Sneezy 14wk old Mini Lops

Hi all, I'm a new rabbit owner and we got our mini lops 3.5 weeks ago when they were 11wks old. After the initial 3 days in the hutch to settle we brought them out to briefly handle and allow to run around out lounge. We noticed that the female was sneezing occasionally and we began checking on them more frequently to see if it was happening in the hutch too. We saw her having sneezing fits in the hutch too and so I contacted the breeder and she checked her over, listened to her chest and saying her chest sounded clear, she suggested it may be an allergy so she gave me some antihistamine to put in the water. After 3 days no improvement and her nose now appearing damp and white snot just inside her nostrils I messaged the breeder again. She told me to administer it orally from now on. 4 days later, there being no difference, the male began to sneeze and his nose too appeared wet and snotty. The breeder asked me to bring them both up as now they were both sneezing she was concerned. She listened to the both and said her chest was still clear but his sounded a little crackly and she gave me some broad spectrum antibiotics saying it could be a virus that went undetected in mum that she's passed to the littler, as they were siblings. I gave these antibiotics for 5 days and the sneezing seemed to stop in him and almost stop in her so the breeder gave me some more and said it sounded like it was working and gave me some more saying a few more days and it should have cleared. They've just finished this last lot and the female is still sneezing and her nose appears wet. He too has a snotty nose but it only seems to be snotty when he's in the house. In the hutch it looks dry.
Does anyone have any experience with this at all that can help me.
I've decided really I need to go to the vet with them but the breeder said swabs don't work as the virus dies by the time they get it to the lab. What do I do? Thanks in Advance.

You know that antibiotics are completly useless against viruses?

Anyway, read up on the topic "snuffles". A vet vist would be in order, I think. If the breeder has a contaminated herd it may be that he has found ways to cover it up, at least long enough to shed responsibility, for my limited experience, that all sounds pretty fishy.

Antibiotics are a very sharp sword, and improperly used can cause more problems than they solve. Get a professional opinion.

To put it bluntly, ignore the breeder and find a good vet experienced with rabbits.
If you say in which area you live, someone may be able to recommend a vet.
What conditions were they being kept in?

What on earth is a breeder doing giving antibiotics to your bunnies. Awful! They're prescription medicine and should ONLY be given by a vet after an examination.

I recommend a vet visit. They will do a full examination and advise the best course forward.

I am yet again reminded why I dislike breeders

I live in Leeds. She got the antibiotics from her vet and she's got them in a proper glass bottle along with lots of others in a big fridge. The conditions looked very good and all the hutches looked clean. She does boarding too. She came recommended.
Can anyone recommend a good get for rabbits in leeds bear Bramley, please???

Poor bunnies

Like others have said, yes please find a good vet and take them there. Please don't listen to breeders, they shouldn't even have percribed medicines and I'm more worried why she's so used to sneezy bunnies.

Where abouts are you? xx

I'm in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK.
Thank you so much everyone. My friend got her bunny from the same breeder and has used her in the past along with her sister and they had happy healthy bunnies. I'm gutted that the start to our fairly happy settled babies is tainted my them not being well. They seem fine otherwise but what experience do I have!

Babsie said:

To put it bluntly, ignore the breeder and find a good vet experienced with rabbits.
If you say in which area you live, someone may be able to recommend a vet.
What conditions were they being kept in?

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I agree with this. See a rabbit savvy vet and don't waste any more time.

If you want to find a rabbit savvy vet, post another thread in Rabbit Chat, with the header:

"Rabbit Savvy Vet needed in (your location)" and members will give their recommendations

Good luck x

Also here:

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/vetfinder/copy_of_county-or-city/england

MightyMax said:

If you want to find a rabbit savvy vet, post another thread in Rabbit Chat, with the header:

"Rabbit Savvy Vet needed in (your location)" and members will give their recommendations

Good luck x

Click to expand...

Just beat you to it and have posted thread.

MightyMax said:

If you want to find a rabbit savvy vet, post another thread in Rabbit Chat, with the header:

"Rabbit Savvy Vet needed in (your location)" and members will give their recommendations

Good luck x

Click to expand...

Hope you don't mind, I have posted a thread for you.

Okay, well you were only doing what you could and always had the bunnies put first, but think a vet visit is the way forward for sure.

Also are you bringing them in and out of the house? As this can sometimes make something worse if they are nice and warm one minute and back outside in the cold the next? It can add to extra stress and poor little babies have already been through a lot for only 14 weeks old.

Really hope you can find a good local vet that will help them out x

Babsie said:

Hope you don't mind, I have posted a thread for you.

Click to expand...

Of course I don't mind

That you for doing that! (sorry I didn't see it, but then I'm slow at typing!)

Ruthyjones89 said:

Okay, well you were only doing what you could and always had the bunnies put first, but think a vet visit is the way forward for sure.

Also are you bringing them in and out of the house? As this can sometimes make something worse if they are nice and warm one minute and back outside in the cold the next? It can add to extra stress and poor little babies have already been through a lot for only 14 weeks old.

Really hope you can find a good local vet that will help them out x

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Good thinking. I imagined them being indoors. The breeder should have talked through all this - ie keeping them in the same temperature.

dum de dah

MightyMax said:

Of course I don't mind

That you for doing that! (sorry I didn't see it, but then I'm slow at typing!)

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I have 'go faster' stripes on my stick which I occasionally transfer to my fingers, but - unfortunately - rarely to my brain!:wave:

Babsie said:

I have 'go faster' stripes on my stick which I occasionally transfer to my fingers, but - unfortunately - rarely to my brain!:wave:

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Like the idea of the stripes. I shall have to put them on my stick! But here in London I need to warn people I am moving slowly or they will knock me over :lol:

Louise H said:

I live in Leeds. She got the antibiotics from her vet and she's got them in a proper glass bottle along with lots of others in a big fridge. The conditions looked very good and all the hutches looked clean. She does boarding too. She came recommended.
Can anyone recommend a good get for rabbits in leeds bear Bramley, please???

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It doesn't matter if the hutches look clean. When you get an infection in your herd there are not many ways to cope with that, imho, with some stuff it comes down to culling the whole stock, desinfecting everything, waiting 6 monthes and start with new, healthy animals. That's a very hard decision to make, some may try a workaround.

Imho, when you get a rabbit it should be healthy. If you've not let them share the backyard with the wild population most likely whatever they got they have it from the breeder.

What does "boarding" mean? (translater came up with nonsense) I guess taking other animals in for a period of time? I hope there are strict and proper decontamination and quarantine procedures, otherwise I would call that a deathtrap. If you take in foreign animals you get all kind of bacteria, viruses and stuff, just a matter of time. So, it can be that your friends rabbits are healthy and happy, but there may have been something since.

I'm a breeder, I would never take in a rabbit without at least a month quarantine ( not just keeping seperate, but desinfecting hands etc. after tending it). I lost all but one to Myxo once, learned a lot.

catherine09

I am yet again reminded why I dislike breeders

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I'm sorry you feel that way, as I said, I'm a breeder, I would much more like if you would dislike just stupid, lazy people, or turn that energy to help people who simply do not know better. Gosh, I know a breeder who firmly believes that rats can get a rabbit pregnant....
I'm working on that.

My husband took them to a local vet that was recommended by a friend that's been taking her rabbit there for 8 years now. She said they gave a upper respitory infection and has put them on a course of antibiotics and anti inflamitory medicine. She said they both seem very healthy other than this infection. They seem full of life and their weight is good. She said that there are only 2 medicines for rabbits so she's given us this one to try first. However, 7 days in and they are both still sneezing. We've been letting them in the garden for the last week instead of bringing them in for a run around, so I don't think it's the change of atmosphere as someone had suggested (possibly the breeder or vet). I see a return check and more medication on the cards once these meds have run out. Has anyone else ever experienced this and ever had their rabbits recover from it because I'm beginning to feel like this is going to be mine and their life now. We've only had them for 5 wks and for the whole time, at least one of them have been on oral medication, now both of them are on 2 syringes a day. Poor little loves. They are such cute, funny and affectionate characters. I just thought this would be a happy, loving comfortable life for them. Love, attention, affection and lots of space and instead it's daily meds that they hate being given. I'd have thought they'd have come to accept it by now but they still squirm and wriggle, backup and scratch to get away. The rest of the time they love being touched and lay for ages being stroked and chatted to!!