lynne2809
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone! I have a 2.5 year old male Lionhead named Mickey. Mickey is a completely indoor bunny and he is 100% free roam in my bunny-proofed bedroom. I’ve noticed over the past few days that he’s had some thin, watery discharge from his nose. Usually I would not be worried about this and would assume that it is just condensation from him breathing, but I’ve noticed him sneezing multiple times per day as well. He’s also been laying around more often. After he was running around yesterday, he was laying down and breathing heavily with his mouth open. His head was not tilted back as if he was mouth-breathing, but I was still concerned. He seemed fine after he calmed down for a bit. He has never had an upper respiratory infection before (knock on wood). There is no thick or colored discharge from his nose. He is eating and drinking normally and pooping normally as well. He also seems like he has normal amounts of energy (he has been binkying around as usual). When I put my head near his nose, I can hear a very slight whistling sound when he is sniffing. He just say hello to me after I got home from work and he had some treats and then I noticed that he had the hiccups for about 60 seconds (I’ve never heard him have hiccups before but it didn’t last very long). I’m not sure if this could just be some minor nasal irritation from dust, hay, fur, etc. or if it could be a respiratory infection or pneumonia. I am super paranoid about him developing pneumonia because I know that it is often fatal in bunnies, but I don’t want to stress him out by taking him to the vet and starting him on antibiotics if it’s unnecessary. Are the signs of pneumonia typically more severe and obvious? Should I continue to watch him over the next week or so or should I take him to the vet ASAP? Thanks in advance!