Help!!

[Bunny mom]

hi I came home today and I heard my rabbit sneeze like 5 times in a row and that freaked me out because i have never heard him sneeze and I know that when rabbits sneeze it’s bad , all I did was give him new hay and add napkins to his litter box Bc I can’t change it today and I wanted to cover the pee and poop and he escaped his cage today and was free roaming and i checked his nose and it’s not runny and he is still eating and drinking , and pooping and peeing what could have caused the sneeze

 

[samoth]

Like humans, a sneeze can imply any number of things.

Checking the nose and eyes for discharge can give information regarding infection, and monitoring behavior & disposition for changes can also show if something's amiss.

On the other hand, I've seen my rabbits sneeze in response to dust under the bed or particulate matter in the bottom of a hay box.

I'm not sure if the five-times-in-a-row means anything. Some humans tend to sneeze once, and some sneeze several times in a row. Perhaps rabbits are similar?

My advice would be to monitor him. Was it a one-time deal, or is he sneezing throughout the day? Was the new hay a different variety, or more dusty than usual? Is he behaving, eating, drinking, and eliminating waste normally? Hopefully, in your case, a sneeze was just a sneeze

 

[Bunny mom]

I checked him , I felt his nose and it didn’t feel wet it felt dry like usually , his eyes seem normal , he has been free roaming though and i gave him the say hay as always I just added some napkins to his litter box to cover up his pee because I’m not able to change it today

 

[Binky]

I agree with samoth...Monitor...

I have three bunnies, one of which sneezes in reaction to the change in hay (Spring cut vs Winter cut). Every year he sneezes when the winter hay arrives (I buy boxed hay from our local rabbi rescue...Much less waste than when I bought from the stores, and same price!). He's fine after a couple of weeks. I did take him to the vet the first year it happened...I was afraid he was sick.

 

[samoth]

Was the five-sneeze the only time he sneezed? If so, I wouldn't be concerned. If he is or starts sneezing on a regular basis, I would take him to a vet.

 

[Bunny mom]

This is the first time ever I have heard him sneeze , and I’m not sure how he did because he doesn’t have a runny Nose or watery eyes and I can’t here jim breathe witch means he isn’t heavy breathing and all I did was napkin in his litter box and give him the same hay I always give him , but he is still eating , drinking and using the restroom.

 

[samoth]

It sounds like a one-time ordeal.

Rabbits are obligate nose breathers, so if they inhale dust or an irritant into their nose, their bodies will sneeze to get rid of the irritant, just like humans do.

 

[Bunny mom]

Ok so does this mean he is ok and maybe the thing that causes him to sneeze was the napkin or hay Because before I gave him hay today he hadn’t it for about a day and a half and does this mean I don’t have to go to the vet?

 

[samoth]

If it was one of my rabbits, I wouldn't take them to the vet for sneezing if it just happened a single time and there were no other physical or behavioral signs of illness.

I would still watch him just to make sure he wasn't coming down with something, though. If he starts to exhibit discharge from the nose or eyes, or stops eating/eliminating, I would take him to the vet.

You want to make sure your little guy has fresh hay daily. It's vital to a rabbit's digestive system and dental health

 

[Imbrium]

As others have said, at this point you should just keep an eye on him. If the sneezing continues and/or he starts having a runny discharge from his nose/eyes, it could be a sign of a URI (upper respiratory infection). As long as a one-time sneeze fit is the only symptom, though, it's most likely that he just encountered some sort of environmental irritant.