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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum DIET & CARE its been 2 days, is no one going to answer!!!?! His little sneezes are back!!!

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    • Caspar'sHome
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        Hi guys. Caspar, now 9 1/2 months old, Has been back to doing those little tiny “sneezes” again. And the past 2 days has had a dampened nose. I noticed that the air in my room is heavy, and is heavier in the cage. My nose burnt while in the cage from dust, it’s not dirty or anything, just hay dust and the smell of yesterday’s news. I clean it out every day.
        He does the “sneezing” every now and then, mostly when he just lays down, when he settles down, when he gets up, when he’s running, etc. The “fluid” is still clear, and his “sneezes” are still the little puffs, but i don’t know what to do to calm down his “allergies” or if he had Pasteurella!!! I don’t want that Pasteurella though I can’t deal with it!!

        Would investing in a GermGuardian Air Purifier be worth it?
        Any ideas about getting dust away? The cage he’s in doesn’t have good circulation, only a big front metal chicken wire thingy. Should I cut holes in the sides and put those air vents that are used on either the floors or mostly ceilings of houses?

        I am really scared!!! Please help!!!

        Edit:
        Oh and he’s binkying and stuff as normal, running around doing bunny 500s, jumping, doing tricks for treats, and just having fun. He also has gotten destructive in his cage the past few days, moving his litter box around, throwing hay all around the bottom floor, trying to dig through the linoleum tiles, and pulling up the traction pads. Idk if this is something that indicates boredom or sickness, or needing a companion or what? It’s just really at night and right when I wake up when he’s been destructive. And he’s neutered already so I know it’s not that.
        Any help with all of above the edit?


      • LongEaredLions
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          Sorry no one got to you sooner-we do our best but sometimes posts slip through the cracks.
          If you are worried for the health of your bunny, the first step is always to schedule a vet visit. Bunnies can sneeze for a variety of reasons-dust, pasturella, teeth issues, etc. Once you pinpoint the problem you can begin fixing it. If the dust burns your nose, there is no doubt it is probably effecting your bunny in some way. The use of the purifier and increased circulation couldn’t hurt, even if the dust isn’t directly involved with the current symptoms. You can also try purchasing dust free hay and litter.
          How long ago was he neutered? Hormones can take a while to dissapate.


        • Bam
          Moderator
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            A bunny’s nose getting damp is common in the summer, when it’s hotter. It’s not abnormal in any way. What you want to look out for is white “snot”, that IS a sign of an infection. A damp nose and a little bit of sneezing could be hay dust + he could just be a bunny that has extra-sensitive nasal mucosa. Last time he had sneezing, he didn’t have pasteurella, and it went away.

            I don’t know about air purifiers, I think it’s debatable if they do any good at all.

            I honestly don’t think you need to worry as much as you do. Sick bunnies don’t binky, they don’t do the bunny 500ds. Being destructive isn’t really a sign of sickness, sick buns tend to become very subdued and they want to stay out of sight and not make much noise, so predators won’t notice them. An exception can be gnawing obsessively on cardboard etc, some buns with a dental problem will do that.

            He is a young bunny, so he will be energetic. If you respond to him making a racket in the night, it encourages him, because he probably wants your attention, just like a little kid. My bunny Yohio would jump on my head at 3 o’clock in the night when he was younger, just to make sth happen, but he did stop when I was being absolutely clear that I was NOT getting up at that time just to entertain him.

            I’m sorry we didn’t get back to you sooner. Good to hear from you though =)


          • Aki
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              It’s not normal that there is so much dust that your nose burn from it when you are level with the cage. What kind of litter are you using? Also, a dusty hay is a bad hay, – a good hay is greenish with long stems and there is no dust at all except for a bit of powder at the bottom of the bag.
              But I agree with what the others said : as long as there is no snot and that the rabbit is behaving/eating normally, there is nothing really alarming here.


            • Caspar'sHome
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                Thanks for your responses, and I was just being impatient due to nervousness and fear. Honestly I think I’m going to sell this cage on Craigslist and then buy those nic grids to make a 4x4x4 cage with levels or 3x3x6 so air circulates much better than closed walls

                What if this never gets better? I’m afraid that I’ll never have a normal health bunny and will never be able to get another bunny. I mean there are so many healthy buns out there that won’t go through this. He runs around and then runs into his cage and lays down and “breaths heavy”. It’s just a noticeable breathing where his head moves some. I don’t want to think like this but what if he never gets better and is never normal. How am I going to deal with it for 13 more years? I mean look at all the healthy buns without a problem in the world on this site, some of the people I’m talking to probably have perfectly healthy year-round bunnies.

                I want to get another bunny to be his friend but I don’t know if that will cause the new one to get the same symptoms. I’m really scared.

                What good, cheap dustless hay is there? I tried oxbow, kaytee, and Walmart brand hay, it looks like care fresh packaging but it’s not, all of which came dusty except the Walmart one wasn’t so dusty. It’s just expensive and idk if it’s safe. That’s what I had him on when I first got him and I now see that I switched hay to kaytee and oxbow right before his “sneezes” came. I might have to try it again right?

                Also, can I get another bunny? I really want another!!


              • Vienna Blue in France
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                  Do you have access to fresh safe grass (no pesticides or dog walking favourite!))? If you do, and over a few days (weekend) when you can keep an eye on him for changes (ie sneezes go) you could try him without hay for a day or two and replace his requirements with fresh grass (regularly cut – DON’T cut a whole mound enough for 3 days as the cut grass ferments over time) and pellets and plenty of greens (the important thing is he eats constantly).
                  You may then find out if he sneezes from the presence of hay.

                  Like kids, his physical state is paramount – if he’s binkying, active and pooping normally then there’s no immediate danger.

                  If your nose is being twitched (burned) by something then you can be 100% sure that its irritiataing bunny too. Their noses are MUCH more sensitive than ours. (they’re not a dog, but nearly!)


                • Mikey
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                    I dont want to be rude, but so what? So what if he always has breathing problems? So what if hes a little bit disabled? Will you love him any less? Will you treat him any worse? Two out of three of my bunnies are disabled. One has chronic tummy problems and the other has bad allergies (prone to infections because of them; has minor breathing problems like your bun) and splay leg. I love them all the same. I play with them, brush them spoil them with toys, pets, and cuddles…. Why does it bother you so much that your little bun might be slightly disabled with an allergy problem?

                    If his sneezes only started when you started getting dustier hay, then yes, switch back to the none dusty hay. If its too expensive for you, dont get a second bunny as youll be buying this brand much, much more often. If you have a Sams Club nearby, they sell huge bags of timothy hay for rabbits. From what ive seen, the bags have no hay dust at all, but theyre very stemmy compared to other hay ive gotten. Only one of my rabbits prefer this hay, the other two prefer second cut timothy which we can by at the walmart nearby

                    Also, you shouldnt get another rabbit because you want one, you should get another because your first rabbit wants one. Adding one simply because you want to can cause many unnecessary issues with you and all of the bunnies involved. Its hard work and a lot of stress before it starts to work out. Not all rabbits will work out, either, in which you will have a big problem of having two buns who cant be near each other


                  • Bam
                    Moderator
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                      Dear Caspar’s Home, try not to worry so much! I know it’s difficult when you are the worrying kind, but honestly.
                      Most bunnies, if not all, go through some sort of health-trouble during their life-time, just as we humans do. I’m quite sure you don’t know any one person that never has had a cold or a stomach ache all their lives. There are no perfect bunnies, just as there are no perfect humans. We will sneeze, rabbits will sneeze. It’s not a huge deal. If you see thick white snot from his nose or eyes, if he stops eating and pooping, if he eats less and less and his poop gets smaller and smaller over a few days to a week or if he consistently tries to hide from you and refuses to come out and play or get a treat – then there’s sth wrong. Those are the most important things to look out for when you have a bunny.

                      If you think the hay you used before made him sneeze less, go back to that hay. But remember, hay is never uniform, you can get a dustier batch of hay even if it’s of the same brand you used before. Another factor is air humidity. In dry weather, dust gets “dustier” and the nasal mucosa gets more easily irritated. Even indoors humidity fluctuates with environmental humidity.

                      Above all, try to keep calm and just love Caspar. One day you’ll probably have children. They will get fevers and colds and stomach bugs and you will have to deal with that, because that’s what a mommy does. It’s just how life is.

                      Sending you hugs =)


                    • LBJ10
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                        Mikey – I think we all have hopes and dreams for our bunnies when we bring them home. We all hope for a healthy bunny (unless a problem is already known before we adopt them). It would be no different if it were a human child. All parents hope for healthy children. They don’t want them to suffer or to live with chronic problems. I think most bunny parents feel the same way. Does that mean Casper’s Home is going to love him any less? I don’t think so. I think they are simply expressing their fears about what will happen if Casper turns out to have a special need. Parents of human children go through the exact same set of emotions when they worry something is really wrong with their child. They worry about how they will deal with it. But, in the end, they find the strength to deal with it. I think Casper’s Home will too.

                        Casper’s Home – Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I think the first step is to take Casper to the vet to rule out anything serious. It sounds like it could just be allergies and there are things you can do to mitigate that. If it turns out to be something else, then we’ll deal with it then. There are tons of people here with experience and we are more than willing to help you through this. If you need help learning to give meds, etc. Or if you just want stories of our experiences with chronic issues. We’re here to help. I don’t think this will stop you from getting Casper a friend in the future, if that is what you were hoping to do. Wooly has chronic problems and Leopold is completely unaffected.


                      • Mikey
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                          @LBJ
                          But none of that should actually matter, and Casper is freaking out about it in a lot of threads. I find it offensive as im disabled myself and two of my buns are disabled; one disabled with a problem her bunny has too. I cannot believe people would be upset because their child, fluffy or not, was disabled in some way. Its their happiness that matters. Sure, you can hope and try to make them as healthy as you can, but if they have these ongoing disabilities, then you should just work to treat them when the problems are there. It will be constant work to make them healthy, but if theyre happy, why does any of that matter?


                        • Caspar'sHome
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                            Mikey ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!? Obviously you have no kids of your own (you would be able to sympathize with thinking they’re going to suffer) and I’m sure when you found out you were disabled your parents were upset. It’s a tough thing to watch. Don’t you dare say I don’t love him because I love him to the moon and back. You need to not answer this thread again before I really get upset with you. I just dont want to watch him suffer. I am a freak out person, having bipolar disorder and ocd does not help with that. So you need to mind your own business when it comes to that. Offended you or not, that is how I feel. Take it or leave it

                            And thanks everyone else for your kind words. I think I’m done with this site if all it is gonna do is “offend” someone when I need help. Thanks


                          • Caspar'sHome
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                              Ok I’m sorry about the rant and being angry in the last response I just did not feel it was his place to do that.
                              Please don’t lock this thread as it is really helpful to me.


                            • BB Administrator
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                                Forums and non-in-person formats can really cause problems at times. When someone is face to face, the disagreement or misunderstanding can have a true back and forth with clarification. And it so it is important to pay close attention to how things are written so that it doesn’t start or engage in an argument. Some things can be triggering for members that we have no way to understand, and it’s no one’s fault —  and sometimes misunderstandings based on this can happen, especially we can’t hear “tones” and see facial expressions. So then if anger arises from this, then the reaction can just become about venting, not helping. We are a snark-free zone and so even if you are frustrated with another member, even if you believe you are fully justified, it’s best to take a breather and come back and figure out another way to handle things.  (As this really got out of hand)

                                Disagreement or understanding will happen between members at times — We are human after all. But please don’t let that stop you from (from either side) participating in the forum – getting support and offering support — as the community as a whole is supportive. The one uncomfortable or awkward experience doesn’t represent the community as a whole.     

                                 As I read through the original post, I see where this definitely could have been read one way, and defensiveness and frustrations were felt, and yet at the same time, read another way, and I can see it as just expressing the heartache of dealing with a bunny that may be dealing with an illness for the rest of its life. So Mikey and Casper – I hope you can both try and get to an empathetic place to just understand where the other may have been coming from and stop any further hostility.

                                I will not lock this thread UNLESS it deteriorates even further.  I will delete any post that engages further in the argument.  Please Mikey and Casper – do not let it go any further as we do appreciate you both as contributing members.  

                                Helloworld!!


                              • Mikey
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                                  My parents were not sad or upset, and neither was i. It was obvious to me since i live in this disabled body. My parents came to terms with it fast after knowing i was still happy. You seem upset in all of your posts, even when you are told that your bunny is happy and will be fine with this little disability. You want a healthy bunny and make it sound like you would love him better if he wasnt disabled. Im not saying you do feel this way, im saying this is how your word choice is coming off when you make topics about being upset that he has a minor breathing problems. I have OCD, a panic disorder, and anxiety. I know how it is to freak out over the small things. But when you are told he is ok, you continue to be upset because hes not the way you want him to be. That is sad to me. I dont have human children, but i have three bunnies i consider my children. I would not change them for the world. They are happy and healthy in their own right, and that is all that matters


                                  EDITing to clarify, i did not mean for this to become a fight of sorts. I simply wanted to state that the repeating threads of being upset and wanting to change the rabbit came off as offensive. Not that Casper didnt love their bunny, but their their wording choice was poor talking about wanting to make him better, when in his eyes, he is probly perfect. Its through his (the bunny’s) eyes that matter when he is as healthy as he can be. The question “would you love him less” was to prove that his disability would not change her love for him, so she needs to calm down knowing he is happy and for the most part, healthy


                                • LBJ10
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                                    Different people have different coping methods. I do hope the two of you can work this out. Right now, I think the best thing to do is move forward.

                                    Casper’sHome – Has the vet done a culture or other tests? If not, I think it would be a good idea. And, I know he’s young, but it might be a good idea to rule out tooth roots as well since he’s a Holland. At least he looks like one in your picture.

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                                Forum DIET & CARE its been 2 days, is no one going to answer!!!?! His little sneezes are back!!!