What the Health!? Advise?

[MooseMouse]

Hello Everyone,

I have 3 loving netherland dwarf bunnies all neutered Males that free roam in a bedroom. The past 6 months-ish I have been having nothing but health problems with them first it was Cricket with “Snuffles” , A month Goes by Chaplin has leaky tear ducts, A month Goes by Odin has GI Stasis, A week Goes By Chaplin has Gas and Soft Poops and 2 days ago I discovered Odin Keeps sneezing and has thick mucous coming from his nose which I am very worried about because earliest I can get into the vet is Saturday which is 3 days from today!

My big question has anyone experienced a long string of health issues like this before and have any advice on what to do or what i could be doing wrong I keep their room clean and feed them veggies and hay they hardly get treats. Their kibble put in a treat ball is what they get for treats.. I am just at a loss and with the covid problem going on i cant seem to get to TALK to a vet. They just tell you to put the pet in the door and walk away -SIGH- I apologize if this doesn’t make much sense just a stressed bunny mom seeing my little ones constantly sick and running out of vet bill funds -_-‘ below i filled out the health survey any advice would be great to get these little gentlemen healthier long term.

And if anyone has any tips to help relieve Odins snot nose in the mean time that would be also great

 

Maintenance and Housing
Is your bunny housed indoors or outdoors? Indoor
Does your bunny live with other bunnies? Yes (3 buns)
If yes, are they bonded? Yes all 3 to each other
If you rabbit spends time outside, are wild rabbits around? They have only gone out twice this summer for 10 min. No wild rabbits just prairie dogs
How much exercise does your bunny get per day? however much they want? They have a whole room
How often do you clean the litter box? Twice a Day
How often do you groom your bunny? Roughly every 3 days for brushing, Nails once a week

Spay/Neuter
Is your bunny spayed/neutered? Yes
If so, for how long? Odin and Chaplin Couple Years, Cricket 6 months ago
If not, why not?
Are you aware of reproductive cancer risk in females? If not, please read about it here.

Pooping and Diet – Very Important
What does your bunny eat normally:
How much hay and what type? Oxbow Timothy
How much pellets and what type? Oxbow Garden select 1/4 to 1/2 cup every 2 days dispersed to all 3 boys
How much veggies and what types? Lettuce and Cucumber they each get 2 slices of cucumber and Share a small plateful of lettuce
How many treats and what types? No treats Just pellets
Anything else not listed?
When was the last time your bunny ate? He is eating right now
What was the last thing your bunny ate?Hay
When was the last time your bunny pooped? within the list hour probablyb
How did your bunny’s most recent poops look (round and firm, misshapen, small and hard, soft/mushy, runny, etc.) Round slightly soft

Illness & Symptoms (Odin)
How long have you had this bunny? 3 years
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? Sneezing, Snoring Mucous
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? few days ago
Have you consulted a vet? Waiting for appointment
Have you started any treatment for the symptoms? No just trying to clean the goop off his nose at it shows up
Was your bunny physically ill or injured when you got them? No
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? No behavior or appreance change yet

Explain your situation in detail. (Please explain what is going on, include details from the beginning of the illness leading up to now) See above Ramble

[DanaNM]

Aww how stressful, sorry you are going through this! Thanks for filling out the survey, it is helpful!

The snuffles in Cricket and the sneezingin Odin might be related, as certain respiratory illnesses can be contagious.

As for the gas and soft poops, that could be related to the cucumber, potentially too much lettuce (esp if iceberg), or potentially too many pellets. 1 cup seems like a lot for nethies. My buns (which are all medium sized) get 1 tablespoon each per day, total. So you might reduce pellets and cucumber and see if that helps with the gas and soft poop issues.

As for the respiratory issues that needs to be addressed by the vet. I would definitely mention the past issues with the other bunnies. Perhaps you can leave a detailed note when you drop him off and/or request they call you during the exam?

Have Chaplin’s tear ducts gotten better? Sometimes tear duct issues can be related to dental problems, so if they continue to be a problem I would have his teeth checked. Unfortunately it might need an x-ray if the vet suspects overgrown tooth roots.

. . . 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.  

[MooseMouse]

Hey thanks for the quick reply I will cut back on the cucumber for sure. They mostly get butter lettuce or romaine lettuce.  They probably get about 2 large leafs worth each since I have never been able to find a solid source on how much to give a Nethie I have seen things like 1 cup a day each but is that loosely in a cup or packed or one even said 30 Grams a day Each when i measure that out it seems like a TON of lettuce.

I just double checked my treat ball they get their pellets in and i am very wrong about the amount the ball isnt even the size of a cup haha so i jsut measure it out and they get more like 1/4 to 1/2 divided 3 ways and not daily maybe probably every other day. Boredom busters.

Chaplins Tear Ducts healed after having a nasal flush and some eye drops he was pretty much fully healed in a few days.

I have thought about the Cricket theory as well but he was medicated and it has been a couple months since and I sanitized everything since… call me over cautious but I even have an air purifier in the room now..

I like your idea about the note I will do that for sure!

[DanaNM]

Gotcha, that sounds like a much better amount of pellets!

. . . 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]

@DanaNM hit all the points very well, haha.

I will just highlight the cucumber removal. I know one of my rabbits was given it once and immediately had a pretty abnormal poop and gas build up, so even if you find veggies are “rabbit-safe” online, there are variations in the tolerance within rabbits. When noticing cyclical or regular digestive troubles, trimming down vegetable variety can be really informative.

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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