Abstract — Meat-type rabbits are relatively new compared to other livestock raised for meat in the Philippines. In this regard, the occurrence of parasites is not yet well-documented among rabbit farms in the country. This study determined the presence and identity of gastrointestinal parasites of rabbits farmed inside a state college through floatation and sedimentation procedures of fecal analysis. Floatation technique separates the eggs from fecal debris by floating them on a variety of solutions, whereas sedimentation technique allows heavier parasite eggs to sink to the bottom of the solution. Both procedures were conducted on 53 rabbits of varying ages. Eggs of intestinal coccidia were found on all rabbits, having a prevalence of 100%. Eggs of hepatic coccidia (Eimeria stiedae), and tapeworm (Taenia spp.) were found at 15% and 7.5% occurrence, respectively, among all the rabbits. E. stiedae and Taenia spp. were found only in young rabbits aged two months old and below, at an prevalence of 66.67% and 33.33%, respectively, for this age group. The parasites were seen using the floatation technique, whereas only coccidia were seen in sedimentation technique. Results revealed that mixed infection of intestinal coccidia with hepatic coccidia, and intestinal coccidia with tapeworm, occurred in young rabbits only. The rabbits did not show clinical signs related to the parasites discovered, owing to the low amount of parasitic load, and to the low pathogenicity of the parasites. Implications for rabbit farm hygiene and sanitation, and for rabbit health management were discussed for rabbit producers in the country.
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