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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A What is causing this sneezing?

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    • BinkyBuns
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        Hi! I’m a new bunny owner to a 9 week old dwarf. Recently she has been sneezing and I think she has a wet nose. It barely feels wet and it isn’t white, it’s just clear almost like water. I think it may be her new hay because she began sneezing a couple days after I bought it but she seems to be sneezing even when she isn’t eating her hay. She’s also acting like herself, she’s eating and binkying and she’s still going poo and pee. If anyone can help that would be greatly appreciated


      • tobyluv
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          It could be that she is allergic to the hay or bedding/litter, or allergic to something else in her environment. Some brands and varieties of hay can be dustier than others or have smaller particles that might get into the air and cause nasal irritation, so you should check the hay and see if that could be the cause. If you determine that it could be the hay, get some other type or brand and see if the sneezing stops. But she could also have an upper respiratory problem, so it would be wise to have her checked out by a vet.


        • BinkyBuns
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            I think I will be buying her some new hay and taking her to the vet for a checkup as well. Thanks for your help


          • StachesMommy
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              Do you see any matting/discharge in her eyes or any matting around her front paws? Most likely it’s probably the hay but I would get her checked out just in case. You can try shaking out and wetting down the hay with water so that it’s not so dusty but make sure she finishes the hay before it spoils and gets all yucky due to it being wet and damp.


            • BinkyBuns
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                She doesn’t seem to have any discharge around her eyes or matting on her front paws. I’ll try out your idea. Thanks so much


              • BinkyBuns
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                  So the sneezing seemed to be pretty minor and I assumed it was her hay because her nose was barely wet I I thought it was from her water. Well it isn’t from her hay. Just a couple minutes ago she had a sneezing attack but these sneezes sounded wet. I quickly ran over and got her water for her and that’s when I saw a thick white glob of snot on her nose. She quickly wiped it away and I tried to check her paws for matting but she’s too fidgety for me to check them. I think it may be pastuerella or a uri she’s still acting normal but I know I need to take her to the vet as soon a possible. I feel like such a bad bunny mommy for putting it off


                • vanessa
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                    Don’t feel too bad. One of my bunnies, Guin, has always been healthy. A while ago, she was sneezing for a week or two. No other symptoms and it cleared up on its own. Another of my bunnies, Lancelot, was recovering from malnutrition, horrible food options, stasis, etc. So when he gets a sneeze – I get concerned. He has persistent weepy eyes – which do better while Guin and him are on the best of terms and grooming each other regularly. Her licking his eyes helps the weepy eyes. I’ve noticed that when his eyes are acting up – and Guin isn’t grooming him as often, his sneezing gets active. I took him to the vet because the eye and nasal discharge were thick and white, and his paws were wet from wiping his face. He was on antibiotics for 3 weeks which cleared up the sneezing. It wasn’t diagnosed as pasteurella or anything specific. I just norite that as long as Guin is grooming him regularly, his weepy eyes are under control. When they have their issues, (she can be bossy), he spends more time in my bedroom and doesnt get groomed that much. His weepy eyes get weepier and he starts sneezing and it turns into an infection, and I have to step i with a warm wet compress and simulate grooming to help clear up the eye which clears up the sneeze, if I catch it quickly enough.
                    I guess I’m saying – don’t get yourself worried about the worst possible outcome. Take her to the vet, but dont’ get worked up. You are a good bunny mama 🙂


                  • BinkyBuns
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                      Thank you so much Vanessa! I was definitely super worried about her getting even more sick between now and the vet visit but that made me feel a lot better I’m hoping a little medicine will clear this up and we’ll both be a lot happier!


                    • vanessa
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                        When will you be able to take her to the vet? Let us know how it goes.


                      • StachesMommy
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                          Awww no. Don’t feel bad. It’s so hard to tell with these little guys too. I spent over 500.00 on vet visits and although everything came back negative my bunny was pumped full of different drugs anyways. Eye ointment, eye drops, antibiotics, etc. Believe it or not her eyes were worse after the drops and ointment. She ended up being extremely allergic to the ointment so after 10 days of treatment on different drops we (vet and I) were at a loss so I ended up just doing saline flushes and chamomile tea compresses and now her eyes don’t have matting but she does get eye sleepies here and there on the right eye. She is a solo bunny so I just groom her right eye whenever I see it there. She also absolutely loves getting her eyes groomed. She was prescribed antibiotics for a damp nose… the vet thought she may or may not have a little cold. Her lungs sounded clear but she told me to give it to her anyways. After all that her nose is still on and off damp but less green from the hay dust and zero sneezing after I took away timothy hay. She never cared for it so I switched to Oat hay which she seems to love. Once the timothy hay was taken away her eyes and nose seems much better over all as well. We still don’t know what is causing her nose issues. But as long as her lungs are clear and she is not sneezing I told the vet I don’t want to keep giving her antibiotics and she said that’s fine so… I guess time will only tell now. So, even the  vets don’t always get it right either. No need to feel bad we are only human. =) You’re a great bunny mommy. You are taking her in because you feel it is needed now. Good luck! Hope everything turns out to be okay.


                        • vanessa
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                            True… I can’t tell if it was the antibiotics or the eye compresses that helped Lancelot’s sneezing. I know he will start sneexing again if his eye gets to weepy – so I tend to think it was the eye care, rather than the antibiotics. But who knows. I say the eyes – but his nose was also snotty. Since he ia s lop – that squishy face does lead to nasal congestion. He often sounds congested. And he also loooooves a warm eye compress. I take a facecloth, soak it, wring it out, and heat it in the microwave for 25 seconds. He leans into it and flops his face on the ground with his legs splayed. That also gives me access to wipe the inside of his paws. He loves it.
                            But – clear discharge is normal. The thicker it gets, the more likely there is an infection. Infections can happen just because of the shape of the face… If drainage isn’t easy due to he squishy holland lop face, then the mucous becomes infected.


                          • StachesMommy
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                              Hmmm, I have a lop too! As you can see from the photo, lol. Yea, some days when she bumps me with her nose she leaves a tiny wet spot on my hand, arm, etc but it is always clear and watery. For some reason she hates drinking out of the bowl so it’s not water from the bowl. I don’t know. It’s just wet like that some days and some days there is nothing when she bumps me. I have never seen her actual nose wet looking either nor the fur around her nose. Just only when she bumps me she leaves damp spots. So, clear is okay I guess? It was never colored or thick…creamy.. nothing like that when she was prescribed antibiotics. It has been like this since day 1 of having her. She is still on alfalfa hay because she is only 13 and a half weeks old now. I will start slowly taking it away soon. SHe happens to love the flakey, tiny, grassy pieces of the hay so I’m wondering maybe that is what is causing the wetness too with the timothy gone? Since it gets dusty from her shoving her face in her hay bowl? Lol. Thanks for sharing all the info with me. I will continue to do the eye compresses when it is necessary.


                            • Bam
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                                There can be a little moisture around a bun’s nostrils since they always breathe through their noses. When you exhale you exhale some water with the used air and carbon dioxide. Some of the water deposits itself around the nostrils depending on the temperature and humidity etc and it’s completely normal and healthy.
                                (But opaque snot (like white yellow or greenish) is of course sth a vet should have a look at. )


                              • StachesMommy
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                                  Hi Bam, ohhh I see… Okay. Thanks a lot!


                                • BinkyBuns
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                                    I took her to the vet yesterday. I wish I could have gotten her in much earlier but I didn’t have the time. The vet said there’s nothing wrong with her and that it’s probably just her hay could that be it or should I try somewhere else? The snot that’s coming out of her nose is making me think it’s something more. What do you guys think?


                                  • BinkyBuns
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                                      Her snot was whitish, but the vet said its only and infection if it’s yellow or green. I’ve only seen the snot once. Could it be that she was sneezing so hard that she managed to sneeze some out but only for that reason?


                                    • StachesMommy
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                                        Hmmmm, did the vet do a culture? My vet didn’t actually do cultures for the different strands but she did listen to her lungs every time I took her in and the lungs always sounded clear. As I said above, she was prescribed antibiotics anyway and it made absolutely no difference. Your vet is most likely right.. It may just be the hay. It was an opposite situation for me actually. It turned out to be hay allergy but was given antibiotic treatment. It is always better to be safe than sorry. It would make sense if she was sneezing a lot to have mucus build up just like we get it if we sneeze a lot… we end up with a runny nose. So it could have been that. I would just monitor your bunny and try taking away that hay and make sure you clean up her living space really well so there is no residue and then go from there. See how she progresses. If she doesn’t get better then I would go for a 2nd opinion.


                                      • BinkyBuns
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                                          The vet basically just listened when I told him what was happening and then said that the cause of the sneezing is most likely her hay because the snot was white, not yellow or green. He also checked her teeth, eyes, and ears. Any suggestions for hay that isn’t super dusty? Hopefully it is just the hay! Also, what should I give her if I take away her hay? She’s about three months old and I’m not sure if she should have veggies yet.


                                        • vanessa
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                                            I would swap out the hay for a different type of hay, but please keep feeding her hay! People have different opinions on when to give a 3 month old veggies. When my bunnies had kits, they ate whatever momma ate as soon as they were able to – which was about 2 weeks old. If youy want to give them veggies, just do it slowly so you can be sure it won’t upset their tummies.
                                            Some hays are more dusty than others. I think feedstore hays are dusty, which is what I feed my bunnies, but you said your hay is not so dusty. Sometimes we cal it hay allergies. Sometimes we just don’t know the cause. Congestion often results in sneezing, which produces snot. Congestion is probably the problem itself. Can be caused by all sorts of allergies – not just to hay. The best thing for that would be keep the bunny area really clean. Vacuum, dust, limit cleaning chemicals (I use a vinegar mix on surfaces). And maybe there was something in that hay that caused the congestion. Try a different brand, or type of hay.

                                            Have you tried a warm compress on her face? It helps Lancelot. Take a facecloth, wet it (distilled water is best but some people use tap water). Microwave the cloth for 25-30 seconds. Hold it up to your eye so you know the temp is acceptable. Groom around your bunnies’ eyes and nose with the cloth. Lancelot presses his face into the cloth, he enjoys it. It helps loosen up mucous. Once the sneezing stops, you’ll know if the new hay is alright.


                                          • StachesMommy
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                                              Yes, what Vanessa said. My bunny has allergies to Timothy hay in particular. I switched to oat hay and the bottom of the bag does have a lot of particles and dust too just as any bag of hay would but the top part virtually has no hay dust. I buy oxbow brand. Orchard grass has no hay dust either but she doesn’t like it. I give oxbow alfalfa because she is about the same age as your bunny and she happens to love the tiny flaky dusty pieces. I just have to clean up the dust morning and night. Whenever I see her pretty much I will take a wet nap and clean up her hay area. I’m not sure how your bunny’s set up is but mine has a 42 inch cage that I leave topless so she uses that hard plastic bottom piece to go potty and eat her hay. When the little tiny pieces fall I just take a wet napkin and wipe it up as much as I can throughout the day/night. Usually 2x is more than enough. I can get away with vacuuming every 3-4 days because she prefers to eat her hay out of the 42inch cage bottom. She no longer sneezes and her eyes are almost 100 percent better. But I do take off sleepies and just because she just loves getting warm compresses. Lol. I haven’t had to do the warm compress all week though actually. I believe different brands of Timothy hay are dustier than others too. Or you can try watering it down as my vet suggested but I cannot vouch for that method because I just ended up switching to oat hay. My bunny never did like Timothy hay. There are other grass hays too you could try.


                                            • Jusma
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                                                I’d keep observing your bunny for any signs of dullness. Rabbits hide their sickness very well and only show us proper symptoms when it is almost too late. At that time, you better rush to the vet, but I hope you don’t have to.


                                              • BinkyBuns
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                                                  Thank you everyone for the replies! I switched to another brand of Timothy hay (oxbow) and she is still sneezing like crazy I really think that she has an allergy to Timothy hay. I’m going to have to buy some orchard grass or oat hay and try that out. She still doesn’t have runny eyes or coloured snot, although when she sneezes very hard over and over there is a little bit of white snot.


                                                • BinkyBuns
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                                                    Update: I bought a bag of orchard grass hay and a bag of oat hay! She seems to approve of both and did not sneeze while eating them. Yay! I’m just about to clean her cage and her play area to rid of the Timothy hay. Let’s hope this problem is finally solved


                                                  • StachesMommy
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                                                      Oh yay! Hope that solves everything for your bunny. Just a heads up… Orchard grass isn’t dusty but Oat hay does have some dust towards the bottom. You may have to shake it out once you reach the bottom of the bag and wipe down the area if any particles fall. I just throw it away because my rabbit’s eyes start getting yucky and her nose starts getting more wet but she is very sensitive to hay particles.


                                                    • Azerane
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                                                        How’s she doing, did the change to orchard grass fix her sneezing?


                                                      • BinkyBuns
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                                                          She is still sneezing but not as much! I’m going to deep clean her play area because I think there may be some bits of Timothy hay lying around.


                                                        • Azerane
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                                                            That’s good to know that it has improved I hope the full clean out can fix the problem for good.

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                                                        Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A What is causing this sneezing?