Five Rabbit Diseases: Warning Signs and When to Call a Vet

By Dr Duncan Houston

A rabbit that leaves breakfast untouched, develops a wet chin or starts holding their head sideways needs attention. Small changes can be the first visible sign of a painful illness.

Gut stasis, dental disease, respiratory infections, flystrike and Encephalitozoon cuniculi are five important problems to recognise. Their signs overlap, so the aim is to choose the right next step rather than diagnose your rabbit at home.

Quick Answer

Contact a rabbit-experienced vet promptly for reduced eating, fewer droppings, persistent nasal discharge, drooling or a new head tilt. Complete loss of appetite, severe pain, breathing difficulty, collapse, uncontrolled rolling or suspected flystrike need immediate veterinary contact. Many rabbits benefit from timely treatment, but the cause and severity determine recovery.

How urgently does your rabbit need help?

What you notice	Why it matters	What to do
Eating and moving normally, with normal droppings and no symptoms	A useful baseline for spotting change	Continue daily checks and scheduled preventive care.
Drooling, repeated sneezing, discharge or unexplained weight loss while still eating	Dental or respiratory disease may already be painful	Contact your vet today to arrange assessment.
Eating less, smaller or fewer droppings, or a new head tilt	Gut function or balance may be affected	Call now for urgent advice and examination. Do not wait overnight.
Not eating, a swollen painful abdomen, laboured breathing, collapse, seizures, repeated rolling or maggots	Potentially life-threatening illness	Contact an emergency vet immediately and arrange transport.

These are action thresholds, not diagnoses. MSD's guidance on rabbit illness highlights appetite, droppings, movement and breathing as important warning signs.

1. Gut stasis: when eating and droppings slow down

Gastrointestinal stasis means the normal movement of the digestive tract slows or stops. Pain, stress, dehydration and other illnesses can trigger it. A rabbit may sit hunched, ignore hay and produce progressively smaller droppings.

Stasis describes a problem that needs an explanation. Dental pain can start it, but a physical blockage can produce similar signs and requires different management. Examination and abdominal imaging help the vet distinguish these possibilities.

Treatment may involve fluids, pain relief, nutritional support and medicines to support gut movement when appropriate. Do not start syringe feeding or leftover gut stimulants unless your vet has assessed whether they are safe. An obstruction must be considered first. See Vets Now's explanation of rabbit gut stasis.

Once treatment starts, follow the agreed monitoring and recheck plan. A few droppings do not necessarily mean the underlying problem has resolved.

2. Dental disease: more than overgrown front teeth

Rabbit teeth grow throughout life. Problems can involve the incisors, the cheek teeth farther back, or structures below the gumline. Warning signs include drooling, dropping food, chewing differently, facial swelling and weight loss. A rabbit that accepts soft food but avoids hay may be struggling to chew, rather than simply being fussy.

The vet may need a detailed mouth examination under sedation or anaesthesia, with skull imaging to investigate deeper disease. Treatment can include careful dental reduction, extraction or management of an abscess. Do not clip teeth at home: cutters can fracture them. MSD's rabbit dental guidance explains why proper equipment and assessment matter.

Improving the diet supports dental health, but it cannot reliably correct established painful disease. Some rabbits need ongoing dental care. Watch for a wet chin and changes in chewing between appointments, as described in PDSA's dental warning signs.

3. Snuffles: a runny nose needs a cause

“Snuffles” usually describes nasal inflammation or a respiratory infection, rather than one specific germ. Pasteurella is one possible cause, but other bacteria, dental problems and nasal irritation also need consideration.

Look for repeated sneezing, discharge around the nostrils or eyes, and crusted fur on the front paws from wiping the face. Your vet will assess breathing and teeth and may recommend sampling or imaging. Antibiotics, when needed, must be chosen for the individual rabbit. Chronic infections can require prolonged management and may recur. MSD explains rabbit airway disease and its treatment.

Keep the living area clean and ventilated, without smoke or dusty bedding. Ask your vet how to protect companion rabbits. Breathing effort changes the urgency immediately: do not wait for discharge to become thick or coloured before seeking help. PDSA's respiratory guidance stresses the seriousness of breathing difficulty.

4. Flystrike: even one maggot is an emergency

Flystrike occurs when fly eggs hatch on a rabbit and the larvae damage living tissue. Damp, soiled fur and wounds increase risk. A bad smell, wet fur, sudden weakness or visible maggots may be the first clue.

Call the emergency vet immediately, even if you find only one maggot. Do not bathe the rabbit, try to remove embedded larvae or delay while treating the skin yourself. Veterinary treatment may require anaesthesia, wound cleaning, medication to kill remaining larvae, pain relief and fluids. Severe tissue damage can be fatal. PDSA's flystrike advice explains the urgent response.

After stabilisation, the vet should investigate why the coat became wet or dirty. Arthritis, obesity, dental pain and urinary problems can prevent normal grooming. Prevention needs to address that cause as well as flies.

5. E. cuniculi: head tilt does not confirm the diagnosis

Encephalitozoon cuniculi, often shortened to EC, is a microscopic parasite that can affect the nervous system, kidneys and eyes. Some infected rabbits never become visibly ill. Others develop head tilt, weakness, rolling, eye changes or increased drinking and urination.

A positive antibody test can show previous exposure without proving EC caused today's symptoms. A negative urine test may miss infection. Ear disease is another important explanation for head tilt, so the vet must interpret tests alongside the examination. The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund explains these diagnostic limitations.

Treatment may include prescribed antiparasitic medicine such as fenbendazole, nursing support and other care matched to the affected organs. Recovery varies: some rabbits improve substantially, while others have lasting neurological or kidney problems. Do not copy a drug schedule from another rabbit or add steroids yourself. PDSA describes EC treatment and the possible outcomes.

When is this an emergency?

• Complete loss of appetite, especially with little or no faeces, marked pain or abdominal swelling.
• Struggling to breathe, open-mouth breathing or collapse.
• Maggots, fly eggs around damaged skin, or suspected flystrike.
• Seizures, uncontrolled rolling or sudden inability to stand.

Phone an emergency veterinary service and arrange assessment now. A rabbit becoming quiet or less responsive is not necessarily settling down. Avoid giving anything by mouth if breathing or swallowing is impaired.

What should you do while arranging veterinary care?

1. Describe the change clearly. Tell the clinic when your rabbit last ate normally, passed normal droppings and moved comfortably. Mention prescribed medicines and any recent procedure.
2. Use a secure carrier. Keep handling gentle and the environment quiet. If your rabbit is rolling, ask the clinic how to pad the carrier safely for travel.
3. Offer familiar food only voluntarily. If alert and swallowing normally, your rabbit can have access to hay and water while you follow the clinic's instructions. Do not force food or water.
4. Bring useful information. Photos of droppings, a short video of abnormal movement and medication packaging may help, provided collecting them does not delay departure.
5. Agree on recheck triggers. After treatment, clarify what appetite and droppings should look like, when medicines are due, and which changes mean returning immediately.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Waiting until tomorrow because a rabbit is still taking occasional treats.
• Assuming every head tilt is EC or every runny nose is the same infection.
• Using leftover antibiotics or dog and cat medicines. Some drugs can seriously disrupt a rabbit's gut.
• Trying to fix dental disease with chew toys or home tooth clipping.
• Treating a dirty bottom repeatedly without investigating pain, mobility, diet or urinary disease.

MSD's medication advice explains why medicines safe for another species may be dangerous for rabbits.

A daily prevention routine

Build care around plentiful suitable hay or grass, clean water, an appropriate balanced diet, daily movement and opportunities to forage. Keep changes gradual, provide hiding places and maintain a predictable routine with compatible rabbit companionship. Prevention supports health but cannot guarantee that a rabbit will never become ill.

Check eating, droppings, mobility and the rear end daily. Check beneath the tail at least twice daily in warm weather or when flystrike risk is higher. Clean wet bedding promptly and seek help if your rabbit cannot stay clean. PDSA's routine rabbit care advice covers these checks.

Arrange routine veterinary and dental examinations, with more frequent reviews when needed. These five conditions are not a complete disease list: discuss protection against rabbit haemorrhagic disease and myxomatosis with your local vet. Vaccine availability and schedules depend on your country and the products used. MSD's preventive care guidance and the UK Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund vaccination guidance illustrate why the plan must be matched to local recommendations.

Frequently asked questions

How long can I wait if my rabbit stops eating?

Contact a vet immediately. Do not use a fixed number of hours as a safe waiting period, especially if droppings stop or your rabbit looks painful.

Can gut stasis be treated at home?

Some rabbits continue treatment at home after veterinary assessment. An undiagnosed rabbit needs examination because a blockage or another serious illness can look similar.

Does a head tilt always mean E. cuniculi?

No. Ear disease and other neurological problems can cause similar signs. A new tilt needs prompt assessment; repeated rolling or inability to stand needs emergency care.

Can indoor rabbits get flystrike?

Yes, if flies reach them. Indoor housing does not replace checking the coat, skin and rear end or treating conditions that cause soiling.

Can my other rabbit catch the same illness?

Some respiratory infections and EC can spread between rabbits, while dental disease and gut stasis are not themselves contagious. Ask your vet for a companion-care plan based on the suspected cause.

Know your rabbit's normal, and act on changes

The most useful early warning system is knowing how your rabbit normally eats, passes droppings, moves and breathes. A clear change deserves attention. Prompt assessment helps identify the cause and gives treatment the best chance to help.

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ASK A VET™ shares practical guidance to help you understand your rabbit's care. For urgent warning signs, contact your rabbit-experienced vet or an emergency clinic directly.