Newbie here! :-) I think there's a problem with my bunny...

[sparklyyy]

Hi everyone, my name's Erin. I'm 20, live in Philadelphia, and am the proud "mommy" of my Mini Lop, Zeke. I was referred to these forums by my friend, Vanessa (VNess2010). I got him two months ago and he's about eight months or so. I think that he may be sick, but I'm not too sure. I'm wondering if anyone can help.

It's not uncommon for Zeke to sneeze, but the past week, he's been sneezing a lot. He'll sneeze about four to five times an hour. Sometimes he'll sneeze twice in a row. His eyes seem fine but just today I noticed that the fur under his nose looks a tiny bit damp (so faint that it's almost hard to tell, but I think it's damp). I felt under his nose and it was a little bit wet, but it's always a tiny bit wet so it didn't strike me as out of the ordinary. Also, he pooped (a lot) outside of his litter box tonight. He's usually close to perfect with the litter box, except when he's in one of his moods. He did chew on some cords tonight and I rushed over to him,grabbed them out of his mouth, and put him back in his cage,so he didn't get hurt/damage anything. Maybe this upset him. He didn't urinate outside of his box, though, and did poop a bit in his box. Maybe a change of surroundings is the culprit? I'm on spring break now, so I brought Zeke home from my college apartment. He's been at my house more than a couple of times before, though, and didn't have any problems.

Other than what I just mentioned, he seems to be doing just fine. He's full of energy! He's been racing around and doing binkies. He's also eating and drinking just fine and grinding his teeth when I pet him.

Thoughts? Ideas? Opinions? Suggestions? I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Erin

 

[RO STAFF 2]

Here's a link to our Medical Resource forum, it has lots of info on sneezing and runny nose. The gist is that it could be an infection, with the first step a culture and sensitivity test via the vet (there are a zillion types of infection), or it could be an allergy.

Is there anything different at your house this time? New hay, straw, carpets, anything like that?

Also, is his paw all wet, snotty or crusty? That's a good indicator of how much snot he's actually generating, he'll wipe if off with his paw.

Anyway, here's the link to the page of links, and I pulled out a member thread about allergies, in case you don't see it on the page.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12016&forum_id=10

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=1008&forum_id=1

And welcome to Rabbits Only!!

:welcome

 

[sparklyyy]

Hi! Thanks so much for the quick response.

His paws are perfectly normal -- not wet or crusty!

Come to think of it, there has been a change. I have another rabbit at my house (lives in another room) and my mom buys her alfalfa hay (not timothy, which I know she should, and that's the kind I buy for Zeke). I've been giving Zeke the alfalfa so perhaps that could be a problem? The pellets I've been giving him are similar to the ones he gets back at my apartment, but there are bits and pieces of dried "goodies" -- carrots, seeds, etc. I didn't even think about the change of food and if that could be a contributing factor. :scratcheshead:

Erin

 

[VNess2010]

Hey Err! I'm so glad you joined! Maybe try slowly switching Zeke to a kind of food that just has pellets...no treats...that's healthier....also, maybe he's sneezing because of cleaning products in your house...do you use carpetfresh? Try to think if there is any kind of new cleaning product or some other type of chemical that he's being exposed to...cause remember, he's on the ground 24/7...let me know!

-Vanessa

 

[sparklyyy]

Hey, Ness!

I wonder if dust bothers him. My carpet is a big shaggier in my bedroom than it is in my apartment. I don't use any sort of cleaning chemicals on my carpet (I'm allergic to eeeverything so I try not to use many chemicals in my room). We'll see. Right now I'm keeping a close eye on him but I think I won't start to seriously worry until I see any changes in his behavior or anything else major. It's hard to be scared when he's running around like crazy, running up to me for pets, and doing binkies! We'll see...

Erin

 

[JimD]

Hi Erin,

Welcome to the forum!

If you're new to bunnies, you'll want to read up on all of the good stuff the RO STAFF has put together. They've already mentioned the "snuffles". Read up on that so you'll know what to look for.

We're going throgh an issue with one of our buns. He gets runny eyes. This has been going on and off for several weeks and has included a couple of trips to the vet and some eye salve.

We now HIGHLY suspect that it is due to the dust from his hay and pellets. Poor bunnie might have hay fever .

I've beenmaking sure that the hay he does get is really fresh and dust-free(he's got his own "reserved" stock). I supplemented with timothy hay cubes, too.
I also sifted the pellets.

Benji's eye's have been fine for almost a week now. ***keeps fingers crossed***

So, all in all, it could be something simple. But we can never be too cautious with our charges.

~Jim

 

[sparklyyy]

Hi, Jim!

Sorry about your bunny. Hope all is well.

In the past few days, Zeke has gotten a lot better. He's back to sneezing a normal amount. Maybe it really did have something to do with getting used to the food or the prolonged amount of time in a new setting.

I'm actually not new to bunnies -- I have another one that I've had for seven years! Her name's Misty, and she's never had any health problems. She just went to the vet for a check up and she's in perfect health! She's a tough cookie!

Erin

 

[Maureen Las]

Welcome to the forum sparklyyy....you'll find that all of us here just LOVE to talk about anything to do with our bunnies.!!!!! :bunnydance::bunnydance: