Rabbit Sick?

Hi everyone,

A couple of weeks ago I posted a thread on my Holland Lop, Beatrix, having a weepy eye and wet nose. The eye cleared up but her nose is still wet and I've heard her sneeze more (5ish times a day). I don't see any gooey or white discharge from her nose or from her eye when it was worse but it's concerning me that maybe she has a respiratory infection. I find she most often sneezes around her hay when she's eating it or digging through it. However, yesterday she was playing outside doing binkies and running around I heard her sneeze like 8x (not all in a row but close together) and when I went to pick her up her other eye (the one that usually gets watery not the same one that was runny a couple of weeks ago) looked a little watery and her nose was wetter. Is it possible something in the air or the hay could be irritating her? I have a new box of hay and it seems dusty but so maybe that.

I really want to take her to the vet because we are also leaving on a trip for 3 weeks and if she had a problem I would rather take care of it now while it seems pretty minor. That being said, my parents really don't want to and say it's probably allergies but I've heard allergies aren't that common in rabbits. I could hopefully convince them if you guys feel there is a more serious problem for Beatrix with these symptoms. I would love your help!

Allergies aren't usually common, but it is possible. If the hay is dusty, that can cause sneezing and discharge too. But a respiratory infection could still be possible, even without the discharge being white. There can be white pus up in the nasal cavity and it's just not visible.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Snuffles
Maybe try shaking as much dust out of the hay as you can(I would do this outdoors) and see if that makes a difference. But if the sneezing keeps consistently happening, if it worsens, if you start seeing white discharge, if weepy eye problems keep happening, and/or you're concerned there's a health problem causing this, it's best to have your rabbit checked by a knowledgeable rabbit vet.

https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

Everything @JBun said! Additionally, teeth root problems are another possible cause of eye/nose problems so definitely best to get checked out.

Hi all! We ended up taking her to the vet because I didn’t feel comfortable leaving for our trip without knowing if there was a problem. Good news - they vet said she looks very healthy and there is no sign of infection or sickness and her teeth look good so she feels like it is not necessary to put her on antibiotics. She said the dust from the hay or something in the air is probably irritating her a little bit. Phew! The vet we took her to is not our usual vet because they were booked but they see lots of rabbits and they seemed pretty good.

They did tell us if we noticed any actual white or colored snot or irritated red eyes to bring her back in so I let the bunny caretaker know and told her what to look out for. Beatrix’s nose is definitely less wet I’ve noticed and have only heard her sneeze once the last few days when she was eating hay. Her eyes seem way more back to normal too.

Thank you so much for all your help!!