Coccidiosis in Rabbits

Coccidiosis is a disease that can cause severe damage to a rabbit’s liver, and it’s more common within birds, however, can be particularly bad with Rabbits as they can reinfect themselves.

Key Points

• More commonly seen in birds but can infect rabbits
• Your rabbit can infect themselves when eating cecotropes
• Particularly common in young and recently weaned rabbits

Symptoms

Coccidiosis Symptoms tend to appear more often in younger rabbits, and can be any of the following:

• General Weakness
• Lethargy (Lack of Energy)
• Extreme Weight Loss
• Dehydration/refusal to drink
• Lack of Appetite

What Treatments are there?

Treatment is typically time away from home and monitoring via your local veterinary practice. This is due to the need for continuous supportive care to prevent any chance of GI Stasis and further damage.

Your rabbit will need to be kept on a healthy diet that may need to be done via syringe feeding due to potential loss of appetite.

In some minor cases, your veterinarian may recommend oral medication at home. If this is the case, you should continuously clear your rabbit’s surroundings.

You will want to thoroughly clean your rabbit’s home repeatedly, due to being coprophagic (This means they eat their feces).

Can it be prevented?

Yes, and No, Coccidia’s major prevention is preventing it from entering your household or your Rabbit’s home. The problem is that this can be picked up while you’re out and about and brought into your home.

Your rabbit would need to eat the feces of a rabbit that has been in contact with a coccidia cyst. In basic terms, if your rabbit comes into contact with the fecal matter of another rabbit with Coccidia, they can catch it.

What should I do if I think my rabbit has Coccidiosis?

Your first action point is to contact your local vet for an emergency appointment. The sooner you suspect an issue, the sooner you should contact your vet.