Bunny Snoring / Sleep Apnea?

[PuffinHenry]

Hi All!

My mini lop Henry (7.5 years old) has recently / gradually begun to make occasional and very intermittent “snore” sounds in his sleep - sometimes one a day, sometimes a half dozen per afternoon. Prior he might have snored once or twice in a multiple month period/year. So it’s not his habit generally but it’s also not completely new. I had the vet out yesterday to take a look at him, but she observed nothing / we didn’t learn anything from the very basic exam she was able to conduct while he did everything in his power to protest. He seems perfectly comfortable, eats and poos normally, nothing out of the ordinary. But he’s an extremely shy boy so I worry that we/I might be missing a health issue. For context, he has also recently / occasionally had a few dry sneezes (no discharge).

Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice / should I be worried? It would be great to learn more about what else to watch for if it is a sign of something worrying.

Thank you!

 

[Lucas the Bun 💕🐇]

https://petsmentor.com/rabbits/rabbit-snoring-causes-and-treatment/He's so cute by the way
Give him a head rub for me

 

[JBun]

Older rabbits can sometimes get a floppy soft palate that results in snoring sounds when resting/sleeping. I've had older rabbits that snored without there being other respiratory issues to be concerned about, and I have rabbits that have snored their whole life because of narrow nasal passages without it being a problem. It's usually not a problem unless the snoring is caused by something partially and significantly, obstructing the airway, but to rule that out would require testing like a having a scope or xrays/scan done. And if the snoring is from respiratory disease, there would usually be other symptoms like discharge or difficulty breathing, to accompany the noisy breathing, and wouldn't likely only occur when resting.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Differential/respira_diff.htm

 

[PuffinHenry]

Thank you both so much! I suspect that it’s a non harmful side effect of his aging, but am fully prepared to take him to a specialist if there any indications of a bigger issue and will keep an eye on him You’ve helped put my mind at rest.