Sneezing

Our little gray girl, who came from school, has occasional fits of sneezing. I had the vet at school examine her, but she didn't find anything wrong. There's no nasal or eye discharge, her lungs sound normal, everything looks good. So should I be concerned, or just not worry about it?

sibelabmom said:

Our little gray girl, who came from school, has occasional fits of sneezing. I had the vet at school examine her, but she didn't find anything wrong. There's no nasal or eye discharge, her lungs sound normal, everything looks good. So should I be concerned, or just not worry about it?

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Is the hay dusty or is she around dusty stuff? Does she sniff dusty things in playtime?

My bunny sneezes when I'm at the bottom of her hay and its more dusty. As long as its not constant and has no discharge its ok.

Some rabbits can be sensitive to dust, or specific types of hay, bedding, litter, or other household chemical smells. So try and rule those out by using less dusty products, trying different types of hay and/or bedding/litter, using less irritating cleaners or non scented products. Also try and see if there might be a strand of hay stuck in the nostril that could be causing the irritation.

Otherwise a URI is possible, especially if it continues and you see any white discharge. Even without discharge a URI is still possible as rabbit pus is very thick and it can just sit up there in the nasal cavity causing the sneezing and irritation. Then the only way to know would be a deep nasal swab(done properly), endoscopy, or xrays if it is more advanced. Or treating with antibiotics based on symptoms and having a positive response to the medication.

I suppose it could be the hay...we've been using the Oxbow hay, the largest one I saw at PetSmart. I just bought some other brand at Petco yesterday, I think it's Kaytee, but we haven't opened it yet. At first I thought it was something in my house, but someone at school noted the sneezing on her chart, and the only common denominator there is the hay. At school, they used shredded paper as bedding, where I use aspen at home. There's still no discharge, and she is definitely an active bunny. She eats and drinks normally, and causes her share of mischief. She doesn't appear unhealthy at all.

A sensitivity to a particular type of hay is certainly possible. It's not very common, but is still possible. You could see if switching to a different type helps. Switching to a different brand isn't necessarily what you need to do. You are needing to try a different variety of grass hay. So if you are currently using timothy hay, try the orchard grass hay, meadow hay, etc. You can still use the same brand, you just want to try a different type of grass.

Sometimes I find that buying hay in smaller quantities like the petstore bags can lead to dustier hay. Consider buying from a feed store or ordering a larger quantity online (this will also save you money in the long run).
I agree, keep an eye out for discharge but otherwise "occasional" sneezing isn't something to worry about.

Still no discharge at all, and she is still extremely active. Zips around like she has no off button. Curious and adventurous. Cynnamon, our other rabbit, isn't sneezing at all, and is almost as active, so I guess I'll try a different grass hay with them and see how it goes.