Resolved-something's wrong with Rory

[SnowyShiloh]

There's something wrong with my boy! I noticed this afternoon that he has a slight runny nose. The mucus is clear. He's never had a runny nose before and has been healthy as a horse the whole time I've had him. He is a little less active than normal, but is still running around some and quite excited about eating. At the moment, he's lying on the floor stretched out on his belly with his legs to the side, and he's breathing faster than usual. He doesn't *usually* lie in the middle of the floor like that, and when I go over to pet him, he lets me pet him for a second, then jumps up and runs off then goes back to the same spot on the floor to lie down. He lies down in the same position each time, but not necessarily on the same side. His eyes look nice and bright and clear and his belly doesn't seem distended or anything. He's eating pooping and peeing normally. Paul thinks he's just hot, but I don't think it's very hot right now. I'm pretty worried, does anyone have an idea of what may be happening?

I'll try to get a picture of how he's lying down, if that may help :?

 

[ChandieLee]

To me, it sounds like Rory is warm. Both Belle and Necro will find a nice cool spot on the hardwood floor to stretch on on their tummies when they're warm. They also get lazier. Hopefully someone else will come along soon and offer their help as well.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Ugh, the forum wouldn't load for me until right now! I took two videos of him to show how fast he's breathing, how does he look? Sorry about the beer in the first video, one of Paul's friends gave it to him and it didn't make it's way to the fridge yet. We don't usually have booze laying all over the place, Rory just picked that spot to lie down!





It's weird, he breathes hard like that, then gets up and hops to the litter box or goes and sits on the stairs or digs around in the bags of hay, then lies down again. Is he just hot? It is a little warm... Why would his nose be running though? I forgot to mention before that we went outside this afternoon and he chowed down on the assorted weeds and plants growing free in the yard like he usually does. Could he have eaten something harmful? I gave him a big bowl of cold water, but he hasn't had any so far. If he were hot, wouldn't he be thirsty?

Trying to decide here if I should go to bed or stay up with him. At the moment he's lying down again like in the video.

 

[ChandieLee]

He does seem like he's warm. You can give him frozen water bottles to lean up against. Or you could put a fan near his cage.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Okay, here's a picture of how he's been lying down:

And his runny nose, you can see where it's damp. The fur around his nose is brown, it isn't staining:

He was lying like this in his cage earlier for quite a while and has done it some tonight. His tummy is on the ground and his butt is kind of in the air:

And him eating a strawberry from my strawberry plant this afternoon... I just bought the plants at the store a month ago, could there have been pesticides on it that hurt him? Why would they put harmful chemicals on a plant that people are supposed to eat things from?

ChandieLee, thanks for all the suggestions! I didn't think I had anything in the freezer to give him, but I looked again and there's one of those hard blue plastic freezy pack things! No idea where it came from, but what good timing. I put it in a plastic baggy and put it in his cage, he promptly sniffed it and threw it into his litter box. He is having a really long drink of water now though, maybe he'll go lie on the freezer pack in his litter box now!

 

[ChandieLee]

Hopefully he'll lean on the freezer pack and cool himself down. Definitely keep us posted though.

Oh, Belle like to throw her frozen water bottles into the litter box too, lol.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

I think I'm going to head to bed. Rory's in his cage now, alternating between eating hay and lying down on his upper level. I tried to put the ice pack by him, but he hopped away and has now thrown it into the litter box again. Guess he doesn't want it?

 

[ChandieLee]

I guess some bunnies don't like the frozen water bottles, or in Rory's case, the ice pack. Belle hates the water bottles. Can you put a fan by his cage? I have one by Belle and Necro's cage and I usually keep it on medium.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

We don't have any fans, I could pick one up tomorrow though if need be. Do I need to worry about him getting a draft?

 

[ChandieLee]

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=864&forum_id=1&highlight=COOLING+A+Rabbit

I found this link for you. It's all about how to cool a rabbit. I hope it helps.

As for the draft.. Rory has a second level to his cage, right? If you buy a fan, I think you can keep it on medium or even low, and I'm pretty sure he can escape to the second level if need be. I hope that made sense, lol.

 

[naturestee]

He could be hot if the weather is warmer than he's used to. My first thought was actually gas. If he's eating again he's probably starting to feel better.

 

[tonyshuman]

I know you said the mucus is clear, and he has brown fur around his nose, but it kinda looks yellow to me.

:dunno

You can also tell if he's hot by feeling his ear temp--rabbits use ears to ventillate themselves. Do you have a tile floor in your house at all? See if he likes that, and maybe keep it cool by putting a bag of ice on it? Tony used to LOVE sitting in the fan with his ears flapping in the wind during hot Chicago summers! (then I got AC)

 

[mouse_chalk]

My first thoughts (although I'm no great expert of course...) were a combination of:

The storm you guys have had there tonight (Shiloh told me on MSN) that could have scared him...

Him being warm

And being mean, wanting to scare mummy! Naughty Rory!!

My buns quite often lie like that too, and they do breathe fast sometimes too- I must admit I never think much of it, if it's not for too long and they seem ok otherwise... The runny nose might just be the wind or something from outside, or could that happen if he's too hot maybe?

I hope he's ok, my little Rory!

Jen xx

 

[kirst3buns]

If I hadn't been reading your posts, I would have thought this was my Penny exactly, even the way she lays. She does this alot now that it is summer and typically warmer in the house. She finds a place in the middle of the wood floor and lays down and sometimes I think she is breathing faster than Basil does. I've just gotten used to it now but I did wonder when she first started doing it but like you said, no change in other habits so I've stopped worrying and just make sure the ceiling fan gets turned up a bit more when she does that a lot. She does prefer to lay on the wood floor rather than the carpet so I assume she's warm. I keep the AC at 75 but sometimes I think my bedroom gets a bit warmer than that. Also, Penny is about 18 months old and I think she is mellowing out a bit too.

 

[Alexah]

I'm sorry Rory's acting a tad off :?. Silly boy, doesn't he know he's scaring his mama?

I'm also thinking that it may be due to him being warm. My bunnies have been acting similarly over the past couple of days as it's been quite warm here. They tend to breathe heavier and faster and also lie down much more frequently and in different positions than what's usual for them. From the pictures he doesn't look as though he's in pain. I really think it may be the heat. Or, like Jen said, the storm.

If it is gas (or even if it isn't) a tummy massage and some simethicone can't hurt. If he's still eating, I'm thinking he's alright, but it won't hurt to keep an extra eye on him.

I know it's been a bit since you've last posted - how is he doing now? Any change?

You and Rory will be in my thoughts and prayers (but I really think he'll be okay ).

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Hi again! I just got up (it's 11:30) here and checked on him a few hours ago too. He's breathing normally now. His nose is still runny with the clear mucus- Tonyshuman, in the picture the mucus does look kinda yellow, but in real life it looks clear. The lighting was just off in the picture.

It is cooler than it was during the night, maybe that's why he feels better? I too had been thinking maybe he had some gas, though he never stopped wanting to eat. He usually doesn't mind being held but last night he didn't like it as much. I tried giving him a belly rub last night, but he didn't like it. His tummy felt normal and I didn't hear excessive gut sounds.

I have to work tonight and I can pick up a little fan to put by his cage then! Now if only I knew what was causing the runny nose...

Also, I want to see pictures of Penny! She must be pretty darn cute if she looks so much like Rory

 

[Alexah]

I'm glad to hear that Rory is breathing normally again. I'd be concerned a bit with the nasal discharge - despite being clear - as well, but I wouldn't be panicked by it yet. If you're incredibly concerned it may be worth a call to the vet.

I'm still voting for it having been because of the heat, storm, or gas. You guys will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[missyscove]

As far as the cooling goes, neither of my bunnies like frozen water bottles, rocks, etc. Timmy loves the tile we got him though. Fiona kind of ignores it. Just a regular ceramic one from home depot. Sometimes we put it in the fridge but even if we don't, it's cooler than the rest of his cage floor and he's always sleeping on it.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

The entire bottom level of his cage is tile actually! He doesn't like slippery surfaces and finally tolerates standing on the tile (it used to be carpeted but it would get dirty so fast that I pulled the carpet off, for the first few days he refused to sit on the tile and would only hang out in his litter box of upper levels), but he wasn't lying on the tile last night. His disdain for slippery things may have been responsible for that. I plan to call the vet tomorrow if his nose is still running.

 

[tonyshuman]

Good to hear it was just the lighting. I would just be a little more vigliant about URIs in your case because I know you've had those around your house before. It may just be the heat, the storms, whatever, but since you know the snuffles bug might be in the house, I'd have it checked out. My Muffin will breathe really fast (also a Holland--maybe something with their noses?) when you hold her, when she's really tired, or when she's kinda nervous but pretending to be relaxed.