Sneezing Bunny – Please help !

[Palomino_Bun]

Pickles keep sneezing, is this normal? He sounded a bit snuffly when I was holding him and keeps rubbing his nose and licking his nose/mouth area.

 I have also noticed the guinea pigs sneezing a little in the past few days, and they have play time together. Is it just dusty bedding or something more serious? Should I change the bedding (they are on straw and wood shavings and always have been without having any problems)?

I also had a cold few days ago, but did not handle either the piggies or Pixie during this time. Is it possible however that he caught something off me either before I was showing symptoms, or afterwards when the virus was still in my system? But I’d think it anything these three would show symptoms last, as they don’t like being handled too much. (Only my chinchillas really enjoy being stroked/picked up oddly enough!)

Pickles lives in the ‘Rodent Room’ with the chinchillas and guinea pigs (all in separate cages of course though) and gets exercises with the piggies in my bedroom, where the hamsters also live. We also own dogs, a cat, horses and tortoises and the dogs and cat have interacted with the rabbit in the past few days (it was perfectly friendly they get along really well). Could it be dust from someone else’s bedding/food/coat?

Hopefully I am just worrying unnecessarily – but he just sneezed twice and rubbed his nose, and for the past few days I’ve heard the piggies sneeze a few times, and I’d rather err on the side of caution where my furbabies are concerned, especially as I’m looking to possibly another bunny soon. But if anyone gets sick, I’ll have to put this off for a little while, though Pickles is still acting perfectly normally otherwise. He does not appear to have runny eyes or nose, and his coat is still clean.

Sorry for the essay. You can tell I worry too much, can’t you! xD

[Palomino_Bun]

He has also not pooped since coming out for playtime and has only eaten a few of the soft faeces produced this morning. But last night he did this much hard pellet poop in his hutch, which is what i would say is a normal amount for him. (Sorry for the poo pictures BTW!)
http://i.imgur.com/p28gy9S.jpg

And has left uneaten this many cectotropes: http://i.imgur.com/p28gy9S.jpg

His eyes, nose and paws seem okay – not dirty or crusty at all – and he is still acting like usual.
Eyes: http://i.imgur.com/95KC9Kt.jpg
Nose and Mouth: http://i.imgur.com/mpALF6Z.jpg
Front Paws: http://i.imgur.com/CBeHzuC.jpg
Back Paws: http://i.imgur.com/7U1FOMe.jpg
Overall (does he look healthy to you?): http://i.imgur.com/BmXhonF.jpg

Sorry the photos aren’t the best. He doesn’t like to be fiddled with too much.
Also he hasn’t sneezed a while, but is still fussing at his front end (face, ears, chest and paws – especially nose) more than I would say is usual for him. Could it be caused by dust in the environment irritating his coat and skin, or is it an infection or virus or something ????? Fingers crossed I am freaking out unnecessarily. :/

[OliverBun]

I have never experienced it, but what you’re describing sounds a lot like snuffles. That needs to be treated by a vet.

[Palomino_Bun]

Posted By OliverBunny on 11/21/2015 9:20 AM

I have never experienced it, but what you’re describing sounds a lot like snuffles. That needs to be treated by a vet.

Wait, he’s not sneezed (yet) today but recently i got him this stuffed bunny which he grooms all the time. He seems to rub his nose AFTER grooming it so could it be he’s allergic to the fabric on the toy ???????? Sorry i hadn’t noticed this correlation yesterday how silly of me. 

[OliverBun]

Id think that’s possible but allergies in my bun have never caused a significant amount of nose discharge. If your bun is wiping her nose it sounds like quite a lot of discharge. Can you look at your buns face? Is the nose area wet?
I’d recommend a vet visit either way. I believe simple things like runny noses and sneezing can get serious if not treated.

[Bam]

It’s very, very unlikely that he’s caught a cold from you.
How often does he sneeze?
He looks very healthy on your pics. A bit on the chubby side, but I know you know that. His hard poop also looks very good.

Bunnies can get allergies, they can even be allergic to hay. But often when they sneeze, it’s from dust, either dusty bedding or hay. Have you got new bedding recently? Sometimes one batch is dustier than another batch of the same brand. It would explain the piggies sneezing too. I have to look up what diseases piggies and rabbits can share, because I know next to nothing about piggies.

Could you change sth about his bedding, f ex the sawdust in his cage? You could perhaps have sawdust just in a litterbox and not in the whole cage so he doesn’t have to sit in it all the time? (In case it is dust getting in his nose) If you see any kind of discharge from nose or eyes, esp white “snot”, or if it gets worse in some other way, you need a vet. If he keeps sneezing and rubbing his nose even days after you have tried changing his bedding (you can have fleece blankies on his floor or pieces of fleece blankies, the cheapest kind), you also should have him seen by a vet. Likewise if he loses his appetite.

But these are just my thoughts, as you know we are not vets here.

 

Edit: Just looked at your pics again. This one, of his eye – http://i.imgur.com/95KC9Kt.jpg – is that white gunk in the corner of his eyes? I can’t really tell. 

 Edit again: apparently bunnies and piggies can both get bordetella and pasteurella (“snuffles-bacteria”) but it seems that is more dangerous for the piggies than for the bunnies. Bunnies more or less always have these bacteria in their nostrils, but most never get sick from them.

[Palomino_Bun]

Posted By bam on 11/22/2015 9:03 AM

It’s very, very unlikely that he’s caught a cold from you.
How often does he sneeze? He hasn’t sneezed for 2 days now. 🙂 Probably just being paranoid but would rather be safe than sorry.
He looks very healthy on your pics. A bit on the chubby side, but I know you know that. His hard poop also looks very good. Well that’s good. He doesn’t often eat many of the cecotropes but seems totally fine. 

Bunnies can get allergies, they can even be allergic to hay. But often when they sneeze, it’s from dust, either dusty bedding or hay. Have you got new bedding recently? Using a slightly less good quality hay at the moment – from the edge of the meadow, I guess. (We buy horse bales, then take a few chunks home for the little creatures.) Sometimes one batch is dustier than another batch of the same brand. It would explain the piggies sneezing too. I have to look up what diseases piggies and rabbits can share, because I know next to nothing about piggies.

Could you change sth about his bedding, f ex the sawdust in his cage? How would you do this with a hutch? You could perhaps have sawdust just in a litterbox and not in the whole cage so he doesn’t have to sit in it all the time? (In case it is dust getting in his nose) If you see any kind of discharge from nose or eyes, esp white “snot”, or if it gets worse in some other way, you need a vet. If he keeps sneezing and rubbing his nose even days after you have tried changing his bedding (you can have fleece blankies on his floor or pieces of fleece blankies, the cheapest kind), you also should have him seen by a vet. Likewise if he loses his appetite.

But these are just my thoughts, as you know we are not vets here.

 

Edit: Just looked at your pics again. This one, of his eye – http://i.imgur.com/95KC9Kt.jpg – is that white gunk in the corner of his eyes? I can’t really tell. No, it’s just the angle (he was glaring at me for picking him up lol). 

 Edit again: apparently bunnies and piggies can both get bordetella and pasteurella (“snuffles-bacteria”) but it seems that is more dangerous for the piggies than for the bunnies. Bunnies more or less always have these bacteria in their nostrils, but most never get sick from them. Well both the pigs are fine and Pickles just had a mad moment, everyone’s still eating like starving pigs…..tbh I’d say he’s fine Thanks for your help though. Was totally panicked for a bit. 

[Bam]

I’m so glad they are eating and acting happy and that it wasn’t gunk in his eye, I couldn’t tell.
When I had a bun living in an outdoors hutch I didn’t have bedding on the floor, just in the litterbox. I had fleece blankies on the floor. But it was spring and not very cold and only for a month.
I hope your bun + piggies will stay well, no more sneezing and making mommy worried

[Palomino_Bun]

Posted By bam on 11/23/2015 2:24 PM

I’m so glad they are eating and acting happy and that it wasn’t gunk in his eye, I couldn’t tell.
When I had a bun living in an outdoors hutch I didn’t have bedding on the floor, just in the litterbox. I had fleece blankies on the floor. But it was spring and not very cold and only for a month.
I hope your bun + piggies will stay well, no more sneezing and making mommy worried

THANK YOU

[Author]

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