Sneezing Bunny

[KatieND]

Hi everyone! Brand new to the forum and brand new to bunnies. I recently purchased a Netherland dwarf bunny a week ago. She’s about two months old. She’s been sneezing for a few days. No other symptoms, no runny nose, no runny eyes, ears are a normal temp. She seems perfectly happy, binkying like crazy, climbing all over everything, flopping, she’s eating normally and going to the bathroom constantly. Just today though she sneezed a bunch of times in a row very loudly, I hadnt heard her do anything like that before. Any ideas? I use aspen bedding, and give her timothy hay. Thanks so much!

[Luna]

Hi! Sometimes Luna will sneeze when she’s head deep in a pile of hay and some hay dust tickles her nose. Is she doing anything in particular when she sneezes (ie. only when she eats, only when she runs, only when she’s in a certain room), or is it random?

[KatieND]

It’s pretty random actually. Today is the first day the sneezes have gotten really loud. I ordered some carefresh bedding just to see if maybe it’s the aspen bedding. I’m starting to shake out her hay too to see if it’s dust from that. The sneezes occur pretty regularly, like every 10-15 minutes.

[Sr. Melangell]

Olly sneezes a lot, the vet said its nothing to worry about, anything makes him sneeze, bunnies noses are more sensitive than our noses, are you using a perfume that could make him sneeze? Do you wash your clothes in scented liquids or powders? We use baby non scented plain old boring washing powder because Olly sneezes, does anyone in the house smoke? A brother hiding in his room, or a son or daughter having a few crafty smokes while mum is out? Bunny could be allergic to something, but finding out what it is like looking for a needle in haystack.

[12345ABCDE]

It might be a simple case of hay going up her nose or even hay dust. Make sure when you give her hay you shake it a little to remove the dusty parts. I believe someone a while back said something about spritzing a little water on the hay so hopefully that member will chime in. My bunnies sneeze if they’ve been particularly boisterous with hay (ie. Really shoving their face in it lol) When the hay gets a bit low in the bag, the dust makes them sneeze so at that point I open up a new bag.

[Bladesmith]

My buns sneeze regularly, and I was worried at first.  Then I noticed that they usually did it after I’d put fresh hay down.  They both shove their whole heads into the hay pile (And end up covered in so much hay they look like bunny scarecrows.  Buncrows?  Scarebuns?) nd snuffle about, looking for the sweetest bits, I guess.  Other times, they sneeze while grooming, or just because of whatever reas

on.

The funny part is that when they sneeze, my parrot sneezes with them.  And then he laughs.  Jarvis is twisted that way.

[KatieND]

Thank you guys for all the info. I was thinking it might be the hay, so I have been shaking it out but she keeps sneezing. Small developement though, in her right eye she developed a little bit of a crust, it looks exactly like the crust you get when you wake up in the mornings. It’s really tiny, is that something I should be worried about? (Still no runny nose that I can tell)

[Wick & Fable]

Eye boogie in a Nethie’s eyes is common because their eyes are so big. The boogies will come more frequently and slightly larger than normal if there if they’re having nasal issues though (like humans).

Definitely monitor the sneezing and see if it stays the same or gets worst. It’s difficult since no one knows your rabbit, but for me, it was very clear that Wick’s sneezes were not just a result of a rabbit’s sensitive nose. Wick’s sneezing started out occasional, but after a week we took him to the vet because it was getting out of hand. He’d have sneeze fits where he’d sneeze upwards of 10 times in a row. Sometimes the momentum from the head jerks almost made him topple over! His nose started out dry, but over the days developed clear nasal discharge, then white nasal discharge. Wick has an upper respiratory infection, so he’s being treated with medicine.

His sneezing always got worse when eating hay, but I knew it wasn’t just hay because by the time his treatment started, he’d sneeze every minute (literally), multiple times. I would grab a clean hand towel and walk over to him when I’d hear an especially snotty one from across the room. Shaking hay did help, as well as dusting, but it did not solve the actual cause of his sneezing; the cleaning just prevented additional sneezing, on top of the sneezing from the infection.

Wick is ending his treatment this week, after a long(er than usual cases), 4 months of antibiotic treatments. He still gets the occasional eye boogie, but it’s more the size of a few pieces of his fur, rather than a bigger clump. He still sneezes, but only when he’s eating hay.

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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