Two Questions

[mdith4him]

Hi all,

Our new bunny has started munching on his litter. Not a lot, but he's eaten several of the little ball/pellet things. It's the "Critter Litter" brand. Is this okay/normal? If not, how do we get him to stop chewing it??

Also, I've noticed that over the last several days, Nibbles has been "sneezing" quite often. I'm not actually sure if it's a sneeze or what. He's does these hard exhaling noises through his nose. He doesn't have any kind of snotty grossness on his nose and his eyes are clear. Is this normal or could he be allergic to something?

Thanks for helping out a new bun owner!

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Very possible it could be an allergy.

Rule of thumb: No discharge & sneezing-possbly just an allergy

Clear discharge- not to bad, not a good sign either though

White, thickened discharge- Bad sign.

Yellow/green discharge: Very Bad sign. Something should be done *immediately*



My Ripley I think has been allergic to litter that he's had. Keep an eye out and if it continues for a while, maybe its worth having the vet take a look at him.

Also, maybe try taking out the litter for a little while, and see if the sneezing stops.

 

[mdith4him]

Sorry, double posted!

 

[mdith4him]

We're trying to litter train him, so I don't want to take his litter bin out. We're almost out of the litter bag, so maybe we'll buy a different kind next time. I don't know if it's the litter he's sneezing at or something else.

Hopefully he's not allergic to us, haha! The only other things that have changed since he got here are the alfalfa hay we started giving him (he's only about 1.5 months old) and we bought (and washed) some bed sheets for him to lay on. I used Woolite to wash the linens before letting him use them.

Is there any harm in him munching the litter pellets?

 

[LakeCondo]

I'd suggest adding a little hay on top of the litter so he can much on that instead.

 

[holtzchick]

personally, I used critter litter for the first 6 months I had Peter and I loved it. I still think its the best litter I've ever used for him. Its safe, non-toxic and probably the best odor absorbent litter I've used to date. It sucks that non of the pet stores close to me sell it now since i've moved

 

[mdith4him]

OK, quick update:

Nibbles is still sneezing quite often, but his eyes don't look red/foggy/wet or otherwise different than normal. His nose is clear and I haven't seen any type of discharge.

We removed the litter from his bin and now just have some Carefresh bedding in it. I'm rewashing his linens and this time I will dry them without using a fabric softener.

He's been acting his usual self--still eating like he has been and running all over the place when given the opportunity! Thanks for all the responses so far

 

[mdith4him]

Could it be his sinuses are just adjusting to a new place? We've had him a week.

 

[MarisaAndToby]

I'll just toss in my two cents here...

My bun has always been sneezy, I've tried switching out the litter, the hay, pretty much anything and everything. I took him to the vet and she put him on antibiotics in case it was the snuffles. He did the full course of antibiotics and is still sneezing. Same as yours, no discharge, clear eyes, just sniffly. I don't think anything is wrong with him, he just sneezes now and then. Sometimes it sounds like a little sigh or something like that. Aside from that he seems to be in perfect health so... maybe some buns are just sneezy lil guys? No idea!