Bunny newbie....Flemish Giant.....occasional sneezing and wet nose - should we worry?

[doodlebugger]

I read somewhere on these forums that you should never hear a rabbit's breath, so this gave me a little more concern since tonight when the bun was smelling me I could hear a sort of snorty kind of sound. Since we got him, he has seemed like his ears are almost always warm. He's eating, using the bathroom, and drinking normally. He lives in an outside hutch with plenty of fresh timothy hay and we are using the feed that the breeder gave us. The breeder had him with several other kits from different mothers. He was the last of his fawn siblings. When we brought him home, we noticed he sneezed occasionally. Since we are newbies, I will run down what I have in his environment, could you tell us if this could be an allergy or if we should be concerned that he has the start of a URI? The hutch was made for us - it's huge! He has a cedar plank floor, and the rest is made with pine. He has a sleeping box which is made with pine. We put straw inside his sleeping box. We have a Suntop roof. We use blue tarp material to cover the sides when we know there is going to be a storm or in the morning to help shade from the sun (although we usually only cover one or two of the sides). We did bring him inside this morning because it was extremely hot and humid and we were worried about him overheating. He played with my daughter on the kitchen floor, and then we put him in his transport cage for about an hour before moving him back outdoors (a shower was moving through and it was cooling off). I didn't notice the snorty sound and wet nose until after the next storm had come through and we were filling his feed bowl. So, is there anything we need to change, and should we be worried? :?

We fell in love with him and would be so sad if something happened to him......but we also can't afford an expensive vet visit either (what does it normally cost to get an exam?).....

 

[LuellaJean]

When I took my bunny to the vet (here in Texas) an exam was $45 I think. It can be hard to find vets that will see a rabbit, so you might want to call around and find someone close to your home that does. I had to drive 30 minutes to see a rabbit vet, and I live in a big city with hundreds of vets. I've also heard people say that when a bunny is hot you can give them a frozen 2 liter bottle of water to lay up against to cool themselves off. Heat stroke is all too common in buns and from what I understand they do not recover easily or frequently from heat stroke. I'm not sure about the runny nose or sneezing, I have heard my boys sneeze a few times in the 3 months I have had them, and they always have moist noses, but not runny noses. Anyone else have a thought on that? I wish I could be more helpful, but I'm rather new to the rabbit life myself. Good luck and congrats! We'd love to see pictures!

 

[doodlebugger]

Thanks for the response! I forgot to tell you that our little Phoenix is only 11 weeks old and weighs about 8lbs. Here are two pics.

The pic above is Phoenix laying on the ice packs and a gatorade bottle with frozen water inside (but you can't see that bottle because he is laying next to it! :biggrin: ) . For some reason, he stopped going inside his sleeping box when we put straw in there. I am having my daughter take out the straw tomorrow to see if it will make a difference. I don't think he likes it. :?

The pic below is the hutch made by my step-dad. We changed some of the accessories because Phoenix didn't like the cheap bowls and water bottle. He preferred a water bowl instead and for some reason he likes to put his paws in the food bowl while he eats, so he ends up spilling it. We got a crock that attaches to the wire. Also, we found that the wire was far too big (not for Phoenix, but for possible predators and pests), so we went over top of this wire with much smaller mess wire.

 

[tonyshuman]

I too would be more concerned about heat stroke. It might be good to put a fan on there so she can have a breeze, and do the frozen water bottle thing. Any temp above 80 is high for a rabbit. He probably stopped going in the sleeping box with the straw because bunnies associate straw with bathroom stuff--they like to eat hay/straw while they poo. Most people fill their bunnies' litterboxes with hay. He probably stopped sleeping in the house because the hay made him think it was the bathroom.

Is the snot colored at all?

 

[tonyshuman]

Another possibility is that the wood is irritating his nose. Pine and cedar give off aromatic oils that make them smell good, but they can cause respiratory problems in bunnies.

 

[doodlebugger]

Thanks. We took out the sleeping box because it does smell like pine, removed the straw from that area and put just a small amount in the corner where he is using the bathroom. We noticed today he is sneezing more often and he has a little more clear runny discharge on his nose (enough that when my daughter put her finger to his nose it was wet). His ears still feel hot and that is what worries me now - could this be a fever he is fighting? He is still eating, drinking, and using the bathroom. He is jumping around like normal too, greeting us, and interacting with us like normal. We have a fan on him now, and two frozen bottles in the cage. He has fresh water, pellets, and timothy hay which we change daily. I am surprised at just how much mixed information is out there regarding bunnies....one person says use a fan, but I read on another site not to use a fan. Some say use cedar, others say don't. The breeder didn't give me any indication what he kept him in, or whether he had a litter box, etc. It's very frustrating! Everything was "gifted" to my daughter and we are struggling to make it all work with a very (almost non-existent) budget in the next week and a half. Just worried about our little Phoenix...

 

[mistyjr]

It's not a good thing when they are sneezing or showing any snot.. But I hear that a lot of breeders their rabbits have allergies! And I read and talked to a few people and they said Cedar isnt good for rabbits, We just use pine. But also if any dust in feed, hay, can make the rabbit sneeze, You can take him to the vets and get hes nose swabbed. But find a good rabbit vet!


I just had to put down a few rabbits that were sneezing, They had the snuffles!

 

[doodlebugger]

By "put down" do you mean put to sleep? I hope not!!! We just got the poor thing and I thought at first it could be allergies, but even after taking out the pine sleeping box, the extra straw, and everything, he still sneezed when he got up from a nap! I can't afford to take out the cedar planks on the floor, but I have heard that the problem with cedar has to do with the urine....but I have seen rabbit hutches and cages built with cedar, so it makes no sense! I know of two good rabbit vets in the area, but I can't afford to take him for at least another week and a half. The snuffles is exactly what I am worried about.....what are the signs and if he does have it, would he still be active and moving around, eating, etc?

 

[GizmoTheMiniRex]

sounds to me like it could be acase of the snuffles. its like a cold that humans get only in rabbits. my mini rex had it one time and her eyes were a little goopy, she was sneezing, and her nose was more wet and runny than usual. i called the vet and took her in. they gave her antibiotics and it was cleared up in about a week. i suggest to do some research on snuffles and see if your bun has it. it is usually easy to treat if you catch it soon enough although it becomes worse over time. if you get it treated it shouldnt cause any permenant damage

 

[doodlebugger]

So, I am a bit freaked out now, so I found a vet who will only charge $39 for the visit, and I am taking poor Phoenix to get him checked. I only had $90 for grocery money, so I hope that it doesn't cost me much more than $50 or we will be eating Ramen noodles for the next two weeks. The things we do for our kids and animals! anic:

 

[mistyjr]

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=18+1803&aid=2686

You can treat it but you can not cure it, I hope for the best, But the vet is just going to get a nasal swab and the test takes a couple days to come back.

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

Beautiful Flemmie and beautiful hutch. I hope all works out well and he is free of the snuffles.

ray:

Wondering why anyone would put a bunny down for the snuffles?????? What am I missing?

 

[mistyjr]

Because its spreads to your other rabbits, Exspieally when you are showing. You can treat it but never cures it.

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

Oh got it! I have never had a bunnie with the snuffles thank goodness.

I sure hope this is not the case.

So since Pheonix is the only bunny would she have to put him down if he does have the snuffles or can she just treat him for the rest of his life? If so what does that entail?

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Phoenix sounds okay to me. Sometimes during stressful situations, rabbits will sneeze or get a damp nose and it's just due to stress. Or like you said, sometimes an allergy.

It is most likely not snuffles, which is a very violent illness. The rabbits will be blowing colored snot and sneezing often. You will often notice matted fur on the inside of the front legs where they wipe their nose off. They sometimes have runny eyes or chest congestion. It is a very noticeable illness, not just an occasional sneeze here and there.

I wouldn't stress out about Phoenix's symptoms and rush him to a vet, especially when your family is already on such a tight budget. Many vets are not knowledgeable about rabbits either, so unless you are able to afford and travel to a rabbit savvy vet, the visit will probably not give you much more insight than the rabbit-experienced people here.

 

[doodlebugger]

I found a rabbit vet that was recommended on a website I found here - had to drive 40 miles to get there. I would highly recommend her - she seems very knowledgeable and she said she has worked with rabbit rescue. The only thing I didn't like was that she pushes spay/neuter and she feels strongly about keeping buns in the house versus the outside hutch we have. She says they will stay healthier in the house. We'll probably be eating Ramen noodles the next ten days, but I am thankful for taking him to the vet!!! He has a URI and they said he has coccidia. They gave us Baytril and Albon. It cost me $86, and they wanted me to consider some eye drops, but I couldn't afford it. Our poor bun!

We were supposed to be showing him at the local fair on Friday, but I guess that is out of the question now. *sigh* It's been a long day!!! Thank you for all the help. Anything I should watch for while giving these meds to him??? Will it be hard to put the syringe and get meds in his mouth?

P.S. I'm just joking about the Ramen noodles, but it was definitely a strain on my already tight budget. But, I did fall in love with that bun when he came home, so I couldn't let him suffer!!!

 

[plasticbunny]

YAY!!!

I'm sure you expained that you're showing him, and he needs to stay intact? Don't be worried, from what I understand, testicular cancer isn't very common in buns. If Pheonix was a female, I'd agree with the vet. If he gets aggressive and you're no longer showing it may be an option to consider.

As for housing, I'm a fan of housing inside but your setup seems great! He has space, and a good roof/tarp so he should be well protected from the elements. As long as he's staying cool in the heat and is getting lots of attention (at least an hour a day), he should be fine outside. But if you notice the temperature get too hot or too cold, it may be wise to bring him in or build him a new bunny mansion with a fan setup :biggrin:. Oh, spoiled bunnies!

 

[LuellaJean]

To your question about the warm ears- my 2 boys always seem to have warm ears, as if their ears are warmer than the rest of their bodies. They've always been that way. I assume warm ears are normal?

 

[doodlebugger]

The meds were easy to administer tonight. Whew! Feeling like I can relax a little now. The vet told me that we can bring him inside when it's hot, or we can provide him with a fan and frozen water bottles (we use gatorade bottles because they are bigger and we can fit more in our freezers). As for attention, let's just say that he will get far more than an hour a day!!! I thought it was going to be my daughter's project, but I am finding I am in love with the bun now too! As for the warm ears, our bun's ears were not just warm, but sometimes excessively hot over the past few days. The vet said that this could indicate overheating or a fever. Their ears help them regulate their body temperature. We have been using the frozen water filled bottles and a fan during the day, and only the bottles at night when the temp is still above 70 which seems to be helping and now we are giving meds.

This forum has brought a great deal of comfort to this newbie!!! Thanks so much!!!

 

[GorbyJobRabbits]

GizmoTheMiniRex wrote:

sounds to me like it could be acase of the snuffles. its like a cold that humans get only in rabbits. my mini rex had it one time and her eyes were a little goopy, she was sneezing, and her nose was more wet and runny than usual. i called the vet and took her in. they gave her antibiotics and it was cleared up in about a week. i suggest to do some research on snuffles and see if your bun has it. it is usually easy to treat if you catch it soon enough although it becomes worse over time. if you get it treated it shouldnt cause any permenant damage

IF its snuffles it's not curable. So please read up on snuffles yourself.