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fast breathing & sneezing

lauraocal

lauraocal

Warren Scout
When my bunny is stressed, like when I pick her up or even worse stroke my other bun she starts breathing really fast. not hypoventilating like, and if she hears a noise she stops it to listen then continues again.. is this normal?
I'm sure she knows I'll react to it and does it to get her point across, like "put me down" or "please look at meeeee!"
Anyone elses bun do this?

When you get a fly or something up your nose and you push air out of it to get it out, this is the noise my other bun makes alot.
He's done this since I had him I think and after ruling out dust in their hay's I'm at a loss.
Any ideas what this could be?
 
my rabbit started breathing faster than usual and although he seemed quite well he was diagnosed with Pasteurella infection and responded to Baytril. It wasn't an intermittent problem though, he just breathed fast all the time.
sorry I can't be of more help.
 
I haven't heard of a bunny doing this only at times when she is stressed... and from the lack of answers it seems like not many other bunny folk have experienced this either.
I guess a check-up at the vets might be in order - just to make sure it isn't anything to worry about. At least then you will know it is something your bunny is doing 'on purpose' to make her opinion known, and not sneezing or coughing.

Some bunnies have a funny way of communicating.. Mine snorts and grunts if you pick her up, (most bunnies prefer having their feet firmly on the floor,) and sometimes when I stroke her partner, but not the 'huffing and puffing' you describe.
 
Rabbits that are extremely nervous will do this. It's not pleasant, but I would handle her as much as possible. I have one bunny that behaved like this when I first got her, even if I went anywhere near her. It used to upset me to think that she was so scared, but with some patience she calmed down and doesn't 'hyperventilate' anymore.
 
charlie82 said:
Rabbits that are extremely nervous will do this. It's not pleasant, but I would handle her as much as possible. I have one bunny that behaved like this when I first got her, even if I went anywhere near her. It used to upset me to think that she was so scared, but with some patience she calmed down and doesn't 'hyperventilate' anymore.
Click to expand...


Thanks for your reply.
She is very nervous, and I don't think its as bad as it used to be when she first arrived.
She is like a special needs bunny in many ways, But her life before I had her was awful. Hordes of kids left with her and a big dog that was left to attack her on the garden.
She always flinches when dogs bark and on bonfire night i thought she was going to have a heart attack bless her.

I am positive its not a medical condition as she stops doing it when she hears something of interest then continues to do it again.

I have finally got her bonded with a husbun though and its like she has a new lease of life. This has been my goal since the day I got her, to get her a pal.
Going through her spay, bonding her with a bunny who needed to be put down after two days of them being bonded, her grief, the turmoil of the new bunny, but now, finally, she is settled and happy and my home has been transformed into binky land.

I'm so happy!
 
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