Sneezing?

[Lucky Star]

I have two new rabbits that I got from a shelter on Sunday. One of them (whom I haven't decided on a name yet) is sneezing. Not constantly, and he doesn't appear sick (he is actively exploring, eating, drinking, and cuddling with his brother), but he is sneezing whenever I see him. And it isn't like constant sneezing, it is like one sneeze and then half an hour later there is another sneeze. I was googling it last night after he sneezed three times within two minutes and people said that I should get him to a vet (which I will, hopefully today). But does anyone have any experience with slightly sneezing buns? Is there anything I can do to make him more comfy until the vet? What can I expect from the vet (like can he have hay allergies? Can a rabbit have allergies to plastic or metal or something in his cage? Do buns get asthma?) Should I seperate his brother from him? Am I just being an overly protective new bun parent?

 

Just to clarify, I WILL be getting him to a vet, hopefully today. But I just wanted to see if this was normal for rabbits (My last bun wasn't like this and his brother isn't seezing, so I don't think it is, but maybe some buns sneeze more than other buns?) and if anyone has any general advice about him. I can't tell if he has a runny nose as he really likes to clean his face and does it often, including right after he sneezes. 

[Elrohwen]

Some sneezing can be normal. If there isn’t any discharge and it’s not constant, it’s probably not a big deal. One of mine sneezes occasionally and has never had respiratory issues.

[taija/honeybunny]

Hello,
I’m not sure how much insight I can offer you since I am a new bunny mom. At the vet, they will look at your bunny’s teeth and feel your bunny’s belly to make sure it is healthy. When I took my bun to two different vets for sneezing, they did a culture on the discharge from my baby’s nose. It’s true that some bunny’s can have “sensitivities” to hay. Sneezing caused by hay is usually caused by the hay being too “dusty”. (Dusty hay makes my bun sneeze like crazy so I try to filter out as much dust as I can). My bunny is also sensitive to certain kinds of bedding, like woodchips, for example. So now I use the hypoallergenic kind of bedding (I got it at walmart for very cheap. It’s all multi-colored, contains no dust, and is marked on the package as being hypoallergenic). As for allergies to plastic and metal, I’ve never heard of that.

Poor bunny I know you said you have never noticed a runny nose. That’s good that your bunny cleans his nose, but the fact that he does it often could mean he’s cleaning it often for a good reason– to clean off any discharge– which bunnies will do. The vet will check the front paws of your bun for any sign of matting or discharge (which gets stuck to the paws due to frequent “cleanings”).

I wish your bunny the best! Let me know how it all pans out with the vet! It’s always better to be safe. I don’t think you’re being overprotective at all. It’s important to keep an eye out for signs that bunnies may be sick. Since they are prey animals, they tend to be sick “quietly”. They don’t want to showcase their illness as a natural instinct to protect themselves. Please feel free to let me know what the vet says! God bless your sneezy bunny!

-Taija

[Lucky Star]

Update:
The vet said that it was either an upper respiratory infection (and gave him some penicillin just in case it was) or an allergy to his litter (I used carefresh, which might be dusty, or bothering his nose in someway) so I changed him to yesterday’s news. Whichever it was, he has stopped sneezing (yay!), but hasn’t quite forgiven me for taking him to the vet.

Thanks for the all the advice!

[Author]

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