Rabbits can carry several diseases that spread to humans, though the risk from a healthy pet rabbit is relatively low compared to wild rabbits. The infections that rabbits transmit fall into a few categories: bacterial infections from bites or contact with wild animals, parasitic infections that mainly threaten people with weakened immune systems, fungal skin infections, and gastrointestinal bugs spread through contact with droppings. Here’s what you actually need to worry about and what you don’t.
Wild Rabbits vs. Pet Rabbits
The distinction matters. Wild rabbits, especially cottontails in North America, carry a wider and more dangerous range of pathogens than domestic pet rabbits. Tularemia, plague, salmonella, and campylobacter have all been found in wild rabbit populations. Domestic rabbits raised indoors with routine veterinary care pose a much smaller risk, though they can still harbor bacteria in their mouths and parasites in their digestive tracts.
If you’re asking this question because you found a wild rabbit in your yard or your dog caught one, the precautions are different than if you’re considering a pet rabbit for your family. Wild rabbits should not be handled with bare hands, period.
Tularemia: The Most Serious Risk
Tularemia is the disease most closely associated with rabbits in the public imagination, and for good reason. It’s caused by a bacterium that can enter your body through skin contact with an infected animal, tick or deer fly bites, inhaling contaminated dust, or drinking contaminated water. Rabbits, hares, and rodents are highly susceptible and often die in large numbers during outbreaks.
The good news is that tularemia is rare. The CDC recorded 196 cases across the entire United States in 2023 and 167 in 2022. Nearly all human cases linked to rabbits involve wild cottontails, not pet rabbits. There are no reported cases of humans contracting tularemia from domestic rabbits. Symptoms vary depending on how the person was infected, but typically include fever, skin ulcers at the site of contact, and swollen lymph nodes. It’s treatable with antibiotics when caught early.
Infections From Bites and Scratches
Rabbits carry Pasteurella multocida naturally in their mouths and upper respiratory tracts, much like cats and dogs do. If a rabbit bites or scratches you and breaks the skin, this bacterium can cause a local infection. The typical result is redness, swelling, and sometimes an abscess at the wound site. In rare cases, the infection can spread and cause more serious complications including joint infections or, very uncommonly, blood infections.
Rabbit bites aren’t as common or as deep as cat bites, so the overall risk is lower. Still, any animal bite that breaks the skin should be washed immediately and thoroughly with soap and water. If you notice increasing redness, warmth, or swelling around a bite wound in the hours or days afterward, that’s a sign of infection that needs medical attention.
Parasites and Immunocompromised People
A parasite called Encephalitozoon cuniculi is widespread in domestic rabbits. Infected rabbits shed microscopic spores in their urine, feces, and respiratory secretions, which can then be inhaled or accidentally swallowed by their owners. For most healthy adults, this parasite causes no symptoms at all. Your immune system handles it without you ever knowing.
The concern is real, however, for people with weakened immune systems: those living with HIV, undergoing chemotherapy, taking immunosuppressive drugs after an organ transplant, or managing conditions like poorly controlled diabetes. In these individuals, the parasite can disseminate through the body and cause a range of symptoms including blurred vision, dizziness, fatigue, respiratory problems, and difficulty concentrating. In documented cases, symptoms resolved after targeted treatment, confirming the parasite was responsible.
Cryptosporidiosis is another parasitic infection rabbits can transmit. It spreads through accidental ingestion of material contaminated with rabbit feces and causes watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, and nausea. Again, it’s most dangerous for immunocompromised individuals but can make healthy people miserable for a week or two.
Ringworm and Skin Mites
Rabbits can carry ringworm, a fungal skin infection, and pass it to humans through direct contact. Despite the name, there’s no worm involved. It shows up as circular, red, scaly patches on your skin that may itch. It’s annoying but straightforward to treat with antifungal creams.
Rabbits also host a skin mite called Cheyletiella, sometimes nicknamed “walking dandruff” because infected rabbits develop flaky skin. These mites can transfer to humans through handling an infested rabbit or its bedding, causing a temporary itchy rash. The mites can’t complete their life cycle on human skin, so the rash resolves once the rabbit is treated and the environment is cleaned. Fleas, ticks, and lice from rabbits can also occasionally make the jump to humans through close contact.
Salmonella From Rabbit Droppings
Salmonella is primarily a concern with rabbits raised on farms rather than indoor pets. A Swiss survey of commercial rabbit farms found Salmonella Typhimurium on 6% of tested farms. On the worst-affected farm, the bacterium showed up not just in the rabbits but in 62.5% of environmental samples, including soil, hay, and barn dust. That means the bacteria can persist in the environment long after droppings are cleaned up.
For pet rabbit owners, the risk is low but not zero. Cleaning a rabbit’s enclosure means potential contact with fecal bacteria. Young children, who are more likely to put their hands in their mouths after touching a rabbit or its cage, face the highest risk of picking up a gastrointestinal infection this way.
Practical Steps to Reduce Your Risk
Handwashing is the single most effective thing you can do. Wash your hands and arms with soap and water after handling rabbits, cleaning their enclosure, or touching their bedding. Do this every time, not just when you remember. Never eat, drink, or smoke while handling rabbits or cleaning their living space.
Wear gloves when cleaning cages or handling soiled bedding, especially if you have any cuts or scrapes on your hands. Keep your rabbit’s living area clean with regular disinfection, and take your rabbit to a vet if you notice signs of illness like sneezing, head tilt, flaky skin, or diarrhea.
If you or someone in your household is immunocompromised, talk openly with your doctor about having a rabbit in the home. The risk from a well-cared-for pet rabbit is manageable for most people, but it’s not zero, and extra precautions like wearing a mask when cleaning the enclosure or having someone else do it entirely can make a real difference. Avoid all contact with wild rabbits regardless of your health status.