Oh no! (nose and smell)

[Ana]

My bun likes to chew on her wire cage.. fine.  But today I noticed she has a reallllllly raw nose with what looks like a big exposed sore!  Also, her poo is smelling particularly terrible today– something she ate (i.e. I just started giving her papaya.) Not smelling because her box is dirty… something else.  Her poo is also kind of stringy which I just figured was from her molting and cleaning herself…

 

Any help appreciated!

[BinkyBunny]

So the raw nose is coming from rubbing on the cage when she is chewing? If that is the case, I would take some cardboard or something else that she can chew on and tie it to the part of the cage that she keeps chewing on. Many times it near the doorway or where she feel she wants to get out from. You’ll obviously have to continuously replace it, but it will give her something better and safer to chew on.

You will have to watch the sore very carefully to make sure it heals properly. If you seen any sign of infection, you will need to get her to the vet as you don’t want this to turn into an abscess.   It’s a difficult area to treat on your own because even if you put neosporin on there (Be sure it’s the kind WITHOUT pain meds) she will most likely rub it off when she cleans, and depending on how far down on her nose, she could rub it off while eating, drinking from a crock. So the best thing to to make sure she stops chewing on the cage bars the best you can.  So that’s why if it doesn’t heal soon or gets worse, you may need to get antibiotics from a rabbit savvy vet to help prevent and fight any possible infection through meds she would have to take orally. 

The stringy poops can definitely be from soo much hair – molting, but it’s also a sign that she needs to get more fiber in her diet, so offer her handfuls of hay throughout the day to keep her digesting fiber.

Do you have a comb for her? During a molt you should brush or comb the hair to help prevent her from digesting too much.

Her smelly pooo – is it mushy at all, or is on her dry poops? Sometimes if a bunny is feeling extra territorial for any reason, they will leave a scent on their poos and that can be rather pungent.

As far as the papaya – is the tablet form, or the dried papaya or ??, and how much does she get each day?

[Ana]

Thanks for the help…

I will use cardboard right away. How can I tell if it gets worse? Should I try putting neosporin (with pain) on her nose now? I can brush her, but she loves grooming herself…

Her poo is always dry. She might feel territorial because I’ve been cleaning stray poo diligently as she’s having a in-the-box-only problem. She’s getting two pieces of dried papaya a day, no other fruit, and I’ve only given it to her two days so far.

Thanks!

[BinkyBunny]

No. Be sure to put neosporin WITHOUT pain meds. I’m figuring that’s what you meant and it was a typo, but I just want to clarify again.

You’ll know if it’s getting worse if the redness does not go away or it gets more red, and if you see any swelling, then you need to get her to a vet.

Yes, it would be good if you brush her during her molts. This will help.  The fact she likes to groom herself means she will be digesting all of that and so even more reason to brush during this time.   Also, make sure she’s getting plenty of hay.  This will also help work all the fur through her digestive system.

Papaya is still a bit controversial in the sense some people say it helps with digesting hair, while others say it’s just added sugar that’s not needed during this time. So the decision to continue is up to you. My own personal opinion is dried fruit is especially concentrated in sugar and what your bunny needs especially during molts is fiber through hay and less carbs and sugars. I’m not sure how big the pieces are so it’s hard for me know how much she really is getting – can you give me an idea of the size of each piece – a dime, a quarter?

[Ana]

So I covered her entire cage so she can’t chew on the wire, and she’s really, really upset.  I’ve never seen her so mad/sad. 

I meant neosporin without pain.  Should I put that on her nose?

The papaya pieces are smaller than a dime… maybe the size of a raisin.  She doesn’t eat any other fruit.

[BinkyBunny]

What did you cover it with? Cardboard or ?? What is she doing that displays Mad/sad? Tearing it up or sulking?

Put just a a very thin little bit on. She will most likely rub a bit off when she cleans her face – it won’t irritate her eyes or anything, but no reason to get her face all goopy – so again, just a thin light coating.

[Ana]

I put paper bags and cardboard (from cereal boxes) around the edges.  It’s a big Xpen, and there isn’t ONE spot she chews.  I can tell she’s upset, because not only is she doing her best to destroy the barrier, but she’s making tons of noise banging herself against the sides and rattling her cage, she glares at me, won’t go near me, runs in circles, grinds her teeth, she’s super active, I even heard her make a grunt.  She’s normally a calm, cuddly, playful bunny.  Plus, her cage is still smelling godawaful, so I think she’s just generally angry.  She’s scratching,  and thrashing the paper/cardboard.

[BinkyBunny]

Oye!! Well better her to tear up this stuff then to cause herself injury on the wire cage. How large is it?

Are you planning on spaying her? IF you mentioned this in another thread, I apologize for not connecting the dots.

[Ana]

She is spayed.  The cage is the biggest Xpen by Midwest (36×40?) and she’s a lionhead, so she’s small.  My concern is that she’s been acting so differently– can bunnies get depressed or anger issues?  I groomed her today and she was so skittish with me.  The very first time I held her she snuggled up to me, and even after her spay she’s been loving.  I feel like a horrible person/mommy.  Plus, she’s so destructive she’s constantly destroying my modifications– I have to fix the paper/cardboard constantly throughout the day.  Her nose isn’t getting any better, either.  I’m worried…

[BinkyBunny]

OH! I just looked in your profile which said “not yet” with spaying. How long ago did you spay her?

You are not a bad mommy. Look at what you are doing – you are trying to find solutions and figure out what’s going on. That alone says you care very much and want the best for her. Rabbits are baffling. It’s like we have to real bunny sleuths to figure them out! You are a wonderful Bunny mom!

Do you have a rabbit savvy vet to take her to? Be sure that when you take her to get her nose treated, that you let them know of her recent change in behavior.

Also, does she get time out of the xpen? If not, or her time is limited, she may need to get some more running explore time to help deal with crazy energy.

[Ana]

She was spayed mid September.  She does get time out, but it just never seems to be enough.

I do have a great vet, bu not close and I don’t have a car, so it’s very difficult for me to take her there unless planned.  Do you suggest I take her to the vet? I suppose I can call them.

Thanks for all your help.  I had a terrible dream last night that she died.  For once I was glad to see her terrorizing her pen when I woke up.

[BinkyBunny]

Well she could still be dealing with hormones. It can take six weeks for the hormomes to die down, and I don’t know if there are surges during this time. Maybe your vet could say.

I do think it would still be a good idea to get her nose checked out by the vet since it doesn’t seem to be healing.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

OH goodness!

I don’t think I can add anything to this, all great advice Just {less angry vibes for your bunny} {Healing vibes for her nose}

[Author]

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