Help Panda get better...

[Bright Eyes]

Hi there!

I got my pet rabbit, a male dwarf lop, from a pet store in the area, (I know pet stores can be evil, but I fell in love!)

I would guess he is approximately 10-12 weeks old.

This is my first rabbit, and I was incredibly nervous when I brought him home. I`ve heard various horror stories about rabbits hating and biting their owners etc. and I was very worried!

Panda is probably the coolest rabbit ever. He is only a baby and he already loves to jump on my lap and cuddle. He has the most precious and mischevious facial expressions, and he`s already learned to escape from his top loading cage if I leave the door open. :dude:

Panda has recently come down with what I think are severe bunny allergies. :?

He was sneezing a great deal yesterday, and now he is itching uncontrollably. It breaks my heart to see him this way.

He does not have discharge from his nose or eyes... So I don`t think he has an infection. But his eyes are very red, and he stops every few minutes to shake or itch.

Other than that, he seems quite normal.

My problem is... I changed his bedding, hay, and food all within a few days. (He is new...) So I have no good idea of what is bothering him!

I am using:

litter: compressed pine pellets (made for horses stalls)
hay: timothy
food: SHUR-GAIN rabbit feed


I switched the pine pellets for aspen shavings now, and am going to check if his symptoms subside.

I wasn`t sure about using the pine pellets, I even emailed the manufacturer to see if they had added an accelerant (Im super paranoid when it comes to the health of my animals). They never emailed me back, but I read a lot on forums that using pine pellets was okay. They created quite a bit of sawdust, so I`m wondering if this was the problem.

Now I have changed to `hypoallergenic`` aspen shavings, but they seem dusty as well...


Just wondering if anyone has had any problem with their rabbit`s allergies to any of the bedding or hay I use. ? ?

HELP!

 

[LakeCondo]

Pine is a no-no for rabbits.

The rabbit food, based on its name, sounds like it's meant for non-pet rabbits, if you know what I mean. But while he's still growing, they'll be ok. If still growing, he should have alfalfa hay rather than timothy.

Please look at the information in the library section for more information.

 

[Bright Eyes]

Thanks for the information. I heard that pine shavings were bad for rabbits but the house rabbit society (rabbit.org) says the pellets are ok?

Either way, I removed them from his cage, and he`s been out all day, but he`s still itching like crazy.

Maybe it takes some time?

The other possibilities are:
He is allergic to aspen shavings.
He is allergic to timothy hay
he is allergic to the rabbit food

I think the pet shop used aspen shavings, so I doubt thats the problem, but it`s possible!

 

[MILU]

I don't know if this can help, but why don't you remove all of that stuff from his cage and feed him fresh dark green vegetables like broccoli, carrot tops, cauliflower leaves, something like that, fresh leaves that won't have any dust..?
I've heard some people use newspaper on the litter tray, maybe you could try it at least for now.
I hope a bunny expert shows up to comment on possible medication.

Have you checked his skin to see if there's anything wrong?
Where does it itch? Any specific area of his body or all over?
How old is he now? How long was he exposed to the shavings before he had the allergies?
Is there anything else in the room that could cause him allergies? Maybe it has been recently painted, or stores some sort of resin, paint, something with a smell that maybe is ok for us (but not for a bunny), like perfum, incense or so? Anything like that stored near his cage?
I guess maybe the fact that he runs out of the cage might mean there can be something "harmful" for him there or close to it.. maybe you should consider letting him stay out of the cage and changing foods until he gets better? I don't know.. I hope it helps..

 

[funnybunnymummy]

You didn't say how long you've had him for?

The pine pellets are safe, but he may be allergic to them. I like to let the bag "breathe" when I first open it as it still has a fairly piney smell to it.

Also, timothy hay can be really dusty and that may be causing his symptoms. Hay can also contain mites. The symptoms of ear mites include head/ear shaking and lots and lots of scratching.

However, in a 10-12 week old just moved to a new home, it's very possible it's a respiratory infection brought on by the stress of the move. If it's mild enough, he'll fight it on his own. I've seen several posts like yours with new baby rabbits who develop sneezing symptoms, sometimes even runny eyes and noses, but get over them in a few weeks. Keep an eye on him and if his symptoms progress or worsen, I'd see a vet about getting some antibiotics.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[Bright Eyes]

I've had panda for one week, and one day now!

Ear mites?! That sounds awful! Now I have something more to worry about :confused2:

He definitely scratches his ears and shakes his head alot, but he is also scratching at his back and his paws, and the sides of his face... everywhere.

The sneezing has stopped since I took out the pine pellets, hopefully that was the problem, and he just has residual symptoms?

I really hope it's not ear mites...

and is it true I should be feeding him alfalfa hay instead of timothy?
can I give him both?

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Ear mites are relatively easy to treat with Revolution or Advantage. Talk to your vet.

As for hay, I wouldn't even bother with alfalfa hay. Then you'll just have to wean him off it in a few months. If the pellets he's on are alfalfa, there's no reason for him to be eating alfalfa hay right now. If the timothy hay turns out to be the cause of his sneezing, you can switch to orchard grass or meadow grass which tend to be less dusty/allergy enducing.

Incidentally, where are you getting your hay from? If it's the pet store, you may want to find another source like a tack and feed store. The hay will be fresher and less dusty, plus WAY cheaper!

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[Bright Eyes]

it does indeed, thank you

 

[Nancy McClelland]

And pine is okay if it's been kiln dried--that removes all the phenols.

 

[ZRabbits]

You got some good feed back here.

Wishing you luck.

The only think I can add is that when Kreacher had ear mites, we used Ivermectin and it was instantanously amazing. Kreacher was back to his ole self in 24 hours, after a very bad case of head tilt and eye spins. Poor baby. Scared us, but it all worked out and Kreacher is healthy and happy today.

K

 

[Bright Eyes]

Panda is feeling much better, no more red eyes! Thank you to all that helped with your suggestions!
:biggrin:

He still sneezes occasionally, but I think it is just the timothy hay tickling his face/being a bit dusty.

He is binkying around the living room as I type this.