Most rabbit parents get alarmed when they see their beloved pet sneezing. Sometimes these sneezes can be mild and normal. But there are times when you need to be concerned.
You may ask, “if my bunny is sneezing, how do I understand if it’s okay or not? When should I take my rabbit to the doctor?”
In this article, we will talk about the reasons why your rabbit may be sneezing, when it needs consultation, and how you can take care of it at home. You will get to know about the precautions to take if you want to keep your pet healthy.
Do Rabbits Usually Sneeze a Lot?
Not really. If your rabbit sneezes occasionally, then it’s perfectly fine. It can possibly be due to dust, hay, or even pollen sometimes. However, if rabbits start to sneeze frequently, then it should be concerning.
If your rabbit is sneezing very frequently, try to find out what the causes are. You should look out for symptoms in your rabbit that may help you to identify any sepsis, such as pneumonia or snuffles. In this case, your rabbit immediately needs a vet’s attention.
Rabbits can sneeze for other reasons as well. Try to find out if any of your habits are harming your pet passively.
What Are the Reasons Your Rabbit Is Sneezing?
If we generalize it, there are four medical reasons why your rabbit is sneezing. In some of these cases, you can help your rabbit with home remedies and preventative measures. With others, a vet consultation is necessary.
Here’s what the four medical reasons are:
- A respiratory infection, upper or lower, from a disease like rhinitis (more commonly known as snuffles);
- Allergic reactions to dust, hay, or pollen;
- Irritation from something stuck inside the nose;
- The root of overgrown teeth tickling its nose.
All the Grounds for All the Sneezes
Reasons for sneezing aren’t only limited to the above points. Your rabbit can start sneezing from strong scents and improper bedding as well. Let’s look into detailed reasons why your rabbit can go into a sneezing fit.
- Upper or Lower Respiratory Infection
One of the biggest concerns, when a rabbit starts sneezing, is whether it has developed any viral or bacterial respiratory infection. Two of the most common respiratory infections in rabbits are pneumonia and snuffles.
Both pneumonia and snuffles are the two most common ailments in rabbits that lead to a series of sensitivities in their body. Snuffles affect the upper respiratory system, while pneumonia affects the lower respiratory system.
- Allergies
Just like humans, dogs, and cats, rabbits can suffer from dust, hay, and pollen allergies. They can develop food allergies like us as well. If your rabbit had never shown an allergic reaction before, try to figure out what can cause it.
Your rabbit may have started sneezing after you’ve changed its bedding, added something new to its food, or came in contact with something that’s not for bunnies. Something in your rabbit’s toys can cause allergic reactions as well.
- Irritant or Foreign Material Inside the Nostrils
Rabbits are naturally curious animals who go on sniffing their environment or sniff anything unfamiliar. They can inhale foreign particles accidentally, which can irritate their nose, resulting in an itchy or runny nose.
Sometimes, these foreign particles can block their nostrils, or can even lead to infections in their respiratory system. The fur of your rabbit can irritate its nostrils as well. Brush your bunny’s fur every day during summer, as they shed the most during this time.
Cleaning agents like bleach and detergents can irritate your rabbit’s nasal passage too and sometimes may even cause minor burns.
- Perfumes and Colognes
One of the major irritants for rabbits is strong-smelling perfumes, colognes, or deodorants. These scents contain chemicals that can cause itchiness and, sometimes, develop a rash as well.
Although perfume chemicals may sit only in their nose, they can sometimes enter the lungs. This may irritate the lung cells too, causing inflammation.
Besides, if these molecules enter their bloodstream, your rabbit’s body may react to them.
- Any Kind of Smoke
Any kind of smoke is one of the worst irritants for your rabbit. If you’re a smoker or anyone in your house is, then you should smoke far away from your bunny and its hutch, as cigarette smoke particles settle on surfaces. Even the smoke from vapes and e-cigarettes is harmful to rabbits.
Smoke from barbeque or stovetop fire can irritate a rabbit’s nostrils badly as well, for which your rabbit will have teary eyes and a runny nose. Try to keep your rabbit away from the kitchen, and make it stay in its hutch when you’re having a barbeque in your backyard.
- Unclean or Wrong Bedding Material
If you notice that your bunny starts sneezing soon after it gets on its bed, then you should change the bedding. Rabbits sometimes soil their bedding unintentionally. If it stays for too long, the soiled bedding will have built-up ammonia, which is another pungent irritant for your rabbit.
Bedding made with pine or cedar can also cause allergic reactions in your rabbit. Sometimes, the hay you use can have a lot of dust present. Matted hay can also irritate your rabbit, causing it to sneeze frequently.
And if you’ve just laid a new, unwashed blanket on your rabbit’s bed, then the dust from the blanket can also irritate your bunny’s air passage.
- Overgrown Teeth
When the roots of the teeth of rabbits grow too much, they can touch the root of the nose, tickling it constantly. This tickling can also make your rabbit sneeze frequently.
Check your rabbit’s teeth for signs of overgrowth. If you notice anything abnormal, you should take it to the vet for the needed treatment.
Signs You Should Look Out for
If your rabbit is sneezing constantly, there are signs and symptoms that you can look for to understand if it’s suffering from snuffles, pneumonia, or just allergic reactions and dental overgrowth.
Let’s look at how you can identify each ailment from its symptoms.
Symptoms of Snuffles
The name ‘snuffles’ comes from how a rabbit reacts when it gets infected with the responsible germs. Snuffles are more of a condition caused by a few diseases together. If your rabbit has snuffles, then it’ll display the following symptoms:
- Sneezing, sometimes coughing
- Snoring when breathing
- Nasal discharge
- Sore, weepy eyes
- Imbalance
- Head tilt on one side
- Decreased appetite
Your rabbit will also have sticky and dirty paws from wiping its nasal discharge constantly.
Although a healthy adult rabbit can recover from snuffles on its own, it’s good to seek medical attention. And if you have a small, baby rabbit or an old one, you must take it seriously.
Signs of Pneumonia
Animals suffer from four major types of pneumonia, another respiratory infection, where their lungs suffer from severe inflammation, leading to a collapse in the respiratory system. Here’s a list of some of the common symptoms across all types of pneumonia in rabbits:
- Sneezing
- Fever
- Discharge from the nose
- Eye discharge and tear
- Feeling lethargic
- Excess saliva production
- Discharge from abscesses
- Breathing difficulties
- Intolerance to regular exercises
- Weight loss
- Anorexia
Pneumonia mainly causes lower respiratory diseases and can lead to a number of inflammations depending on the source of contamination. If you see all of these above symptoms, you must take your rabbit to the vet immediately. Timely medicaments can save your pet’s life.
Other Things That Can Trigger Sneezes
Other causes of sneezing triggers are dental issues and chemical burns. When the roots of your rabbit’s teeth grow too much, to the point that it’s touching the palette below its nose. This will make its nose tickle, making it sneeze.
Constant exposure to strong chemicals like ammonia build-up from its bedding or bleach from anywhere in your home can burn the nostrils of your rabbit. This can also make your pet sneeze a lot. Chemical burns need a quick check-up, otherwise, they can lead to septicity.
Reasons for Respiratory Infections in Your Rabbit
So, why do rabbits get snuffles? And what about pneumonia? While snuffles can be easier to identify and deal with after lab results identify the strains, identifying pneumonia may be tricky.
Wondering why? Let’s have a look.
Snuffles
Snuffles is a bacterial infection in rabbits caused by a few types of bacterial strains, some of which are Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Pasteurella multocida, and Bordetella bronchiseptica. These cause an upper respiratory infection that gives symptoms mentioned before.
Pneumonia
There are four major types of pneumonia that rabbits suffer from. They can either be from a virus, bacteria, fungus, parasitic attacks, or sometimes the invasion of foreign particles in rabbit lungs as well. Cold, smoke, chemical exposure, or any other bug can lead to pneumonia too.
When the bacterial form of pneumonia enters your rabbit’s blood, your pet’s body will respond with bronchitis, abscess, swelling, lack of blood and oxygen, tissue degradation, and even collapsed lungs. The fungal infection can produce a chemical that inhibits the oxygen supply in the blood.
Pneumonia caused by a virus acts like a fungal infection and releases cytokine. However, the virus makes a rabbit’s body susceptible to bacterial infection. With the parasitic infection, the parasite damages the lung cells, thus depriving infected rabbits of proper oxygen supply.
When Is Treatment Strictly Necessary?
A lower respiratory disease like pneumonia and an upper respiratory condition like snuffles need immediate treatment from the vet. Without proper care, your rabbit may go beyond recovery due to being sick for a long time.
After identifying the causes properly, your vet can treat your bunny properly with the necessary medicines. You should also follow your vet’s instructions strictly and care for your rabbit properly.
Besides these remedies, you should keep your rabbit’s hutch and your house clean, and be cautious of the times when your rabbit shouldn’t be around you or its triggers.
How Can You Cure Your Rabbit Sneezing?
If no other symptoms accompany your rabbit’s sneezing, then you can take care of your bunny at home. However, in case of an infection, you must take your rabbit to the veterinarian for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Vet Consultation
Usually, any other cause of sneezing that doesn’t involve an infection will not involve nose or eye discharge. Even with allergies, the sneezing is mostly dry. That means you need a consultation if your rabbit presents other symptoms of an infection.
After properly diagnosing your rabbit with lab tests and scanning, your vet will prescribe a course of antibiotics for your pet. It may also need hospitalization if your rabbit is doing poorly. Proper medical attention can recover your pet quickly.
As too much growth of rabbit teeth can also trigger sneezing, your vet will also check whether there are no visible signs of an infection. In case they see too much growth, they’ll give the proper remedy for it, and may remove excess parts with surgery.
Following Necessary Instructions and Information
Properly administer the antibiotics by strictly following the schedule. Select a comfortable position and place for your rabbit where it’ll be calm. If they are liquid antibiotics, you can ask for expert help. They will give the antibiotics in the preferred location.
However, if they’re solids, then you can try other methods of administration. You can try mixing the antibiotics in small pieces when you feed your rabbit or follow the vet’s advice for proper administration. Keep your rabbit stress-free, as stress can trigger snuffles even more.
What Other Necessary Steps Should You Take?
Even after your rabbit’s recovery, you need to properly take care of your bunny and maintain everything well. A clean, stress-free rabbit is a healthy rabbit. You also need to monitor your rabbit so that you can clean it and its space if it gets dirty.
Besides, you need to take precautions in your activities and be mindful of your rabbit’s presence when you’re working with something that’s harmful to it. Let’s see how you can do so.
Keeping Your Bunny Clean
Whenever you give your pet a bath, be careful with it so that water doesn’t accidentally enter its ears and nasal cavity. Drying it thoroughly with towels or even a blow dryer can be helpful.
Besides, change your rabbit’s bedding regularly. If you get new bedding, wash everything first. If the hay is wet when you get it, dry it, or get new, properly dried hay.
As mentioned before, rabbits may soil their bedding without even realizing it. It can be a breeding ground for germs and will give off a pungent smell, both of which are harmful to rabbits.
You should clean and disinfect rabbit hutches regularly. Otherwise, the accumulated waste can be a breeding ground for bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Besides, you should clean your rabbit’s nose every day, as there can be foreign particles that can set off sneezing, or may even cause pneumonia.
Things You Should Avoid Doing
There are a number of things you should avoid doing if you want to keep your rabbit healthy. You shouldn’t put your rabbit’s hutch near the bathroom or anywhere you spray perfumes. Strong scents irritate their nose, making them sneeze.
Following that, if you’re using bleach regularly around your home, then you should make sure your rabbit isn’t near it. You shouldn’t place its cage near the bleaching ground as well.
As any form of smoke is harmful to rabbits, you shouldn’t smoke near your rabbit, and shouldn’t allow your rabbit near other smoke sources like an open grill or a high-smoking dish in your kitchen.
Bedding made from cedar or pine can cause problems, so you should avoid using them for your rabbit’s bedding. Besides, you should use wet or dusty hay and blankets for your pet.
Conclusion
When you have a rabbit as your pet, taking care of it can become a tedious job. They’re so sensitive that the tiniest slip which can be okay for us can harm rabbits badly, leading to sneezing and diseases. Some of them can be fatal as well.
If you keep your mind open to all the symptoms your rabbit shows with sneezing, you can give it proper, timely treatment. This way, your pet will be healthy most of the time.