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How To Health Check Your Rabbit(s)
Health Checking your rabbits is very important. Doing this doesn't take long at all and by doing so, you're protecting your rabbit against infections and diseases and you could portentially uncover a health issue that could lead to further problems in the future! Aim to health check your rabbit on a very regular basis (once a day). If you have to skip a day or two, make sure there have been no problems up until then and make sure that your rabbit is not acting strange at all ie. s/he's eating fine, waste is normal, urine is same as usual and everything isin check. However, as I mentioned before, it really doesn't take long at all so try to get someone to do it for you or get the person taking care of your rabbit to make sure that your rabbit's acting normal.
Teeth, Mouth, Nose & Dulap
The mouth, dulap and the nose are probably the easiest things to check for your rabbit. Simply, all you need to do is look at them! You're looking for any sort of discharge and gunk around this area. If you spot any gunk it could be a sign of a dental infection or disease. You also need to check the teeth for over growth and any cracks. If the teeth become over-grown, it means that you are not giving your rabbit enough hay and grass. Rabbits teeth are constantly growing, therefore need to be kept trim as much as possible.Take your rabbit to the vets and they can trim the teeth down for you.
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You also want to spot signs of tooth-pain such as:
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Swelling, inflammation or pain around the jaw or under the chin.
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Drooling or wetness around the mouth.
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Your rabbit won't eat normally.
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S/he stops eating and begins to loose weight.
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Grinding teeth (do not mistake this for teeth chattering)
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Bad breath
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A bad temper
With your rabbit facing away from you, lightly run your ingers against their jawbone, the two sides should feel equal. If your rabbit flinches, it could be a sign of pain inside the mouth. Also check the teeth (as demonstrated in the picture above).
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