Monitor Herd Daily

Check every rabbit during morning feeding for changes in appetite, droppings, posture, coat condition, and behavior. Pick up and briefly handle any animal that looks off. Look specifically for nasal discharge, wet dewlaps, head tilt, diarrhea, ear crust, or swollen hocks. Isolate any rabbit showing symptoms immediately.

Why It Works

Rabbits instinctively hide illness, so subtle early signs are easy to miss without a deliberate daily routine. Catching a sick rabbit within 24 hours of symptom onset allows isolation before the pathogen spreads to cage mates or neighboring animals, containing outbreaks before they escalate.

Tips

• Perform checks at the same time each day so deviations from normal behavior stand out
• Keep a simple health log noting any abnormalities with date and cage number
• Learn normal cecotrope vs. true diarrhea -- only the latter signals a health problem