New rabbit possibly has snuffles. Please help, info inside.

[Cameron]

Hi, as the title says. I just purchased a new rabbit to give my current rabbit company. Here is my issue.

I currently live in Ningbo, China. I bought my first rabbit from a breeder in Nanjing and everything was fine but since then I had moved so I went with a local breeder. Yes, I did the stupid thing of not visiting before I purchased him. When the company delivered him I was at the supermarket( i waited in all day, they were late..) and as I would only be 15 mins they left him outside my apartment door.

Once I arrived home I inspected him and could tell these breeders weren’t anything like the breeders in Nanjing. His fur was matted, he basically looked abandoned, and he had a snotty nose. I couldn’t believe they called themselves breeders.

Now here is my predicament. His eyes seem fine, but he has a snotty nose, and he sneezes. You can sometimes hear the snotty? noise when he breathes. On the plus side he seems perfectly fine in every other way. He lives inside, I had no choice but to cut his fur, I know you shouldn’t, but he is eating and drinking just fine, even flopping and binkying.

So now I’ll tell you part 2 of my troubles. I live in Ningbo… There are no Rabbit savvy vets. I took him to see a vet yesterday and I could tell he knew nothing of rabbits. It’s worrying they don’t admit it, like they think every animal is the same. When he started talking about giving him penicillin I grabbed my rabbit and left.

My home country is the UK if they didn’t have 4 month quarantine rules for rabbits I would take him home for care. I wouldn’t dream of sending him back to the breeder as it would be a death sentence.

Please, please help me. Any advice on what to do from here. I am keeping both rabbits completely separated at the moment but due to limited space one has to live on the balcony and he isn’t exactly happy about it.

Thank you for any help!

[Mikey]

Hearing the mucus while he breaths is scary. That puts him at risk of choking or getting the gunk into his lungs. A few users here know more about medication than I do, but I wanted to send you good luck healing (((((vibes)))))

[Cameron]

Thanks for the vibes! I’m currently taking him to every vet I can find in the hopes one knows something. Poor chap

[Mikey]

You are doing what you can, which is great Found a link that might be able to help out too: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=18+1803&aid=2686

[Wick & Fable]

You can help your bun a bit by cleaning his nose for him. Always use a new, soft towel that’s slightly damp with clean water, followed by a new clean dry towel. Be gentle when doing so.

If it’s bad, you can lift your rabbits nostril up a bit and see the snot clogging the hole. You can twirl the top of a clean q tip to make it a point, and very gently clear the hole. The q tip must be wet since their noses are sensitive, and don’t dive in there, just enough to clear breathing hole space. Again, manage afterwards with a clean towel. Exposing him to a steamy room for a minute can help the snot drain out sometimes as well. Don’t leave him in there because he’s having a hard time breathing already and steam is difficult to breath in, so just carry him in, stand there for a bit, then exit and wipe work a clean towel.

Wick was also purchased from a breeder that wasn’t the best and after a day or two had constant sneezing fits with snot that started clear but became white. He too acted normally except for sneezes. You need to see a rabbit vet when possible to get your rabbit treated for an upper respiratory infection, if that’s what has occurred. That’s the scenario I’m familiar with, so I’m outlining my solutions with Wick as such.

Wick is almost cured now, but that’s only due to antibiotics. He and I send the best of wishes.

If you are given antibiotics, make sure the vet provides a probiotic. If they don’t, ask. Your bun needs to replenish his gut bacteria regularly of antibiotics are going through his stomach regularly.

Always wipe gently and be there to help your bun when things get rough after a sneeze attack!! With Wick, he had trouble staying asleep because his sneezing kept him up. In person comfort and company will chipper your bun up, but know your rabbits boundaries with you since you just got him. He may not be comfortable with everything I just said, which would induce stress and make his immune system weaker, making this progress worse.

Make sure his water is always clean and is always coming from a clean vessel. Do it regularly, even if it’s still full of water. Your rabbit will be cleaning himself with that water, primarily his face to amend the snot, so you want that water to be clean so it does not irritate his nose.

If you notice the sneezing gets worse when he eats hay, the hay dust is irritating him. You can put the hay in a colander, shake it up so dust comes off, then give it to him. This will help a bit.

If none of what I said above align with your rabbits sneezing, it may not be what I’ve experienced with Wick, but I hope this helps. Again, Wick and I wish you the best.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

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