Breathing quickly

[maria117]

Hi there!

I have a 3 month old rabbit (I was told he's a mini rex but he doesn't have a rex coat). I think he's some kind of mix. We live in North Texas so he's not exactly "fall weather" here yet, but it's getting close. Jackie Chan (male) has been breathing quickly and his ears are hot. We took him to the vet but we don't have much faith in him. He took his temperature and it was 103.7. We gave him some antibiotics but there hasn't been a decrease in temperature. He doesn't seem to do it as much at night (when it's cooler) but my boyfriend is still worried. The vet checked his lungs and they are clear now (the first time we went to the vet there was some noise in his lungs).
My boyfriend is concerned because our smaller 7 month old rabbit doesn't do it as much. I think it's because he's a growing boy with testosterone flowing through him and he's bigger than her.
Last bit of detail: he was rejected by his mother at 4 weeks so we finished his weening period with goats milk and probiotics.
Any and all advice is welcome! Thank you!

 

[JBun]

How hot is it in your house? Have you tried providing cool tiles, frozen water bottles, and other ways to help your bun cool down? Does his behavior change when it is cooler at night, is he more active? Is he showing any symptoms of illness(lack of appetite, changes of behavior, sneezing, shaking head or neurological symptoms)?

 

[maria117]

Well the house is set at 76 but his room is probably at 77/78 with the windows. He doesn't show any signs of sickness. Totally normal, just quick breathing.

Thank you for your help!

 

[JBun]

Normal temp in rabbits is 101-103. So your bun is only slightly high. Some rabbits just warm up faster than others. I have one bun like this. And at mid 70s, most of my rabbits start to get warm and rest a lot more. If your buns breathing rate decreases when it is cooler, then the faster breathing is just likely due to the warmer temps and the fact he isn't as tolerant of them.

Since you have already seen a vet to rule out illness, you could just go ahead and provide him with extra ways to help cool him down, like marble tiles and frozen water bottles. Also putting ice cubes in the water dish can sometimes help.

 

[maria117]

Thank you so much! I will try these