Dwarf lop rabbit (2mths+) Wet Nose and only eats hay. Pls help!

momojelly · Dec 28, 2006

Hi,

I have a dwarf lop rabbit (2mth+) named Chocolate.Me and my husband just bought her a few days ago. It is rainning season in my country right now and the weather is pretty cold nowadays. When i first got her, she was quite timid but didnt have the wet nose thingy.But after 2 days, i found out that her fur was slightly wet around her nose area so i wonder whether it is normal to have wet nose due to the humidity or the cold weather. She eats alot of hay and drink quite plenty of water. And eat some fresh veggies that i gave her. The only thing that she doesnt eat is the mixed dry food.

Can anyone pls kindly advise me wat i should do to prevent her from getting sick?

Is it normal for a young rabbit to eat just hays and not the mixed dry rabbit's food?

I didnt hear any sneezing from Chocolate but when my husband used a tissue to wipe her nose, there was yellow stained on the tissue. The color is very light, like translucent yellow.

Any kind soul pls advise me what to do for my poor Chocolate

i cant send her to vet immediately as the vet in my country is very far from my house.

naturestee · Dec 28, 2006

What was your rabbit eating before you got her? Find out, then buy that exact brand of food and give her that. Rabbits need to be switched to new foods slowly. You start by adding a little new stuff to the old stuff and feeding that for a few days, then gradually increasing the percent of new stuff. Be careful with new veggies too. Only feed one new veggie every few days and feed small amounts, especially if she is young. Baby rabbits are prone to upset stomachs and diarrhea from new foods.

FYI, get plain rabbit pellets when you can. Mixes with all the seeds and dried fruit bits and such are very unhealthy.They're known to upset rabbit stomachs, cause obesity, and if allowed as much as they want can cause vitamin deficiencies because many rabbits will eat the treats instead of the nutritious pellets.

Does she have any mucous around her nose, or is it just a little wet? If she does have mucous you'll need to get her to a vet as she might have a respiratory infection, commonly called "snuffles."

By the way, what country are you in?

momojelly · Dec 28, 2006

I didnt see any mucus, only the furs from the nose area were wet. I only saw the yellowish from the tissue that my husband used to wipe her fur.

She didnt touch any of her mixed dry food, will she even touch the plain pellet?

As for the fresh veggies, i only gave her a few small pieces of spinach on the 2nd day. And 1/8 of a baby carrot today. After that all she had is a lot of HAYs.

She just eat hays, sleep. Wake up, back to eating hays again. Is this REALLY bad??:?Other than all the mentioned above, she is pretty normal. At least not as timid as the 1st day i bought her. Now she will eat the food that i hold in my hand, both the veggie and hays not like day 1. Also, she will hop around the house and not just hide in a corner like day 1.

MyBabyBunnies · Dec 28, 2006

Where is she housed? I constantly notice condensation from breathing on my bunnies noses normally on cool days.It is just minute water droplets on the hair around her nose then it is possible it is just from breathing. I'm not sure aout the yellow though, it's always been clear when my bunnies had condensation on their nose.

My advice would be to get her checked out by a vet, it's always a good idea with a new bunny as is and it will help put any concerns to rest.

momojelly · Dec 28, 2006

Of coz, i put her in a normal rabbit cage. i just let her out sometime to hop around the house. That's all

JimD · Dec 28, 2006

Hi momo jelly!

Welcome to the forum!

What kind of hay are you giving Chocolate? At her age the best would be alfalfa.

When my bunnies were young, it seemed like all they did was eat,drink,and sleep.......and poop. Chocolate may get more active as she gets older and more comfortable with her new home.

You'll want to keep a close eye on the runny nose. Check the fur on her front paws....sometimes buns will wipe their noses with their paws and the fur will get all crusty. Are her eyes okay (not runny or crusty)?

~Jim

momojelly · Dec 29, 2006

yeah the eyes are ok. im not really sure what type of hay is it but its recommended by the closest pet shop in my area. its dark green in color, long and thin and looks kind of like grass.