Rabbit sneezing but no runny nose or any health problems atall

Hello, so a couple days ago I brought a rabbit, Her name is Holly and she is 8-10 weeks old. I brought her from my local pets at home store and I am returning her on Saturday for her vaccinations and to be micro-chipped. She is an indoor rabbit and is very shy at the minute. The problem I have is she wont stop sneezing. She doesn't have any runny nose, runny eyes, mucus, or anything else that was explained to e by a pets at home employee. I have phoned several vets as i do not think she is ill but I am not sure that this behaviour is normal. Her 'sneezing' happens mainly when she is eating food (dry pellets) or when she is drinking her water. I am puzzled as I haven't owned a rabbit before. My only guess from research i have done is the wood shaving bedding, although on the packet it does say dust free?????. They are also kept of wood shavings at pets at home. Any help on this would be great as I am puzzled.

Thank you

daholt2 said:

Hello, so a couple days ago I brought a rabbit, Her name is Holly and she is 8-10 weeks old. I brought her from my local pets at home store and I am returning her on Saturday for her vaccinations and to be micro-chipped. She is an indoor rabbit and is very shy at the minute. The problem I have is she wont stop sneezing. She doesn't have any runny nose, runny eyes, mucus, or anything else that was explained to e by a pets at home employee. I have phoned several vets as i do not think she is ill but I am not sure that this behaviour is normal. Her 'sneezing' happens mainly when she is eating food (dry pellets) or when she is drinking her water. I am puzzled as I haven't owned a rabbit before. My only guess from research i have done is the wood shaving bedding, although on the packet it does say dust free?????. They are also kept of wood shavings at pets at home. Any help on this would be great as I am puzzled.

Thank you

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Hello

Unfortunately you are not alone in having this problem with a Rabbit bought from Pets at Home. The Rabbits come from a large supplier and are 'mass produced' So not an ideal start in life for a Baby Rabbit.

There are many possible causes of the sneezing. An allergy to dust from wood shavings is one, or to dust on hay. You say that your Rabbit is eating pellets, but it's essential that they have access to hay 24/7 too. Hay being the most important part of a Rabbit's diet.

Another possible cause for sneezing is a respiratory tract infection. This being something very common in Rabbits from what is effectively a production line. Then the stress of being taken from the 'Farm' to the Pet Shop, being in the stressful environment of a Pet Shop and then going to a new home, maybe being the only Rabbit for the very first time in their short life is alot for a baby Rabbit to cope with. Stress can have a negactive impact on the Rabbit's immune system and they can succumb to a bacterial Respiratory Trcat infection.

You do need to get your Rabbit checked over by a Vet and although she seems well within hereslf I would get this done sooner rather than later, certainly before Saturday. If she is found to have a RTI then she will not be able to have her vaccination as only health Rabbits can be vaccinated.

As you say she is your first Rabbit you may find the following link useful to take a look at, it contains a lot of information about Rabbit Care

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/?section=leaflets.html

Good luck

Hello, thank you for your fast reply. She does have a constant supply of water and hay. My plan of action is to remove the wood shavings when i get home and then see how she is tomorrow morning, if the sneezing persists there is a vets about a 3 minute drive away.

Another question I have is vet bills. Are they expensive for a rabbit or like is it fairly cheap ( money is not a problem ). I'm just curious.

daholt2 said:

Hello, so a couple days ago I brought a rabbit, Her name is Holly and she is 8-10 weeks old. I brought her from my local pets at home store and I am returning her on Saturday for her vaccinations and to be micro-chipped. She is an indoor rabbit and is very shy at the minute. The problem I have is she wont stop sneezing. She doesn't have any runny nose, runny eyes, mucus, or anything else that was explained to e by a pets at home employee. I have phoned several vets as i do not think she is ill but I am not sure that this behaviour is normal. Her 'sneezing' happens mainly when she is eating food (dry pellets) or when she is drinking her water. I am puzzled as I haven't owned a rabbit before. My only guess from research i have done is the wood shaving bedding, although on the packet it does say dust free?????. They are also kept of wood shavings at pets at home. Any help on this would be great as I am puzzled.

Thank you

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Hi there and welcome to Rabbits United :wave:

Sometimes when a rabbit changes their environment, it causes two/three weeks of a type of sneezing allergy. This is nothing to do with the fact you bought your rabbit from Pets @ Home. All my rabbits are rescued, but occasionally one will come into the house after living somewhere else and he/she will sneeze for a good couple of weeks! It could be central heating, or generally just the change of air .. inside or outside.

You say she doesn't have runny eyes and white mucous, which is a very good sign. I would chat to the vet when you take her in, and see what he thinks on examination. If he doesn't feel she is up to par, then he won't do the vaccination, as this should only ever be done on healthy rabbits.

Wood shavings are not generally advised, although Pets @ Home have to have them to keep their place clean. Read here:

http://www.rabbit.org/care/shavings.html

Will you be keeping her inside or outside? Wiil she have a friend eventually?

Do browse this site, and the 'stickies' for loads of information, and also the House Rabbit Association and Fund.

Good luck with her!

Hello, thank you for your response. This site is the best thing I have been on. She is indoor and there was very highly intensive sneezing this morning when the heating was put on although it happens to me, when the heating is on in the morning it makes me sneeze. I think we are taking a trip to the vets tomorrow. Better to be safe then sorry.

daholt2 said:

Hello, thank you for your fast reply. She does have a constant supply of water and hay. My plan of action is to remove the wood shavings when i get home and then see how she is tomorrow morning, if the sneezing persists there is a vets about a 3 minute drive away.

Another question I have is vet bills. Are they expensive for a rabbit or like is it fairly cheap ( money is not a problem ). I'm just curious.

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Vet Practices set there own fees, so you'd need to ask the specific surgery you are going to use. There would be a consulation fee + the cost of any treatment/medication given. Personally I would recommend taking out Pet Insurance, but that would be entirely up to you.

Hopefully the sneezing will resolve once the wood shavings are removed.

Just seen you mention central heating. This can cause a problem for some Rabbits as Rabbits are obligate nose breathers and central heating makes for a dry atmosphere. In such circumstances some people find using a humidifier helps.

daholt2 said:

Hello, thank you for your response. This site is the best thing I have been on. She is indoor and there was very highly intensive sneezing this morning when the heating was put on although it happens to me, when the heating is on in the morning it makes me sneeze. I think we are taking a trip to the vets tomorrow. Better to be safe then sorry.

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Ah you're welcome!

If the central heating makes you sneeze then it's possible that until she adjusts to it, she may well follow suit. What a pair you are!

Glad you're seeing the vet. Personally if there's no discharge or worrying symptoms I would be tempted to leave it a few days and see what happens. It is always stressful for a rabbit to have a vet visit!

However, I really understand you want to do your best, and I applaud that! x

First, I am going to clean her out and remove all sawdust, then I am turning the radiator down in my room. All this is added to the fact that she wont let me pick her up. I only managed to do an inspection as she was lieing down and let me stroke her head and slowly carry out an examination on her eyes and her nose and ears.

Thank you all for your help. It is really appreciated.

Can any one offer me any information on pet insurance because I am finding it difficult to find any that cover rabbits. What type of things does rabbit insurance cover. Is it just medication or check ups too??????

daholt2 said:

Can any one offer me any information on pet insurance because I am finding it difficult to find any that cover rabbits. What type of things does rabbit insurance cover. Is it just medication or check ups too??????

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I would start by looking at threads on here concerning insurance, and you'll see what people think of the different companies and what they cover:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?448981-Insurance&highlight=insurance

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?447908-Bunny-insurance&highlight=insurance

The topic of Pet Insurance has been covered so many times, that it would be more helpful to you to get some info first, as people don't always repost what they've written before.

daholt2 said:

Can any one offer me any information on pet insurance because I am finding it difficult to find any that cover rabbits. What type of things does rabbit insurance cover. Is it just medication or check ups too??????

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I'd start a new thread over in Rabbit Chat asking for some advice/information about the various Policies available

daholt2 said:

First, I am going to clean her out and remove all sawdust, then I am turning the radiator down in my room. All this is added to the fact that she wont let me pick her up. I only managed to do an inspection as she was lieing down and let me stroke her head and slowly carry out an examination on her eyes and her nose and ears.

Thank you all for your help. It is really appreciated.

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You're most welcome :thumb:

Let me know how she goes on and if you decide to keep the vet's appointment

UPDATE ON HOLLY' SNEEZING:::::::::

So me and my sister decided to co-operate and give her some space out the cage for the first time as she was extremely friendly towards my sister (Holly would let her pick her up and fuss her). We put some food and a little hay on a fleece and gave her some free range time. This went down a treat as not 1 single sneeze. Then my sister had to go home as she does not live at home with us. I did 2 FULL inspections as advised by the subordinate at pets at home (ear check,eye check,nose check, mouth check,privates check and spine check). THERE WAS NOTHING AT ALL WRONG WITH HER, EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. Her eyes are deep brown and beautiful.

Around 10 minutes later my girlfriend (Tamara) came and we had some more free range time. She knows about Holly sneezing and came up with a fantastic idea. We developed a kind of trial and error approach. First we gave a small amount of straw to Holly and she ate it without a sneeze. Then we gave her some of her hay and again sniffed around it and ate it with no sneeze. Finally we put a tiny amount of wood shaving by her and she had a little sniff around. Within 5 minutes sure as hell she was sneezing. We left each item there for around 20 minutes before changing it for the next one, except the wood chips, we removed the small amount and I imminently cleaned her cage (removing all dust traces) and did not re add wood shavings. Since then approximately 4 hours ago she has made a funny grunt sound whilst eating her pellets and that's it. AS IF BY MAGIC SHE HAS JUST STOPPED.

Back to my girlfriend, she has had a rabbit before but Floppsy sadly passed a few years ago. Personally she doesn't think it is sneezing atall. She said that rabbits sneeze like people and what she is doing doesn't sound like people sneeze'. I have never owned a rabbit so all behaviours is new to me, although I did plenty of research before purchasing a little lady.

As for the problem of her being shy with me by the end of her free range 4 hours she was eating food out of my hand and snuggling up to my leg. SO CUTE. THIS IS THE LIFE.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE SUPPORT. YOU GUYS ARE FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!


Just in-case you wanted to see what Holly looks like Follow the link