Worming Rabbits

Question
Do I need to worm my rabbits ? If so how do I know when to do it. What do I use to worm them and how much ? What about pregnant or lactating does ?

Answer
Dear Gay,

Rabbits given good care, housing and proper diet generally do not suffer from worms.  Any vertebrate--including rabbits--can get worm-type parasites, but they are not common as they are in dogs.

There is no single product one would use to worm a rabbit if she did have worms.  A rabbit can get tapeworms, pinworms, roundworms, and other types of intestinal parasites, and each one requires a specific type of medication.  The best way to determine if your bunny has intestinal parasites is to take a fresh fecal (and cecal, if possible) sample to your rabbit-experienced vet for diagnosis.

More common are coccidia, protozoan parasites that require long term treatment with sulfa antibiotics.  These, too, can be detected via fecal exam.  However, in light infections the parasites may not always shed the oocysts the vet can see in the feces.

I hope this helps.  If you don't already have a good rabbit vet, you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

But unless you see signs of illness that could be consistent with intestinal parasites, I would not worry too much about this.

Dana