Hi, my name is Aileen Carol Hogspot, I’m with Friends of Rabbits, we’re talking about how to
care for your rabbit and we will be discussing basic health considerations today. And this is Lucy
with me, we will be talking about Lucy, who is probably the best example of what a healthy
rabbit is. Lucy is obviously not lethargic, she’s very active, we’re gonna talk about rabbits noses,
it should be dry, they should be, no labor breathing. We’re gonna talk about eye should be clear,
there should be no abscess, there should be no moisture, excess moisture, any type of crustiness
around the eyes. They should be clear, they should be, they should be able to see and get some
reactions from her when I do this. Her ears, should be warm to the touch, they feel a little
warmer. Obviously they could be cold to, if you just wake up and you’re rabbits have been
sleeping for a while, there is a possibility the temperature will drop in the ears. Her skin in
general should be soft, obviously, rabbit sheds so, if you keep a good brushing will help keep this
coat soft. Physical wise, you can see some problems with your rabbit if they have gas, they may
shy away from you, they may not wanna move, they may hide. Also problems with gastrostasis,
also called gastrointestinal stasis, which would be good common thing to look for and that is if
your rabbit hasn’t been making any fecal droppings. That’s important, that means something is
going in and nothing is coming out, that would need to be discuss with your veterinary doctor
immediately, that is something that obviously can't wait, and you wanna make sure that you take
care of that. Their feet should be soft, but they may have some soreness in the back of their feet,
where their hair has gone and that’s something you need to, you know, make sure that you pay
attention to. In general a litter box, you wanna make sure that you’re paying attention to what
you’re seeing. You should be seeing fecal droppings, you should be seeing urine. Urine could be
anywhere from a light yellow color, can be dark sometimes, just coz you see red urine, don’t
assume that there’s a problem. Obviously, you check with your vet, if you have any questions,
but the color of the urine can also be based on what they’re taking in. because, coloring of food
can affect the color of urine. In general, your rabbit should be very active, lifestyle should be up
and around, you see something out of the ordinary, you need to make sure that you address it and
obviously if you go out of town and someone’s watching your rabbit, having an emergency list
of vets in the area, the rope is important to you and to anyone else who you would possibly have
house sitting for you. And those are some basic health considerations about your rabbit. Next we
will discussing how to give medications.