A Complete Guide to Safe Winter Care Tips for Pet Rabbits
Beijing's winter is cold and dry. If you have a cute pet rabbit at home, you need to take extra care of it. In this season, rabbits at home easily get sick from a small oversight. So taking more measures to help them get through the winter smoothly is imperative. China Financial Ceremony
Diseases pet rabbits are prone to in winter
★Colds If you find that your rabbit's body temperature suddenly rises, or its eyes become dull as if tears are welling up, or it coughs, has a runny nose, or is panting, it may have caught a cold. Rabbit colds are mainly caused by sudden climate changes, poor air quality due to improper ventilation in the rabbit hutch, or being chilled after fur trimming in winter.
★Diarrhea The main symptoms of diarrhea are that the rabbit's appetite is worse than usual, it defecates more frequently, and its droppings are diluted and watery. Generally speaking, young rabbits and long-haired rabbits are more susceptible to this disease. If a rabbit gets chilled, or eats spoiled and deteriorated food, or its feed is suddenly changed, it may all lead to diarrhea.
★Constipation In dry winter weather, if you feed your rabbit too much dry feed and the rabbit does not drink enough water and lacks exercise normally, it may all lead to constipation. Its symptoms are that the rabbit passes few and small fecal pellets that are dry and hard, and in severe cases the urine may appear red.
★Pneumonia Pneumonia is a relatively serious disease for domestic rabbits. After onset, the rabbit will show symptoms of listlessness, a sudden rise in body temperature, reduced appetite, relatively difficult breathing, head tilted upward, and constant coughing. At this point the domestic rabbit refuses to eat, and with the slightest negligence, the domestic rabbit will die after three or four days. This disease is mainly caused by dampness inside the rabbit hutch, poor ventilation, and various harmful gases accumulating inside the rabbit hutch for a long time and irritating the domestic rabbit, and it mostly occurs in young rabbits.
Preventive measures
★Pay attention to cold protection and warmth The doors, windows or openings of the rabbit hutch must be closed tightly at night, with cotton curtains hung up, etc. Inside the hutch, soft mats or sterilized waste cotton should be laid down, and a hot water bottle can also be placed in the rabbit hutch. During the day, take some time to ventilate the rabbit hutch and keep the air inside the hutch clean and hygienic.
★Scientific feeding Pay attention to the palatability of the rabbit's feed; it is best to mix the dry feed with warm water to moisten it before feeding. Do not feed it frozen feed or moldy and deteriorated feed; it is best to give it warm water to drink. Supplemental feeding should be given in the evening to prevent the rabbit from going hungry when the days are short and the nights are long.
★Give more care In winter, do not trim the rabbit's fur or give the rabbit a bath, otherwise it will reduce the rabbit's ability to resist the cold. Take it out to bask in the sun more and strengthen exercise; on sunny days with sunshine, let the rabbit move freely for a period of time. The rabbit hutch should be cleaned frequently, disinfected frequently, and the bedding straw changed frequently to maintain good sanitary conditions inside the rabbit hutch. Frequently observe the rabbit's eyes, ear color, stool shape, and appetite, feel the back, abdomen, and pulse of long-haired rabbits, and listen to the rabbit's breathing rate and breathing sounds. When you find that the rabbit is sick, isolate and treat it promptly. If a disease is found, it should be taken to a pet hospital for treatment immediately.