Excessive vocalisation/sounds from Violet- is something wrong?

[jewelwillow]

My girl bunny Violet has suddenly started making excessive sounds over the past 2 days. I'm worried something is wrong with her.

Usually she just makes a few clucking noises when she's happy with her food, or the occasional purr, and last night, she was clucking over her food and then kept going with the occasional honking noise in between. She was still making the honking noises an hour or so later, and was still going this morning.

I've been at work all day and this evening, and have just come home, and my husband said, you should go and listen to your rabbit- she's gone nuts.

She's still making noise, almost constantly, but it's a hard noise to describe, kind of like a honking, droning noise.

The only other time she's made a lot of noise is when she had babies (a week after I got her from a highly respected breeder, who didn't know she was pregnant!)
The litter all died, (not sure if she killed them or stillbirth). She is a dwarf lop, approx 2 years old, and was a breeding rabbit prior to being ours, so was quite experienced with birthing. I don't remember exactly the type of noise she made then, but I don't recall it being this constant.

There's no way she can be pregnant now. Topaz (the male) who we got at the same time, was desexed the day after she had the babies, and they were kept separated from when we got them both until 2.5 weeks after his neutering. We got them in April, so its been 4 months since.

Is there a chance there could be something wrong after her pregnancy- this far down the track, or is there anything else that could be an issue?

It doesn't seem to be a phantom pregnancy- no nesting, excessive eating. She's peeing and pooing normally, and eating and drinking similar amounts to normal.

I don't have a vet I really trust with my rabbits, so I don't see any benefit in taking her in for a checkup unless someone more knowlegable than me highly recommends it.

I'd love to hear anyone's input, opinions or experiences with this kind of behaviour, at first it was cute, but now I'm getting worried.

 

[loppalove]

Hi,

From what i understand, excessive noise can be from pain, or frustration of some sort. Does she have toys? Has her food changed? Have you changed anything in her routine?

Does she have any discharge from her nose or eyes?

If you run your hands over her body, is there a particular area that she will react negatively to you touching?

Just some suggestions.

She sounds very sweet and i wish you the best.

 

[Flashy]

Some bunnies are very vocal and will chatter, some bunnies are quiet.

When was your buck neutered? Do you have a date? He is fertile for up to 8 weeks after his neuter and I just want to check there is no way she could be pregnant again from that. If he got her pregnant right at the end of the that time, then another 31 days would be roughly 3 months, so I just want to check for certain that's not your issue.

Is she spayed? How old is she?

Has anything changed in her world recently? Like an addition to the household?

Is there anything else unusual about her behaviour? Is she eating? Drinking? Pooing? Weeing?

She may just be becoming more vocal. I have a couple of bunnies who will cluck, honk, , oink, quack, jibber, even squeal (but not scream) depending on their mood, as well as your regular grunting noises that some buns make (although, funnily enough, these two don't).

There may be a medical reason for it, but equally, she may just have found her voice (which can be caused by hormones sometimes) and she may be talking to you.

 

[jewelwillow]

HI Guys, Thanks for your responses!

Loppalove, there's no discharge from eyes at all.
They have toys, but she's never shown any interest in them at all. She LOVES food though, thats the highlight of her day, when I top up their straw and pellets in the mornings, and greens and pellets after work.

There's been NOTHING different in her routine at all.
There's no reaction when I touch any particular area of her body.
She started licking my hand regularly about a month ago, and is now a licky bunny.

FLASHY: I got them on April 8. She had kits on April 17. He was neutered on the 15th April.
She's not spayed, and there has been no changes to the household or routine. My husband had louder than normal music on on Sunday, but she started the noise on Tuesday afternoon. Everything about her eating, drinking, peeing and pooping is absolutely normal.

If she's found her voice she's talking 24/7, not just when I'm there.

They have their own room, but i let them inside the house on my day off each week. He will come inside and get lots of exercise and cause havok, and she won't set foot inside the door, so she doesn't get as much exercise as I'd like, but it's her own silly fault. I can't pick her up without freaking her out- never have been able to. She shows no interest in toys or running or jumping, though she was previously a breeding rabbit, so she's used to just sitting in a cage all day everyday. He, meanwhile, jumps on to a step then the roof of the cage and along a wall shelf in their room. She won't even attempt jumping onto the step.

 

[pla725]

Does it sound like she could be snoring? Rabbits do snore. I have two that snore.

 

[jewelwillow]

I suppose it's a little like a snoring noise. But why would she snore while she's awake? She can stop making the noise to lick my hand, or eat or cluck.....

 

[LuvaBun]

Sounds like my girl, Pernod, used to be. She was very vocal . She would cluck, honk, buzz when she was happy, when she was eating her favourite food, when you petted her in just the 'right' spot . Often, she would just be eating hay, and she would be mumbling away to herself. I really miss that

I think your girl is probably fine, just happy and content with her life

Jan

 

[pla725]

Willie my foster will make what sounds like a whimpering sound while awake. I've heard that sound from a couple of my other rabbits.

 

[jewelwillow]

I hope shes ok. It's just that it's so constant, and not related to anything that has me worried. Every other noise she's made in the past has had a stimulus, and is identifiable as a greeting or pleasure etc.

Luvabun - I know what you mean about mumbling to herself over the hay, that one is so cute.

Pla725- does Willie do that all the time? Is it related to anything? how long has he been doing it for?It just freaked me out starting out of the blue like it has.

 

[tonyshuman]

I would do a whole body palpation--feel all over for lumps or bumps, particularly in the abdomen, and see if that changes her vocalization. If she makes more noise in response to you touching a certain spot, that could be a sign of pain in that area. I'm a bit concerned that she may be in pain, perhaps from a kit retained from an earlier pregnancy that didn't get expelled. She could also have an infection of the uterus, a kidney/bladder stone, maybe she fell and hurt herself.

The only reason I worry is that it came about so suddenly and she's doing it constantly. If you check her over and nothing changes in how she makes the noise, and she doesn't have any bumps, she may have decided to start "speaking up!"

 

[jewelwillow]

HI Claire, Thanks for your suggestion. I can't pick her up without a major hissy fit, but I've palpated every portion of her that I can reach with her feet on the ground. I've covered as much of her abdomen as I can reach (which seems to be most of it) and there is no change or flinching at all in response to any area.

I'm now wondering if it's some kind of respiratory infection or allergy.

I've done a search through the archives, and nothing seems to come up with the same kind of issue.

There's no nasal discharge or mucous at all, I haven't heard her sneeze at all either. She seems otherwise happy and healthy. The hay they are eating is from the same batch they've had from when I first got them, so it can't be an allergy to that.

Does anyone have any further suggestions with a spin on the respiratory side of things?

I think I'll take her to the vet anyway for peace of mind, but I'm not 100% sold on any of the vets around here with regards to rabbits, so I'm not sure if it will solve anything other than my concerns.

 

[Flashy]

Does anything particular trigger her noises? Like an event (such as eating), or being in a specific place, or with a specific person around, etc?

 

[jewelwillow]

HI Flashy, no the noise seems to be fairly constant, thats why I've started to think it may be a breathing thing instead of behaviour thing. She stops making it when she's eating or if she licks my hand, but it seems to be on inhalation, now I've looked at it from this perspective.

 

[Flashy]

Sometimes those with respiratory problems make all sorts of noises when they eat, but I'm not sure if that's when they are severe or not.

Have you changed anything in your house? An air fresher? A/C unit? Any aerosols or anything sprayed around?

Have you gotten her checked out at a vets?

 

[jewelwillow]

Nothing has changed in the house, or their environment AT ALL. I'm going to call the vet in the morning, and hope he can get me in tomorrow, otherwise I can't get time off work again til Wednesday. This girl hasn't been able to be picked up since I've had her and I know she's going to freak out majorly when I put her in the carrier. Should I take both the buns with me to make the trip less stressful do you think?

 

[Flashy]

Yes, I would suggest taking both buns.

Is your carrier one that opens at the front, or at the top?

If it opens at the fron maybe put it in their cage now, with food in, so they get used to it, and whenever you feed them between now and going to the vets put the food in the carry case, and then when you need to get them in therte, hopefully some food in there might encourage them in so she won't have to be handled.

 

[jewelwillow]

My carrier has a front door and a top door. I might give them a treat in it now and leave it open overnight so they're more used to it in case I can take them in the morning.

Thanks!

 

[Flashy]

Yeh, go with using the front door so that you can get them used to it

 

[Becknutt]

I hope the vet has good news for you. We have a 3yr old unspayed female (she was a show bunny) and right around the 3 year mark she became VERY vocal, we've practically changed her name to Honky! I've been told that it's because she's ready to breed. We don't want to breed her, and intend to get her spayed. We did breed her once and she didn't take. It could be that your girls biological clock is ticking.

ETA: I forgot to mention her given name was BASHFUL. Does that help you understand the transformation?

 

[tonyshuman]

I think you should have it checked out just to be sure. I know a member here has given their bunny Benadryl for allergies--her bunny is a rex with a supposed skin allergy. The post is titled something about scracthing at fur on the chest and is in the infirmary. Something to mention to your vet, in any case.