Neurological Diseases of Rabbits and Rodents

Clinical signs of neurological disease, such as head tilt, hind limb paresis or paralysis, seizures, and muscle weakness, are commonly encountered in pet rabbits, and in the authors׳ experience, less often in rodent species. Moreover, localisation of neurological lesions and establishment of a definitive diagnosis can be challenging for any of the exotic small mammal species. In many rabbit and rodent cases, distinguishing neurological disease from musculoskeletal disease is difficult. The parasitic disease encephalitozoonosis is commonly diagnosed in pet rabbits; in both rabbits and rodents, bacterial infections are also a common underlying cause of neurological disease. Other causes of neurological diseases that adversely affect pet rabbits and rodents include toxins, trauma, metabolic and degenerative disorders, viral infections, neoplasia, and hereditary abnormalities.