Myxomatosis: What It Is and How to Protect Your Rabbit
Myxomatosis is a devastating viral disease spread by biting insects, causing swelling around the eyes, face and genitals and a very high death rate. Learn how it spreads, the early signs to catch, and the practical steps and vaccination that protect your rabbit.
Quick answer
Myxomatosis is a severe viral disease of rabbits, spread mainly by biting insects like mosquitoes and fleas. It causes swelling around the eyes, nose, mouth and genitals and is very often fatal. There is no reliable cure, so prevention through insect control and vaccination (where available) is essential. Any facial swelling in a rabbit is an emergency.
Myxomatosis is a devastating viral disease spread by biting insects, causing swelling around the eyes, face and genitals and a very high death rate.
What myxomatosis is
The disease is caused by the myxoma virus. It does not usually spread by direct rabbit-to-rabbit contact alone; instead, biting insects act as the main couriers, carrying the virus from infected wild or pet rabbits to yours. Because insects do the work, even a rabbit that never meets another rabbit can be infected.
The illness is distressing. Classic signs are puffy, swollen eyelids that can seal the eyes shut, swelling of the lips, ears and genital area, thick discharge from the eyes and nose, fever, and loss of appetite. Affected rabbits become very unwell quickly.
How it spreads and why climate matters
Because biting insects are the main route, myxomatosis risk rises when insects are active. In the warm, humid climates of Hong Kong and Taiwan, mosquitoes can be present for much of the year, and typhoon-season standing water gives them breeding sites. That means the insect-borne risk is not limited to a short summer as it might be in cooler countries — vigilance often needs to be year-round.
Insect screens are a simple, effective barrier against the biting insects that spread myxomatosis.
Early signs to catch
Catching it early gives the best, though still limited, chance. Check your rabbit's face daily and look for: puffiness around the eyes or a runny, gummy eye; swollen lips or ears; swelling around the bottom or genitals; and any sudden drop in appetite or energy. Because these signs can be subtle at first, a habit of gentle daily face checks helps you notice change fast.
Early myxomatosis often shows as puffy eyelids, lips or ears — check your rabbit's face regularly.
Prevention that works
You cannot always stop an insect bite, but you can stack the odds in your favour:
- Fit fine insect screens on windows and over enclosures, especially relevant in high-rise flats where windows are opened for ventilation.
- Use mosquito control appropriate for a home with pets, and remove standing water where mosquitoes breed.
- Keep your rabbit's environment clean to avoid attracting flies, and control fleas with vet-approved products only.
- Ask your vet about vaccination. A combined vaccine covering myxomatosis and RHDV is available in some regions; availability varies between Hong Kong, Taiwan and elsewhere, so confirm what your local clinic can offer.
If your rabbit is diagnosed
Treatment is supportive — pain relief, keeping the rabbit eating and hydrated, and intensive nursing — but outcomes are frequently poor, and your vet may discuss quality of life honestly with you. This is heart-breaking, which is exactly why prevention is emphasised so strongly for this disease.
Quick FAQs
Can myxomatosis be cured? There is no reliable cure. Treatment is supportive and, sadly, many rabbits do not survive, which is why prevention is so important.
Can indoor rabbits get myxomatosis? Yes. Mosquitoes and fleas can reach indoor rabbits, so insect control and, where available, vaccination still matter.
Is there a vaccine? In some regions a combined myxomatosis/RHDV vaccine is available. Ask your vet what is offered locally and how often boosters are needed.
Can my other rabbits catch it from a sick one? Insects spreading between rabbits is the main risk. Isolate a sick rabbit, control insects, and follow your vet's guidance immediately.