble way back when I first got into rabbits. I took her to the vet. He had a difficult time getting the warble out. But after he did, he rinsed the hole with sterile saline solution and then filled it with a topical antibiotic. I had to fill the hole with the antibiotic twice a day until it healed.
Ringworm
I'm not entirely sure that I ever had ringworm in my rabbits, but I thought I did when I first got started. Looking back, it was probably fur mites. But I didn't know what I was looking at. When I described it to a more experienced breeder, he suggested several things it might be. In case it was ringworm, he told me that he used Tinactin on his rabbits. So I used the Tinactin with no problems. However, I used it in a location where my rabbit could not lick it off. I have since read that human preparations are not suitable for rabbits since they groom themselves.
Ringworm causes loss of fur just like fur mites do. What I was looking for was a roundness to an irritated patch of skin. I may have seen that (it's been too long to remember). If the patch of missing fur had just been accompanied by dandruff-like flakes, I should have treated for fur mites.
Abscesses
Abscesses can show up anywhere, but I've mostly seen them around the mouth and genitals. Sometimes a thorn in the hay will start an abscess. Sometimes rabbits will get their scent glands under the chin infected.
If the abscess has enough size, it should be lanced and drained. Then it is time for antibiotics. You want to prevent a secondary infection while you are cleaning up the first one. My vet prescribes Baytril for abscesses. Rio had a small one in his cheek/chin area that was too small to lance. He took Baytril orally to clear it up.
If your rabbit will tolerate it, a hot compress can help.
For a really valuable rabbit and a difficult abscess, sedation and veterinary surgery may be required.
Cannibalism
Nothing will turn your joy into horror faster than a mother that eats her young. Usually, we're talking about mothers who eat their dead babies in an attempt to clean up the nest area. But I've have a very few who went a little loco and started eating live babies.
I found one baby decapitated with blood all over the mother and the cage. Gruesome. Another time, I found a half-eaten baby and was about to toss it out when it moved. I screamed at Andrew to put it down - NOW! I couldn't stand the thought of it being alive half-eaten.
And, of course, you know about my recent ear-eating incident.
The jury is still out on Francesca, the ear-eater, but I suspect she'll never do it again. In all of the previous cases, the cannibalism was isolated to a single incident. I don't know whether there was something wrong with the one kit (as in the decapitation litter - she touched not a hair on the other kits and raised them just fine) or whether it was confusion (perhaps the half-eaten kit had been in a coma) or whether something disturbed the rabbits at night (a natural response to hide from predators) or whether it's just an error. But whatever the case, I have never had a habitual cannibal.
Poopy Butts
Sometimes you get these three week old babies that are hiding a terrible secret. Flip them over and they are sitting on a pile of poop as big as your fist! Okay, sometimes it's just the size of a marble, but often, it's the size of a ping pong ball.
The first time it happened, I thought my babies were all dying. Now, I take it seriously, but I don't jump to any horrible conclusions.
This usually happens for me with the shaggier bunnies with huge appetites. Just a little overeating and a furry bottom is a horrible combination. It seems I'll go for months without any problems and then wham! there's a huge stink bomb under one of my darlings.
I've not found an easy way to deal with this. Be careful if you decide to use clippers. I've more than once gotten some skin. Take it from me, you'll feel like a dog if you cut your baby bunny even a tiny bit. Water works, but makes a huge mess.
It is important to keep things cleaned up, though. It's not just a matter of things being a mess. I found a rabbit whose penis had gotten clogged with feces. He got so infected that a hole formed on the side of his penis to release the urine. Needless to say, he died of infection. That was a very long time ago, but it has helped me take poopy butts very seriously.
Once you have cleaned and dried the baby (especially important in cold weather), you may want to put some soothing ointment on the bottom. Also, trim the fur in the crotch to prevent the problem from happening again.
Luckily, they usually grow out of this stage. I've only had one poop bomb under an adult and it was only the size of a marble. He had an especially shaggy bottom, though.
Other Stuff
There's more yucky stuff, I'm sure: stuck babies, tumors, nasal discharge, other parasites, and more. But you've probably had enough yuck for one day.
Days when you are dealing with the yuck can sometimes get you down. When that happens, find a breeder friend you trust to talk it over with. And then spend some times playing with your cute babies. That'll help you get over the yuck fast.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry “Home Of Grand Champions”
Precious Pet Rabbits
Affordable Web Site Design ¶ 9:03 AM
I love watching babies playing and romping the very first week they get out of the nest box. I love to see a coat in prime. I love to find a first time mom with five clean, well fed babies snuggled under a pile of fluffy fur. I love to see a buck with his head stretched out of his cage for some affection.
There's a lot to love in this hobby of ours, but there's a yucky side, too. Today is all about the yuck.
Warbles
Warbles are actually blowfly larva implanted under the skin of your rabbit. It feels like a small marble under the skin. It differs from an abscess or tumor in that you can find an air hole. It may be crusted over, but just by washing the lump with some peroxide and a cotton ball, you'll find a distinctive and quite large air hole.
The adult blowfly is a fairly large fly - 2 cm or more in length. But the larva can be 4 cm or longer. The eggs are laid in warm weather and may grow for almost two months under the skin.
If you find a warble cyst on your rabbit, the warble must be removed intact. Trauma to the larva could result in shock in the rabbit. The air hole must be enlarged. You can use a sterilized Xacto knife to enlarge the hole. The skin around the cyst is quite dead and you might be surprised how little reaction your rabbit has to this step. The entire larva must then be removed. This step is not as easy as it sounds. They can be quite stubborn.
I had a rabbit with a warble way back when I first got into rabbits. I took her to the vet. He had a difficult time getting the warble out. But after he did, he rinsed the hole with sterile saline solution and then filled it with a topical antibiotic. I had to fill the hole with the antibiotic twice a day until it healed.
Ringworm
I'm not entirely sure that I ever had ringworm in my rabbits, but I thought I did when I first got started. Looking back, it was probably fur mites. But I didn't know what I was looking at. When I described it to a more experienced breeder, he suggested several things it might be. In case it was ringworm, he told me that he used Tinactin on his rabbits. So I used the Tinactin with no problems. However, I used it in a location where my rabbit could not lick it off. I have since read that human preparations are not suitable for rabbits since they groom themselves.
Ringworm causes loss of fur just like fur mites do. What I was looking for was a roundness to an irritated patch of skin. I may have seen that (it's been too long to remember). If the patch of missing fur had just been accompanied by dandruff-like flakes, I should have treated for fur mites.
Abscesses
Abscesses can show up anywhere, but I've mostly seen them around the mouth and genitals. Sometimes a thorn in the hay will start an abscess. Sometimes rabbits will get their scent glands under the chin infected.
If the abscess has enough size, it should be lanced and drained. Then it is time for antibiotics. You want to prevent a secondary infection while you are cleaning up the first one. My vet prescribes Baytril for abscesses. Rio had a small one in his cheek/chin area that was too small to lance. He took Baytril orally to clear it up.
If your rabbit will tolerate it, a hot compress can help.
For a really valuable rabbit and a difficult abscess, sedation and veterinary surgery may be required.
Cannibalism
Nothing will turn your joy into horror faster than a mother that eats her young. Usually, we're talking about mothers who eat their dead babies in an attempt to clean up the nest area. But I've have a very few who went a little loco and started eating live babies.
I found one baby decapitated with blood all over the mother and the cage. Gruesome. Another time, I found a half-eaten baby and was about to toss it out when it moved. I screamed at Andrew to put it down - NOW! I couldn't stand the thought of it being alive half-eaten.
And, of course, you know about my recent ear-eating incident.
The jury is still out on Francesca, the ear-eater, but I suspect she'll never do it again. In all of the previous cases, the cannibalism was isolated to a single incident. I don't know whether there was something wrong with the one kit (as in the decapitation litter - she touched not a hair on the other kits and raised them just fine) or whether it was confusion (perhaps the half-eaten kit had been in a coma) or whether something disturbed the rabbits at night (a natural response to hide from predators) or whether it's just an error. But whatever the case, I have never had a habitual cannibal.
Poopy Butts
Sometimes you get these three week old babies that are hiding a terrible secret. Flip them over and they are sitting on a pile of poop as big as your fist! Okay, sometimes it's just the size of a marble, but often, it's the size of a ping pong ball.
The first time it happened, I thought my babies were all dying. Now, I take it seriously, but I don't jump to any horrible conclusions.
This usually happens for me with the shaggier bunnies with huge appetites. Just a little overeating and a furry bottom is a horrible combination. It seems I'll go for months without any problems and then wham! there's a huge stink bomb under one of my darlings.
I've not found an easy way to deal with this. Be careful if you decide to use clippers. I've more than once gotten some skin. Take it from me, you'll feel like a dog if you cut your baby bunny even a tiny bit. Water works, but makes a huge mess.
It is important to keep things cleaned up, though. It's not just a matter of things being a mess. I found a rabbit whose penis had gotten clogged with feces. He got so infected that a hole formed on the side of his penis to release the urine. Needless to say, he died of infection. That was a very long time ago, but it has helped me take poopy butts very seriously.
Once you have cleaned and dried the baby (especially important in cold weather), you may want to put some soothing ointment on the bottom. Also, trim the fur in the crotch to prevent the problem from happening again.
Luckily, they usually grow out of this stage. I've only had one poop bomb under an adult and it was only the size of a marble. He had an especially shaggy bottom, though.
Other Stuff
There's more yucky stuff, I'm sure: stuck babies, tumors, nasal discharge, other parasites, and more. But you've probably had enough yuck for one day.
Days when you are dealing with the yuck can sometimes get you down. When that happens, find a breeder friend you trust to talk it over with. And then spend some times playing with your cute babies. That'll help you get over the yuck fast.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry “Home Of Grand Champions”
Precious Pet Rabbits
Affordable Web Site Design ¶ 9:03 AM
