Snuffles?

[FurryFiasco]

Hi! I just noticed that my rabbit has a runny nose, and I’m worried it might be snuffles! The fur around her nose is wet, although I din’t see the white/yellow discharge I read to be a sign of snuffles. She sneezed a few times this morning, but not when I checked on her just now. Also, her normal droppings seem moister than normal, but I’m not sure if that’s related. I didn’t notice any weird sounding breaths, though, and her eyes look just fine. She’s three months old, and a Holland Lop. She’s in a stall-type area beside my other bunny, separated only by slats that they can see through, but he seems just fine so far.



Any idea if this is snuffles, or if she could have just gotten chilled? She is outdoors, albeit in a sheltered area and she does have a box of hay to snuggle in at night. Hopefully that’s warm enough! Our nights haven’t been super cold lately, but they have been cold enough to freeze their water a couple of times.



I’m worried about her and any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Mikey]

Just so you know, if they can see one another – unless glass is in the way – they can likely breed.

If their water is frozen, its too cold for them. Bring them inside or put up proper insulation.

I would visit a vet just in case. Snuffles doesnt always have super visible symptoms, and rabbits often try to hide sicknesses they have. You dont want it to spread and you dont want it to get worse, so a vet should be in order just in case

[FurryFiasco]

Thanks for the reply!  Her nose was all cleared up yesterday when I went to chick on her, so I think it was a false alarm.  Maybe she did get chilled on one of those cold nights…I’ll have to figure out something to keep them warmer! 

But, really?  They can breed through the barrier?  Uh-oh!  There’s no glass there, just a latticework of wood.  The holes in it are slits about 1/4 inch by 1 inch.  Do you think there’s still a risk there?  I’d better do something about it if they might…they seem pretty anxious to breed.  I have them side-by-side only temporarily as I finish a larger hutch to move the girl into, as I think they might go a little crazy trying to get at each other!   But wow, they must be pretty determined to breed like that!

[Mikey]

Yep, rabbits can breed through a space like that. They dont need contact to breed as males can launch their sperm (and at pretty high/far distances too). I suggest putting a plastic or glass barrier between them if you cant move them right now. Three months is not too young to get pregnant, but it is often life threatening at that age if it does happen.

[sarahthegemini]

If it’s cold enough that their water is freezing, they need proper insulation. They could freeze themselves.

[Author]

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