Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, well I didn't have to look long for my daughters bunny. WE were at the grocery store when i over heard a man telling a boy that "the bunnies have to go. the snake won't eat them". My cue to step in,lol. Well his snake won't touch them as the man says its used to "white bunnies". He couldn't find any "wht feeder bunnies" so he bought three bunnies rom a pet store just the day prior. One is a blk with very little white dwarf/dutch 10weeks old the other two are 8 week old Holland Lops (one looks like a chincilla the other a brn with gry points).

Anyway the guy asked $5 for each, I paid. THe moment i saw them I PAID. Very adorable. Very friendly. Appeared very healthy. I have had them now 4 days and they have been doing great...already litter trained. i'm in love and they are being spoiled rotten. Today tho I came home from work and noticed the Holland lops have redness around their eyes and they appear to be have some seeping. And on the Brn/gry one it has hairloss on its face. Like the hair is falling out. Just above the nose and around the eyes. THe skin appears to be normal nothing looks wrong. He acts fine, he just looks..I don't know. Nothing major wrong just something is amiss. I tried to take them to the vet today but i missed him. He won't be back til Monday and he normally sees only dogs and cats. And I tried calling around to see if anyone in the 50 miles radius sees rabitts and the answer was no. They could see them but they normally don't.

So my question is this is...should I be worried? Could it just be an eye cold. Could the one female be licking the males hair off. She seems to like cleaning him. Or could it be the bedding the man had them on? It was some type of wood bedding.

If anyone has info I'd greatly appreciate it.

Erin

You should take the new bunnies to the vet, definitely. Rabbits need very rabbit-savvy veterinarians, not just your local dog and cat vet. You can find a list of vet recommendations at: http://www.rabbit.org/care/vets.html

the 2 lops could have Snuffles: This is a very serious condition and very infectious in rabbits. If you have more than one rabbit isolate the sick one immediately to protect the other. Signs: sneezing, watery eyes, white nasal discharge, breathing difficulty. Snuffles is caused by several forms of bacteria including Staph, Strep, & Pasteurella Multocida. Your rabbit can be treated with antibiotics, enroflaxacin (trade name Baytril) is often prescribed. Whenever using antibiotics be sure to keep a watch on your rabbits fecal droppings because antibiotics can kill the good bacteria in a rabbit's hindgut and cause an enteric condition. Note: Be sure your vet is aware of the possible dangers associated with the use of antibiotics (the penicillin family is especially problematic, experience suggests amoxicillian & ampicillian may be fatal in some rabbits). Prevention: adequate ventilation, good sanitary practices, stress reduction

Weepy Eye: Signs-discharge from eye, matted fur under eye. Treatment: sometimes it is caused by simple irritation and you can treat with a couple drops of regular visine, if symptoms don't improve in a day or so contact your vet because it could be a blocked duct or a sign of snuffles.

i dont know waht else it could be....

thank you!

I have pulled the dwarf/dutch and have her in a seperate cage. She is such a lover. I do'nt buy that she is 10 weeks tho. I think she was someones pet and that they no longer wanted her. She just acts older and is so darn social its not funny. When i walk by the cage all i have to do is put my hand down and she runs up and gives my hand kisses.

the two lops eyes appear to be getting better. No seeping from their eyes anymore but the one does have hairloss that i'm not sure i like. I am taking them to a vet tomorrow to see what they can do. Its a dog/cat vet. I have no choice. Everyone I called and every search i did for an rabbit vet in my area showed nothing in a 50 mile radius. All do dogs/cats or dog/cat and large animal.

I appreciate the info you gave and i'll let you know what they think. Hopefully all will go well and that its something that can be fixed. THere just was no way i was going to let the man let them go free in November. Especially the dwarf/dutch. When i picked her up she instantly starting giving me kisses. It was like she knew i was taking her out of the snakes cage and was going to save them all.

Erin

Just wanted to let you know that the vet said that they are getting over an infection in the eyes or it could have been due to the cedar that the man had them on. THe vet showed me a small piece of cedar chip that he took out of the one bunnies right eye under the lower eye lid....ew. It was so tiny, I was amazed he found it. He also said that they looked real healthy other than that. He gave me drops to help their eyes out for the next few days. Kinda like to flush the eyes from iritations.

And he said my dwarf/dutch is NOT a baby. Appears she is a few years old. He couldn't believe how outgoing and friendly she was. He then told me about a dwarf that someone dropped off at the hospital a few months prior. Sigh. He even showed it to me, after i pleaded with him not to. Sigh. Looks like I might be getting another,lol.

He didn't charge me for the appointment at all and told me that if I wanted the dwarf he had he'd have it neutered and would give me a month supply of stuff. As much as my boyfriend loves me ....I'm not sure he will love me any longer when I bring home the bunny in a few weeks,lmao!!!!! After all the man heated the garage and put a sink in the garage and built three huge hutches as it is already and its been a week!!!!! He is a keeper,lol.

Erin