anyone know about rabbits?

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Tonz

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Messages
132
Location
UK
My rat flop has myco and is breathing quite heavily, in going to vets in a short while if i can get a lift. Thing is, my rabbit, Easter, has started making little grunting sounds when she hops around. She doesn't seem to make them when shes still but does when she is eating. She is about a year old if that helps. Theyre not overly loud but are they normal? When i put her to my ear her breathing sounds ok.
can she catch myco from my rat? They share air space in winter as she comes and lives in my conservatory while its so cold, but im careful about washing hands between handlings.
t
 
If she's making grunting noses when she's walking around and eating, it's because she's having trouble breathing. It's not normal and definitely needs a vet visit. Make sure you don't wait too long. I had a foster rabbit last week that was too sick to eat and went into GI stasis as a result. He passed away 20 minutes after I got home with him, I picked him up to force feed him and he panicked and died. Also make sure you get probiotics to prevent GI issues and know what the signs are so if she starts going into stasis, you can react.

I don't think rabbits can get Myco but there are diseases that can be transmitted between the two species, including Pasteurella and cilia-associated respiratory bacillus (CAR B). If you keep your rabbit outdoors, they could in theory introduce pathogens that are a risk to your rats.
 
She usully lives in the shes, not just outside. IM taking her to the vet in Monday, i cant get there today, the weather is really bad and the roads are sheet ice. She is eating and drinking and acting normally...crazy normal. Following my feet, running in circles around me. Shes eating her greens and normal food and drinking water.
whats stasis?
 
Just looked up gi stasis. I don't think she has that. She is eating and drinking and her poop is normal. No change in any of that. Its just the little grunting. She still enjoys running around the conservatory. She has her hutch and a run that she has access to 27/7 and for a few hours a day, in an evening, she has the whole conservatory tonrin around in.
i cant hear anything in her lungs (granted im not a vet and don't have a stethoscope). The only difference is the grunting. Not too loud, i can only hear it when Shea within a metre or so from me. Shes a bossy bunny and likes her own way, she stamps her feet if i don't give her enough attention and this hasn't changed. Appt on Monday and until then im making sure she has plenty of hay, pellets and water and giving greens and carrots.
anything else i can do?
 
Just keep her habitat clean and make sure she's eating and pooping normally. If you're using pine or cedar shavings, you should change to something that is safe for rabbits.

She doesn't sound like she's in stasis but if she is too congested to eat, she can quickly go into stasis, that's why it's important to know the signs. Antibiotics can cause issues with some rabbits, probiotics help prevent them in most cases but not all.
 
I've just sat in the ocnservatory with her for an hur and the grunting seems to be when she is following me. She likes hopping around me when i sit on the floor and loved having her head scratched. When i walk around she weaves in and out of my feet. Its at this time that she grunts. when I'm sat and shes circling or when she is following my feet. She also does it a bit when I go in with some greens for her and she waiting for them and I'm not there quick enough.
When I pick her up (the rare times she allows me to, lol) she never makes noises, and same when she is eating, no noises. Could it just be an excitement thing? Like when i get back from work and she hasn't seen me and is eager to have a good run around?

Also, I am currently using pine, I didn;t realise this wasn;t safe for rabbits. I never use this for my rats a I know it can affect their lungs. They get fleece and shredded paper. What should I use for bun? At the min she gets a layer of shavings covered with straw in her 'toilet' and in her bedroom she get the same, but less shaviings and more straw and a fleece blanket. I use the shavings becasue it soaks up the pee and makes cleaning out miuch easier. What should I use instead?
T
 
I guess it depends on what your set up is. I use pelleted paper and hay on top in litter boxes (hay in the litter box encourages consumption and litter box use so it's a win-win. For their sleeping areas (my guys are free range and have a few) I fold up a towel and sometimes have a fleece blanket underneath for extra cushioning. Any paper based litter is safe for rabbits although if you use shredded paper it will not be as absorbent and you will need to clean it quite often. Aspen wood chips are safe as well, as they are to rats.

Pine and cedar shavings are toxic to all animals, from insects to reptiles to humans. The House Rabbit Society discovered years ago that rabbits kept on pine has decreased liver function after they had a few unexpected deaths during/after surgery. This is in addition to the risks to the respiratory tract.

Rabbits are like rats, they do not vocalize. If your rabbit is making grunting noises, she needs a check up.
 
Thanks for that. Vets on Monday. Shes not free range, she chews anything and everything. She has her hutch which is always open and a run, which is twice the size of her hutch. She sleeps in the hutch and naps in a fluffy bed in the run.
ill change her bedding and see if that helps. I will use shredded paper laid on news paper as i clean out her toilet area a couple of times a week anyway.
t
 
If you're using shredded paper, you should probably change it daily. Otherwise the litter box will probably be wet and stinky.
 
Ill see how she goes, i will try and get some pellets but i have no transport at the minute.
thanks for the advice, its much appreciated. If it is a Uri, is it treatable and what would the treatment be?
 
I'm sure it can wait until Monday, I'm just saying don't wait until the end of the week.

URIs are very treatable in rabbits, even if caused by Pasteurella. It's important to go to a vet experienced with treating rabbits, even more so than with rats. Rabbits can't have certain antibiotics (oral penicillin or any other oral abs in that family) and medications and you want an experienced vet to check for hairballs, tooth issues, etc. anytime you go to the vet. Rabbits that go outdoors in the UK should be vaccinated annually for Myxomastosis, VHD and viral entiritis.
 
She has all her vaccinations. Had them last may, and will have again this may. I live in an area where there are lots of wild rabbits so that was done a month before she was allowed out. My vet is great, treats lots of animals. He knows what he is doing with my rats and id trust him with any of my animals.
will see what he says, in sure he will give me what i need, and ill check its not penicillin related
thank you,
t
 
The House Rabbit Society and Marguerite et Cie (French) have great rabbit info on their sites. The Rabbit Welfare Society is UK based and should be a good resource for you as well: http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/ I honestly don't agree with housing domestic rabbits outdoors (I can't imagine being able to properly monitor them or being able to react quickly if they got ill and were kept outdoors nor do I see the point of having a companion animal outside the home) but I know it's how most people keep their rabbits in the UK.
 
My garden is my home in summer. I spend all my time out there and when i m home she has the while garden to run in, and can come in the house if she wants. When in not home she has the shed plus access to an outside run. She lives inside from November whenever it starts to get warmer.
 
Well, just back from vet. He said my bunny is in perfect health. He couldn't hear anything at all in her lungs/chest. She's the perfect weight. He said the noises are fine, nothing to do with her lungs, She's just grumpy and showing it. Ill keep an eye on her but vet is very used to treating rabbits. She's eating, drinking, hopping, playing...so in not worried.
t
 

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