I adopted my rabbit a few days ago. She's about 9 weeks old. I noticed that she had a little dark piece of something by her nose area but I didn't think much of it because I thought it was just dirt. But now more has appeared so I'm assuming it's some sort of nasal discharge? I tried getting it off but it's stuck to her fur. What could this mean and why is this happening?
Gunk Around Rabbit's Nose?
- Thread starter Junibun
- Start date
Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:
Hello,
I suggest talking to an exotic vet as soon as you can. To me this looks like nasal discharge which could be an infection. Hopefully this can be cured with some antibiotic.
Does she sneeze? How is her appetite? How are the poops?
I suggest talking to an exotic vet as soon as you can. To me this looks like nasal discharge which could be an infection. Hopefully this can be cured with some antibiotic.
Does she sneeze? How is her appetite? How are the poops?
I haven't seen her sneeze at all, she eats her pellets and hay, she's pooping normally and the poops look normal as well. She's also not showing any signs of being unwell which is why I'm so confused on what's wrong
like she does binkies and is very energetic. If it is an infection is it likely to spread to my other bunny?Yes it can spread to other bunnies, however it might happen that the other bunny won't show any symptoms at all (it really depends on gene, wellness etc..)I haven't seen her sneeze at all, she eats her pellets and hay, she's pooping normally and the poops look normal as well. She's also not showing any signs of being unwell which is why I'm so confused on what's wrong
That's great if otherwise the bunny is well
Call the vet, show/send them the pics and ask whether you should bring her in.
I managed to wipe the gunk off of her nose with a damp washcloth (which surprisingly she really enjoyed lol). She's not a huge fan of the wet face though. I have a vet appointment scheduled in about a month. I'm going to give it a day or so to see if more appears, if it does then I'll contact the vet like you suggested, and I'll see if i can get her in sooner. I think she's doing alright though because I don't think more has appeared since I first posted here. I'll update here if anything else happens, thanks for your help!^^
Attachments
Great.
Monitor for any nasal discharge, either colored or just nose wetness.
Also check the inside of the paws whether that is colored or have any dirt. (They usually wash away the nose discharge with their paw)
And of course: eating, drinking, pooping is the most important.
Monitor for any nasal discharge, either colored or just nose wetness.
Also check the inside of the paws whether that is colored or have any dirt. (They usually wash away the nose discharge with their paw)
And of course: eating, drinking, pooping is the most important.
Is your hay dusty or the pellets? And is it a bit warm where your rabbit is kept? To me that just looks like pellet or hay dust stuck to some dampness around the nose? The minor dampness can be from dusty hay/pellets causing a little bit of nasal discharge, or it can be from when a rabbit is getting too warm and the increased respirations can cause some dampness around the nose which the hay/pellet dust sticks to. This would be normal and not usually a problem, though I would suggest shaking out any dusty hay/pellets, and if your rabbit is getting too warm, provide some ways for your bun to keep cool in the warmer temps.
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Hot_weather_concerns
However, if you see any white sticky discharge, the condition worsens, and/or you have any concerns your rabbit is unwell, then it's always best to consult with a knowledgeable rabbit vet.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Hot_weather_concerns
However, if you see any white sticky discharge, the condition worsens, and/or you have any concerns your rabbit is unwell, then it's always best to consult with a knowledgeable rabbit vet.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
I did think it was probably dust stuck in her nose. She had the problem as soon as I got her a few days ago so I'm not sure about about anything from where she was. Since she's a baby I have her on alfalfa hay which tends to be pretty dusty and crumbly. I shook out as much dust as I could like you suggested. I have my buns indoors, which is always low 70s at the highest temp. Could that be warm enough to cause increased respiration like you mentioned? I did clean her nose so if more appears I'll contact the vet. Hopefully it's just dust!
No, 70's is good. I would suspect that it was the dusty hay, and it just looked like a very small amount of moisture around the nose. Nothing that I would be too concerned about unless things worsened or other symptoms started popping up. But yeah, do keep an eye on it.
After cleaning her face, I only noticed a tiny bit more of the stuff on her nose appearing but its definitely a lot less now. I cleaned that up and I haven't noticed more. I did notice maybe a dry eye booger or maybe some built up crust near the tear duct of one of her eyes. The other eye looks okay. Is this normal or should I be concerned?
Attachments
Sorry, this is beyond my knowledge. However there are two things I can give advise you:
-Common sense: eating, pooping, active etc...she should be okay.
-Send the vet the picture and let them decide if this is something they should take a look at
Bonus: Wait for others to comment here.
If she would be my Bunny i would def. give a vet a visit (but im a paranoid person)
-Common sense: eating, pooping, active etc...she should be okay.
-Send the vet the picture and let them decide if this is something they should take a look at
Bonus: Wait for others to comment here.
If she would be my Bunny i would def. give a vet a visit (but im a paranoid person)
Alright, thanks! I moved her vet appointment to be sooner and I will continue to monitor her closely until then. She is still doing great with eating, pooping, and is even doing lots of binkies right now as I'm typing this haha. If she starts behaving sickly I'll definitely bring her in even sooner. For now I think she's doing alright.
Rabbits can get a little bit of eye crusties, just like us. It's normal. What isn't is if there is white sticky discharge, and this can dry in the fur creating a hard grainy type substance. The eye lids will also often look red and inflammed, or be closed altogether. There can also be white clouding on the cornea(corneal ulcer). These would all indicate a bacterial eye infection, which would need to be evaluated by a knowledgeable rabbit vet right away, and the rabbit put on the appropriate antibiotic eye drop, and possibly anti inflammatories, which can range from 2-4 weeks, plus.
I haven't seen any discharge like you described, just the crust. And her eye looks otherwise normal aside from the crust. I will continue to monitor for everything that you mentioned. It looks like she has gotten the large chunk off of her face but it looks like there might still be other crust near the tear duct area. Hoping it's not an infection but I will watch her closely
