Bunny with loud honking / wheezing noise

[silvercy]

I have an (approx) 6mo female rabbit who started making a wheezing / honking noise at around 4mo old. She was silent for the first 2mo I had her. The noise has progressively gotten louder and more frequent. It happens mainly while she's at rest (very loud wheezing / honking "snore" with each breath that lasts for several minutes, then stops for several minutes), but italso happens occassionally when she's eating & moving around. She always makes the noise when I pickher up.

The noise sounds like its coming from her nose area. She does not have any discharge from her eyes or nose (no wet paws either). She is also very active, with no changes in her behavior. In the past, she persistently chewed on a cardboard box in her cage, but hasn't in weeks. Not sure if she just got bored with the box, or if something got stuck in her throat / stomach.

She's been eating a very healthy diet of Timothy hay daily, with carrots / bananas once or twice a week. Am also giving her a daily supply of high quality bunny pellets.

I switched her from Aspen bedding to "Yesterday's News" dried newspaper pellets, which is changed each day.Thought she might have an allergy to the Aspen bedding, but the noises remain.

I spoke with a vet on an online forum, who didn't think she had a respritory infection, however, the noise does not sound good at all, and I'm concerned. I know rabbits make noises, but this is very loud and wheezy.

Any advice / information is greatly appreciated.Thank you

 

[Nancy McClelland]

A Vet check with someone that is rabbit savvy would quell bad thoughts and clear up any problems. We had one that used to honk a lot, but it was a response not a health issue.

 

[CCWelch]

I have one that has pneumonia and she was honking and wheezing so I would suggest a vet check. Sometimes they just do it to do it other times there is a cause.