Normal values

Normal Temperature, Heart Rate & Respiratory Rate of Rabbits

Q: What is a normal heart rate for a rabbit?

180–350 beats per minute in the MSD table; 120–220 in the UC Davis chart.

Updated 1 Nov 20263 sources

Reference ranges for the vital signs of the rabbit from the MSD Veterinary Manual tables, adapted from Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals ^[1]^[2], compared with the UC Davis California Veterinary Emergency Team chart ^[3]. The MSD respiratory-rate table does not include the rabbit.

Reference ranges

Parameter	Rabbit	Source
Rectal temperature	38.6–40.1 °C (101.5–104.2 °F)	^[1]
Resting heart rate	180–350 beats/min	^[2]
Respiratory rate	30–60 breaths/min	^[3]

How the references compare

Published reference ranges differ between sources. Each range below is printed as its source gives it; °C values marked * are converted from the source's °F.

Parameter	MSD Veterinary Manual ^[1]^[2]	UC Davis CVET ^[3]
Temperature	38.6–40.1 °C (101.5–104.2 °F)	101.0–103 °F (38.3–39.4 °C*)
Heart rate (beats/min)	180–350	120–220
Respiratory rate (breaths/min)	Not listed	30–60

Other findings in a healthy rabbit

The UC Davis chart lists as normal: pink, moist mucous membranes; a capillary refill time under 2 seconds; soft, non-painful gastrointestinal findings with gastrointestinal sounds present; and a bright, alert, responsive (BAR) demeanour ^[3].

Frequently asked questions

What is the normal temperature of a rabbit?

The MSD Veterinary Manual table gives 38.6–40.1 °C (101.5–104.2 °F) ^[1]; the UC Davis chart lists 101.0–103 °F ^[3].

What is a normal heart rate for a rabbit?

180–350 beats per minute in the MSD table ^[2]; 120–220 in the UC Davis chart ^[3].

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References

Normal Rectal Temperature Ranges (table)MSD Veterinary Manual · Adapted from Robertshaw D (temperature regulation chapter) in Reece WO (ed.), Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals, 12th ed., Cornell University Press, 2004
Resting Heart Rates (table)MSD Veterinary Manual · Adapted from Detweiler DK, Erickson HH (heart regulation chapter) in Reece WO (ed.), Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals, 12th ed., Cornell University Press, 2004
Normal Vital Signs (vitals chart)California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET), University of California, Davis · June 2024

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