Worms in Rabbits: Signs and Treatments

Can rabbits get intestinal worms? The short answer is yes, but luckily worms are an uncommon occurrence for most domestic pet bunnies.

Rabbits have a very different type of gut compared to our dog and cat friends, and as a result, they are less likely to be negatively affected by worms. Despite this, it’s important to be aware of how to protect your pet. First, we need to know, how do rabbits get worms?

Did you know that rabbits love to eat poop? In fact, eating their own faeces or the faeces of other rabbits is completely normal! It is called coprophagy and forms part of a healthy digestive system. Rabbits are hindgut fermenters, like horses, and their gut has evolved to help them digest the tough plants they love to eat. For rabbits, eating their poop allows them a second go at extracting nutrients from their fibrous diet.

The only downside of regularly eating poop is that it makes it easy to catch worms. This is not the only way worms can be transmitted and your bunny can encounter worms in any contaminated environment. This can be especially common where there are high numbers of animals such as pet stores, shelters, and breeding farms, or if you live close to wildlife.

Rabbits are most likely to pick up two types of worms: the pinworm and the tapeworm.

Pinworm is the common name for the only roundworm that commonly occurs in pet rabbits. In fact, this is the most common rabbit worm of them all.

They get their name from their very diminutive size, with most pinworms measuring 5-10mm in length! Pinworm eggs are passed in feces and bunnies are infected when they graze on contaminated food or feces. In households and yards with multiple rabbits, the environment can become contaminated very easily. Environmental management and husbandry are very important when keeping rabbits as pets. More on this later.

The second worm that can affect rabbits is the tapeworm, however, this is quite uncommon. Rabbits are the intermediate host of the tapeworm, meaning that they help with the lifecycle of the worm but rarely suffer any clinical problems from hosting them.

Rabbits can become infected after grazing in a contaminated environment, especially if dogs or foxes are around.

Most adult bunnies will show no signs and symptoms of a worm burden. In fact, it is not uncommon for a rabbit to have some pinworms in their gut and be happy, healthy hoppers.

In some cases, or particularly heavy burdens, you may notice the following clinical signs;

Young rabbits or those with other health issues may show more severe symptoms such as weight loss, poor coat, or dermatitis, though thankfully this is rare.

In most cases, your bunny will require no treatment for worms unless they are sick. If a worm burden is noted, and your bunny is not coping, then treatment can be provided with anti-parasitic medications. These can be given via injection, or with oral medications. If you are unsure if your bunny needs help with worms, have a chat with your local Jollyes veterinarian.

If your vet suspects worms, they may confirm the diagnosis by performing some tests on your rabbit's faeces. It can always be helpful to bring along a sample with you to your appointment.

If your bunny has been diagnosed with worms, then ensure you also focus on cleaning up their environment. Decontaminating the hutch and any grazing areas will be very important to prevent re-infection.

Rabbits rarely suffer from problems with worms, so currently there is no need to treat them with a regular parasite preventative, unlike dogs and cats.

The best way to prevent your bunny from encountering worms is to have good environmental management and husbandry. This includes regular hutch cleaning, removing soiled bedding, rotating grazing areas, and preventing fecal contamination of food and water bowls. Fencing off their environment to keep dogs and wildlife away will also help to reduce the worm burden.

Thankfully, worms in rabbits are uncommon but it’s important to be aware of what to look out for. Keep an eye out for the common clinical signs and chat with your Jollyes vet if you have any concerns. Treatment is easy but prevention is best. Keep worms out of your home by focusing on good environmental management practices and husbandry. Check out our range of rabbit housing and healthcare products to keep your bunny happy and hopping all day long!