Content
- The formation of fur balls
- How and why are hairballs formed?
- The danger of fur balls
- Symptoms of hairballs in rabbits
- How to avoid hairballs in rabbits
- Hay
- Pineapple
- to brush
- Hairball treatment in rabbits
Rabbits, like cats, ingest large amounts of hair in their cleaning sessions, which is conducive to the formation of so-called hair balls in the stomach. However, unlike cats, rabbits cannot vomit, which means that they cannot expel these balls from their stomachs.
Thus, a hairball in a rabbit can cause an obstruction, which is serious to the point that it can kill the animal.
If you have one of these pets and would like to know how to avoid hairballs in rabbits, PeritoAnimal has prepared this article with everything you need to know!
The formation of fur balls
How and why are hairballs formed?
Rabbits need to ingest large amounts of fiber. Sometimes, guardians neglect to feed the rabbit and end up not giving enough hay (which should always be available unlimitedly), which causes a fiber deficit. To make up for this lack of fiber, the rabbit looks for other sources of this nutrient and starts chewing its own fur. Rabbits' digestive system is designed to digest high amounts of fiber and therefore this is one of the main reasons why rabbits ingest abnormal amounts of hair.
Through cleaning and grooming the rabbits themselves, some fur is ingested as well, although this is a less likely cause of this problem. Another possible reason is dehydration. if your rabbit do not drink enough water, this can impair digestive motility and impede the normal functioning of the digestive tract, so the hair is not normally expelled in the stool.
When the rabbit ingests large amounts of hair, they can accumulate in the stomach because they cannot pass through the digestive tract normally, thus forming so-called hair balls.
The danger of fur balls
Since, unlike cats, rabbits cannot expel these hairballs through their mouths, the situation becomes much more dangerous for these animals. If hair cannot pass through the digestive tract and accumulates, it can cause blockages, both in the stomach and intestine. Blockage of the intestinal tract is very dangerous because it does not allow it to function normally and if it is not detected in time and treated, the animal can even die.
Symptoms of hairballs in rabbits
The clinical signs of the formation of these trichobezoars (name given to the accumulation of hair and other materials) are varied. You must be on the lookout for these signs.:
- Changes in appetite
- Stress
- Weight loss
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal distension
- Hard palpable ball in the animal's stomach
- Absence of feces
- Teeth grinding (pain sign)
- Weakness
If your rabbit shows any of these signs, it is important that you visit your exotic animal veterinarian as soon as possible. Even if it is not a furball situation, all these signs are abnormal in a rabbit and cause for concern.
How to avoid hairballs in rabbits
Hay
The main point is increase fiber intake in the rabbit's diet. That is, if your rabbit eats too much feed and does not always have hay available, it is at high risk for this and other problems. You should limit the amount of feed you give your rabbit and always have fresh hay and blue whiting available for him to eat! Sometimes bad hay, which is very dry and thin, has little fiber, which can also cause this problem, as well as not preventing the common dental problems of rabbits.
Pineapple
Pineapple has an enzyme, called bromelain, which helps to digest the hairs. Pineapple juice is sometimes used to treat this problem. With the aid of a needleless syringe, we give a little juice directly into the rabbit's mouth.
Healthy rabbits can eat pineapple once a week, which will help prevent these fur balls from appearing in their stomachs.
to brush
Brushing your rabbit regularly, especially if it is a long-haired rabbit, is very important. When you're brushing, you're eliminating the rabbit's dead hair, decreasing the likelihood of it ingesting it when performing its normal hygiene.
Hairball treatment in rabbits
If your rabbit has an obstruction caused by a fur ball, he needs some urgent veterinary medical care.
Your veterinarian will start hydration and support therapy in order to hydrate your rabbit and help improve the motility of his intestinal tract. In addition, it may be necessary to administer analgesics, as it is a situation that causes a lot of pain and discomfort in the animal.
O physical exercise it is essential to recover intestinal motility. For this reason, in addition to being a form of treatment, it is also essential for prevention. Therefore, you should release your rabbit and allow it to run and jump freely out of its cage for at least one hour a day!
With proper veterinary treatment, if the case is detected in time, the prognosis is favorable and soon your bunny will be jumping with happiness again.
If you want to read more articles similar to Hairballs in rabbits 🐰- how to avoid it?, we recommend that you enter our Hair Care section.