MEDICATING RABBITS

Our rabbits do fall sick and will require our help to administer medication. This can be in the form of oral medication, liquid drops or injection. They tend to behave well in the clinic but back home, they can put up quite a struggle. Not all rabbifs are as cooperative as our little Nougat here! Here’s some helpful tips to assist owners when medicating their rabbits at home.

1. KNOW YOUR RABBIT
Some rabbits are more relaxed on the floor while others are more cozy on your lap. Some can be quite squirmy and need to be ‘bunny-wrapped’ and held tied in your arms. If your rabbit is super hard to handle, having a second person to assist you will probably be very helpful.

2. SET UP FOR SUCCESS
Prior to getting the rabbit in position, prepare the medication by unscrewing all caps and load up all syringes. Keep some wet wipes or tissue near to help clean any spill. It’s also a good idea to keep some water handy to ‘wash’ things down in event your rabbit don’t swallow well.

3. STAY POSITIVE
Rabbits are very sensitive and can feel your frustration and nervousness. Do maintain a cheerful attitude and if need to, play some music or sing a song to keep everyone positive. It also helps to have a second pair of hands to sayang their head and rub their ears to calm them down.

4. HAVE A ROUTINE
Rabbits do not like surprises so it’s not a bad idea to medicate your rabbit at the same time and place everyday. This will make things more ‘expected’ and your rabbit won’t live in constant fear. Also, giving them a treat after medication can also cheer them up after a round of ‘torture’.

5. MINIMIZE STRESS
The best way for a rabbit to receive their medication is for them to take it willingly. This is possible for some oral medication especially if they are sweetened. We do recommend training a healthy rabbit to drink from a syringe so they don’t relate them to sickness.

6. MAKE MEDS TASTY
There are many creative ideas one can think of to make a rabbit eat their medicine willingly. For bitter-tasting syrup, you can mix in a small amount of sweet juice or applelin. For tablets, you can also coat them with with mashed banana or fiberplex.

For more useful tips on medicating the rabbits, you can click here: https://rabbit.org/faq-medicating-your-rabbit/

(Video credit to Nougat and adopter Michelle)