rabbit licking lips and making mouth sounds?

[roxy]

to be quite honest i don’t know how to describe this but lately my rabbit started licking her lips a lot and around the lips too the same as cats after they’re done eating except she does it randomly and not only after eating she also makes wet mouth noises just like the noises humans make when they’re tasting something and i noticed she also kinda moves her jaw in a way i don’t know how to describe the whole thing doesn’t look concerning but i’m concerned because she’s never done this before she only started doing it recently i also don’t know if this has anything to do with it but i also noticed her nose whistles sometimes when she’s breathing all of this started happening recently, should i be concerned? does anyone know what could be the problem or if there’s a problem at all? i don’t mind taking her to the vet but i will have to wait at least two weeks and it’s making me feel bad what’s going on with her isn’t affecting her appetite she’s eating fine but i feel like it’s bothering her because she does it frequently (moving her jaw, the licking etc.) oh and i also noticed when she does the licking thingy she kinda lifts her head and looks up.

[Wick & Fable]

Sounds like what Wick does, which is producing more saliva than normal in order to lubricate discomforting teeth. The occasional jaw movement can be moving the teeth around to get them coated in saliva/stop them from touching someplace irritated.

The lip licking could be compensating for saliva dripping out (drool) from the excessive saliva production.

Nasal sinuses/passages are in very close proximity to the mouth, so the extra liquid and pressure from movement could be affecting her nose, making her have those breathing sounds.

Another idea is she has nasal discharge from an infection or other nasal irritant, causing her to have some discharge exiting her nose (licking lips to get the discharge) and nasal discharge dripping down her throat/mouth (like humans), resulting in mouth movements to tolerate it and get it moving.

I would schedule a visit to have her teeth and nose examined. Your description sounds a lot like Wick so teeth seems more plausible of an explanation, but a vet will be able to tell you. Since she’s still eating and seems normal in all other fronts, it’s not too dire to go tomorrow, but if it is teeth, you’ll want to set an appointment asap to confirm before it actually gets intolerable and her teeth start breaking skin in her mouth and harming her.

This happens to Wick often because his teeth are slightly discomforting to him quite often. He chews to himself. He does have a whistley nose sound occasionally. I assumed it was remnants from his URI, but it may be the teeth instead, which makes sense as I’m composing this post.

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.

[Wick & Fable]

.. also Wick is sending her good vibes to feel better if she’s feeling uncomfortable from teeth, nose, or whatever!

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.

[jerseygirl]

I agree about getting it checked out. It could be various things really. Some teeth trouble, food becoming trapped, or increase breathing with mouth if her nose had become blocked. And the more extreme end of possibilities, a hole in the upper palate going up to nasal structures.

For the vet to get the most thorough look, she might need to go under light sedation (probably with a bit of gas).

I understand that might not be possible to get her seen sooner. Work commitments or available appointments etc. If there is a financial constraint, would your clinic allow a deferred payment? Or accept something like care credit?

[mbp27]

Hello everyone! My rabbit (Cacau is from Brazil) is 9 years old and she’s very healthy. But in the last months she’s doing some strange noises when she’s licking her fur, eating or I’m petting her belly. She never did this before and the noise is getting louder and more frequent. We already took her twice to the vet but he doesn’t know what’s happening. Tomorrow she will do an echocardiogram. I’ll share the results.

I have rabbits as pets since 2007. So far I had 6 rabbits, and no one had this beahavior before.

I uploaded a video on Youtube https://youtu.be/nHVxIo4LLwQ so you can listen what’s the sound she does.

Any advice is really appreciated.

[Wick & Fable]

Hi mbp27! Rather than replying to an old thread, I recommend making a new topic of your own (click the [Create Topic] button on the top left when you are looking in a forum category, like HOUSE RABBIT Q&A). Since this is an old thread, I will lock it and you can start your own topic.

From hearing it, it might be just her “oinking” sound, though it does sound like some sort of gut/liquid squelching. It is good that you’re doing an echo to find out what’s going on.

 

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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