Worming rabbits??

[MaciBear]

Has anyone had to worm their rabbits? I have had my boys for Zues and Gizmo for like 6 yrs.. And Charlie for 3 years.. Is it necessary to worm them?


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[geekgirl101]

Yes, mine were infected last week and I lost one rabbit due to worms. Worming is apparently only necessary when the rabbits are infected (you'd notice if your rabbit is lacking energy and losing weight despite eating loads) but I'd say keep them wormed once every 3 months if they're outdoor rabbits, it's far better to be safe than sorry.

 

[majorv]

Our rabbits are outside but are not let on the ground. We bring them inside to run around. We haven't needed to worm. However, if you let you bunnies run around outside then I highly recommend you look at a worming schedule.

 

[Chrisdoc]

After reading about Lara and Kick, I checked with my vet as well but she said that as they are indoor rabbits and don´t go outside, I don´t need to do it.

 

[JBun]

Regular worming isn't commonly recommended for rabbits. Worms aren't usually as big of a problem for them, like they are for some other animals, though they can still happen. Plus for treating parasites, different ones require different medications to treat them. If it is a concern, you could have a fecal test done instead, and that will cover many of the internal parasites that rabbits get. The best thing is to be very familiar with the signs and symptoms of the various parasites, and be observant about your rabbits normal health and behavior, then if there are any signs or changes, to get your rabbit checked by your vet right away.

The problem encountered with regular worming, especially if always using the same wormer, is that these parasites can develop a resistance to the wormer, and since there are a limited amount of antiparasitics available, this can lead to problems in the future. This type of problem is being encountered in animals that are on regular worming, like horses.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

You can do regular fecal testing at your vet to determine if your rabbit might have worms or other internal parasites. It would save you having to deworm when they don't need it or target specific parasites if needed.

 

[missyscove]

Our fecals aren't actually that sensitive and with how safe dewormers are these days we usually deworm animals even if we don't see anything on a fecal if we have reason to suspect there might be parasites. That said, I've never dewormed by rabbits but they're indoor buns.

 

[majorv]

Yes, dewormers are safe. Rabbits who are regularly outside on the ground, I think, should be dewormed. Goats, sheep and other animals who forge are dewormed. Rabbits eat the grass and also sit on the ground. Rotating what you use helps prevent resistant to one kind.