bedding for bunny with possible allergies

Good evening all, Could someone please point me in the right direction of where to look for advice/opinions on bedding for an outdoor bunny with possible allergies/sensitivity? I've had Jasper since 1st August. We adopted him from the rescue pens at Pets at Home, he's only young (born end of May). We've had him vaccinated and neutered and are looking forward to taking him to local rescue centres to find a girlfriend in the very near future. He was a bit sneezy when we got him, we had him checked by the vets a couple of times and they were happy that it was nothing to be concerned about (no discharge etc) I had given him a dig box with childrens play sand, so I removed this to see if it helped. The sneezing seemed to settle down itself over time. I recently moved his bedding in his bedroom area from hay to soft barley straw as I read that it pockets air better, and so makes a warmer bedroom (obviously he still has huge supplies of hay to eat in his usual hay areas). Shortly after he started with a watery eye. I have been happy that its just water, no redness or discharge but took him too the vets today to have it checked as I'm aware that rabbits can have tear duct issues. The vet checked with dye and said there were no scratches etc, and with the information I had given him believes it to be allergy/sensitivity to hay/straw. He suggested changing him to a cardboard type bedding, and to keep monitoring his eye and if I am worried then to take him in to have his tear duct checked under sedation. So, this has led me to look for opinions on which bedding to try. I use newspaper and back to nature paper pellets in his litter trays. His hay is in an ikea plastic bag dispenser for him to pull out like a hay rack. I am looking for something to keep him warm and snuggly in his bedroom, which he doesn't toilet in presently

Many thanks, Amanda, and Jasper (first time using the forum so I apologise in advance if Im posting incorrectly etc)

mrsDat73 said:

Good evening all, Could someone please point me in the right direction of where to look for advice/opinions on bedding for an outdoor bunny with possible allergies/sensitivity? I've had Jasper since 1st August. We adopted him from the rescue pens at Pets at Home, he's only young (born end of May). We've had him vaccinated and neutered and are looking forward to taking him to local rescue centres to find a girlfriend in the very near future. He was a bit sneezy when we got him, we had him checked by the vets a couple of times and they were happy that it was nothing to be concerned about (no discharge etc) I had given him a dig box with childrens play sand, so I removed this to see if it helped. The sneezing seemed to settle down itself over time. I recently moved his bedding in his bedroom area from hay to soft barley straw as I read that it pockets air better, and so makes a warmer bedroom (obviously he still has huge supplies of hay to eat in his usual hay areas). Shortly after he started with a watery eye. I have been happy that its just water, no redness or discharge but took him too the vets today to have it checked as I'm aware that rabbits can have tear duct issues. The vet checked with dye and said there were no scratches etc, and with the information I had given him believes it to be allergy/sensitivity to hay/straw. He suggested changing him to a cardboard type bedding, and to keep monitoring his eye and if I am worried then to take him in to have his tear duct checked under sedation. So, this has led me to look for opinions on which bedding to try. I use newspaper and back to nature paper pellets in his litter trays. His hay is in an ikea plastic bag dispenser for him to pull out like a hay rack. I am looking for something to keep him warm and snuggly in his bedroom, which he doesn't toilet in presently

Many thanks, Amanda, and Jasper (first time using the forum so I apologise in advance if Im posting incorrectly etc)

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Hey welcome to the forum

Fitch is a good bedding it's a paper bedding but it's warm and snuggly, you can buy it on amazon.

Hope its just an allergy, is your vet rabbit savvy?

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Thank you, I had a look at Fitch earlier and it seemed impressive although I would have ideally liked to go and look at some before buying (used to have horses, have spent many an hour deciding on new bedding)
It is vets4pets due to that being who the neuter voucher etc that came with him was for they are silver level rated by RWAF, as is the other local vet that I have always used for my dog/previous small pets (I need to decide who to stick with out of the two)
Thankyou for your reply

mrsDat73 said:

Thank you, I had a look at Fitch earlier and it seemed impressive although I would have ideally liked to go and look at some before buying (used to have horses, have spent many an hour deciding on new bedding)
It is vets4pets due to that being who the neuter voucher etc that came with him was for they are silver level rated by RWAF, as is the other local vet that I have always used for my dog/previous small pets (I need to decide who to stick with out of the two)
Thankyou for your reply [emoji4]

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Yea fitch is very nice I use it for my Rabbits and one of my hammies

It's just like carefresh but white other bedding types you could try is hemp like aubiose bedding or there's Megazorb which I personally don't like the smell of but most people think it's fine

Failing that, I just use hay in the bedding area for my outside buns, seems to be just as good as the straw at keeping them snuggly and they eat it too [emoji38] if he isn't allergic to the hay, you could just use lots of that? Just a thought

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Did you have your bunny vaccinated against RHD2 as well as Myxo/RHD1? Sorry if you did but some Vets etc are not fully aware of the RHD2 virus which is killing lots of rabbits at the moment. Sometimes rabbits from PAH have little problems like yours and I don't have any advice regarding this. The bedding shouldn't be much of a problem especially ashe seems to be outdoors, so is getting plenty of fresh air. It could be the change in the weather.

Some people give their bunnies Echinacea which helps boost their immune system, maybe you could look into this? It will be good for your bunny to have a friend as most are better off with another rabbit to live with. A female would be the best choice. Do you put his pellets in a bowl as sometimes that can have dust in it and as they are eating they can breathe it in.

Thank you for your replies everyone. I had him vaccinated for RHD2 2 weeks after his regular vaccination, I will be vaccinating every 6 months due to getting wild buns in the garden in spring. He has 24 hour access to his run so plentiful fresh air circulation. I will definitely look into Echinacea, I love a bit of natural healthcare. His pellets go either in his bowl or a treat dispensing ball, I do wash them daily but could try ground feeding them instead. We are definately going to be looking for a doe for him, I've been reading many threads and watching lots of bonding clips (it all looks a little at times) but I wouldn't want him to miss out on companionship. I had multiple rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters growing up, just wish I had the knowledge for them that I have gained with Jasper. I'm really glad I joined the forum, lots of helpful advise Jasper came into my life at a very tough time (We had been looking at rescues online for a few weeks but then he stole our hearts whilst getting something for our dog) and has proven to be a wonderful friend to us all x

mrsDat73 said:

Thank you for your replies everyone. I had him vaccinated for RHD2 2 weeks after his regular vaccination, I will be vaccinating every 6 months due to getting wild buns in the garden in spring. He has 24 hour access to his run so plentiful fresh air circulation. I will definitely look into Echinacea, I love a bit of natural healthcare. His pellets go either in his bowl or a treat dispensing ball, I do wash them daily but could try ground feeding them instead. We are definately going to be looking for a doe for him, I've been reading many threads and watching lots of bonding clips (it all looks a little [emoji27] at times) but I wouldn't want him to miss out on companionship. I had multiple rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters growing up, just wish I had the knowledge for them that I have gained with Jasper. I'm really glad I joined the forum, lots of helpful advise [emoji16] Jasper came into my life at a very tough time (We had been looking at rescues online for a few weeks but then he stole our hearts whilst getting something for our dog) and has proven to be a wonderful friend to us all x

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Sounds like jasper has really lucked out having you take him home

One thing I will say about bonding - I couldn't do it [emoji38] was far too difficult and injuries can be so serious, if you're looking at rescues I'd personally ask if they could bond them for you - obviously it's up to you though x

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Ahh thankyou so much

Does anyone have any tips for helping to loosen the slight matting of fur around his eye? I was away for a week so there is a little build up where it hadn't been bathed. The vet just recommended water yesterday but there is a small area that is just a bit tougher to soften. Would it just be regularly bathing that would do the trick? (Also should i have put this follow on question in a different area?) Many thanks again x

mrsDat73 said:

Does anyone have any tips for helping to loosen the slight matting of fur around his eye? I was away for a week so there is a little build up where it hadn't been bathed. The vet just recommended water yesterday but there is a small area that is just a bit tougher to soften. Would it just be regularly bathing that would do the trick? (Also should i have put this follow on question in a different area?) Many thanks again x

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I think with regular bathing it should hopefully soften and be able to be bathed away. There’s no hard and fast rules about posting further questions, but it might be overlooked if people think they’ve already read/replied to a thread. So it might be better asking the question in health :thumb:

We were looking at adopting a rabbit from P@H originally, but they had them in sawdust, very little hay at all, muesli food and a litter tray clearly in the wrong corner. Also compounded by the added actor that if you adopted a rabbit from them, presumably it had an owner for a little while and was then returned? I hope you can get to the bottom of the issue soon.

perryandcalloway said:

We were looking at adopting a rabbit from P@H originally, but they had them in sawdust, very little hay at all, muesli food and a litter tray clearly in the wrong corner. Also compounded by the added actor that if you adopted a rabbit from them, presumably it had an owner for a little while and was then returned? I hope you can get to the bottom of the issue soon.

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Definitely think the buns in pets at home have it tough, toxic bedding, bad food, there's never enough of or any decent hay and they all seem to have respiratory issues as far as I can work out, makes me very sad. Was in there yesterday listening to an employee explaining rabbit care to this young women who didn't know anything about them, it's hard not to cringe or say anything honestly. My white buns were dumped in pets at home by a back yard breeder who couldn't shift them, they weren't in great condition and they had no hay in their glass tank - it's heart breaking - and the sheer amount of hay they go through now, can't imagine them not having any.. I think adopting from pets at home is okay, it's just like adopting from anywhere, don't think I could buy a baby bun from there again though although I say that I reckon a lot of buns that end up in rescues must come from pets at homes stock...? So maybe it is possible to get a healthy bun from there? Who knows!

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Thankyou for the advise and forum help x

The store told me that Jasper had been attacked by another bun which is why he ended up there. His mouth/cheek was injured and so needed antibiotics and flushing daily. The only plus side to this was that he was quite good at being checked over and handled when we brought him home.

Has he been treated at all with antibiotics? Or had his tear duct flushed (especially if nethie, lion head, lop or another flatter-faced breed). In my experience non rabbit-savvy vets often diagnose minor respiratory infections as allergies. Snuffles does not have to be full blown sneezing, snotty noses and ragged breathing, I have had 3 buns with pasturela and all have had infections that sometimes exhibit only minor symptoms.

Not too long ago a vet didn’t want to treat my Holly for a respiratory infection, believing that as it was so mild it must be an allergy. She is indoors, so we achieved a pretty much dust-free environment for her with Lino flooring, changed our washing powder, stopped wearing perfume, changed the hay several times, changed our disinfectant and hoovered her room every other day. Didn’t work so the vet then treated with piriton, that didn’t work, next the vet tried metacam, then nothing. This went on for 3 months, we then asked her to consult with a well known exotic vet. He suggests a bacterial culture and antibiotics. It was pasturella, was treated with baytril and cleared up in a couple of weeks. We are now registered with the exotic vet instead, and receive far better care. I was with that previous vetinary practice for years and they were great, but staff change and at the end of the day it is all dependant on the individual vet you see.

Stick your face right in his hutch and bedding and breath in deeply, this is a quick way to check if it is dusty. If it is not, and you are using good quality dust free hay and cleaning him out every couple of days, then to be honest I would get a second opinion. If your hay is in any way dusty, change it and see if it makes a difference. Honestly, I wouldn’t use a different bedding, just dust free hay (Timothyhay.co.uk or hayandstraw are good, avoid pet shop hay) as using a paper bedding can encourage bunnies to eat it rather than their hay. Fitch would be good underneath the hay, but not as the sole bedding.

More great advise, thank you all for taking the time to give it to us. I decided to get him looked at again, I'm taking him to the vet practice that I use for my dog tomorrow. I had pretty much decided to swap Jasper over to them anyway due to them having a local branch that offers 24hour emergency care with their own team which Ive had the need for a few times over the years, plus we've sadly been there a lot with our dog due to cancer and liver issues so we know them pretty well now. The eye seems to have stopped running like it had been but I'm concerned that I may not be able to clear the matted fluff quick enough with bathing, and I don't want the skin below to get pulled on and sore by it so if nothing else I can get that looked at, and suss out their bunny credentials. I've held off ordering new bedding for now.

Jaspers visit to the other vets this evening found him to have a blocked tear duct which they have flushed through without needing sedation, he's had antibiotics to clear infection and has come home with eye drops for a week x

mrsDat73 said:

Jaspers visit to the other vets this evening found him to have a blocked tear duct which they have flushed through without needing sedation, he's had antibiotics to clear infection and has come home with eye drops for a week x

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Ah in glad you figured it out vibes for him xx

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Thankyou x