Snuffles

Sneezing or long sessions of sneezing. Thick white snot in your rabbit’s nose? This is what is called “the Snuffles” or pasteurella multocida.

It is incurable and very contagious. Do not breed this animal. It should be culled immediately.

Diarrhea

Watery or mucus-covered stools. Some can be fatal in 12-48 hours.

ENTEROTOXEMIA Sudden acute diarrhea often in 4-8 week old rabbits, resulting in death within 12-24 hours.

TYZZER’S DISEASE Just like Enterotoxemia but caused by a different bacteria.

COCCIDIOSIS This disease attacks the liver, causing severe diarrhea.

MUCOID ENTERITIS Caused by bowel blockage.

EPIZOOTIC RABBIT ENTEROPATHY Highly contagious diarrhea for rabbits.

“MILD” DIARRHEA If you are alert, it should stay mild.

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease

RHD is a viral disease that can wipe out your entire herd in a matter of days. It is most noted by these three types:

Sudden and violent death, and then more dead rabbits. It is exceedingly contagious.

Rabbit goes off its feed and shows lethargy and trouble breathing. Body temp soars to 105-106 degrees, then cools off just as the rabbit dies.

Bloody nasal discharge, tightness and arching of the back, noisy respiration as the rabbit struggles to breathe. With this variety, the rabbit may be dead in a matter of hours. In some younger rabbits, it may recover and show immunity. These survivors tend instead to be dormant carriers of the disease, spreading it throughout the herd in feces and urine for at least a month, maybe longer.

Myxomatosis

Nasty virus carried by wild rabbits and transferred by mosquitos. It is fatal. It’s most common in Europe, but is also present in California and Oregon. It comes in two forms:

RAPID DEATH You won’t see it coming.

DELAYED DEATH Slight redness of the eyelids, loss of appetite, elevated temperatures. It’ll soon be a dead rabbit, and should be culled from the herd.

Whenever a rabbit goes off its feed or appears abnormal and if their rectal temperature is elevated above 103.5 degrees F, kill the rabbit and bury the carcass. In many cases, this is the only way to protect the rest of the herd from a deadly disease spread.