One of your main priorities with any pet including rabbits is maintaining their health. As humans, we often catch colds, which more often than not serves as a very minor disruption to our daily lives but recently I noticed my rabbit was experiencing some cold symptoms of his own including a runny nose and the occasional sneeze.
This got me thinking and more than a little worried – could he have caught a cold from me? Was he going to be ok? how might a cold affect my pet rabbit? Here’s what I found out when I looked into this issue.
Rabbits cannot catch human colds, at least, not in the same way that we would. Instead, they get snuffles, a much more serious bacterial infection that will need a visit to the vet for some antibiotic treatment.
Having previously experienced the quick decline of a rabbit’s health, I understood the urgency of taking my rabbit to the vet. After some tests, the vet informed me that my rabbit Princess had been suffering from a condition called pasteurellosis, more commonly referred to as snuffles.
He advised me that this condition could have been dormant in my rabbit for some time and that it may return occasionally even after antibiotics particularly if the rabbit felt overly stressed.
He also said that my quick action had prevented the condition from getting any worse in Princess (which may have required months of expensive treatment) or worse still untreated may have progressed to a serious infection like septicemia or pneumonia, which rabbits are very good at hiding and can, of course, be fatal.
Why Rabbits Don’t Catch Human Colds?
If like me you’ve seen your rabbit with cold symptoms you could be forgiven for thinking you might have passed something on but the truth is that rabbits cannot catch human colds.
That said, keep in mind that if you yourself have a cold and handle your rabbit, the virus could rest on the rabbit and be transferred to the next person to touch it (of course you should wash your hands after handling any pet including rabbits.
There are many illnesses and ailments that could affect a bunny but fortunately, the common cold virus is not one of them. Most viruses are specific to the individual animal species and there is not a viral equivalent within the rabbit kingdom to the viral group that causes most of our minor ailments, which is excellent news.
The bad news is that rabbits are susceptible to other conditions that may appear to be cold-like but are actually far more threatening to the health of the rabbit (snuffles being one of the most common).
What is Snuffles?
A lot of rabbit owners see the symptoms of snuffles and unknowingly assume that their pet is suffering from a simple cold, consequently they do nothing aside from maybe attempting to warm the bunny up.
While the name may sound cute, snuffles in a rabbit should always be taken seriously. Ignoring it could be a mistake that could cost your pet its life! There are several types of bacteria that can cause snuffles in a rabbit including Pasteurella Multocida, Bordatella, and Pseudomonas.
Symptoms of Snuffles in Rabbits
The main symptoms of this illness are wheezing, runny eyes and nose, sneezing, coughing and a general feeling of being unwell. Of course, your rabbit cannot tell you that he feels rubbish but you may notice changes in the behaviour that would signify as much, such as a reduced appetite.
Here are 8 common symptoms of snuffles that you should look for if you think your rabbit may be suffering from the condition:
- Wheezing
- Runny Eyes and/or Nose
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy
- Head tilting
- Dirty Front Paws (through attempting to remove mucus from the eyes and nose)
In most rabbits, the symptoms of snuffles will be similar, however, owners should be mindful that each rabbit is different and some may experience others such as ear issues, or teeth and balance problems. If you notice any of these common symptoms, snuffles will be the likely culprit.
The possibility of a clogged up nasal tract in a rabbit is particularly urgent when you consider the fact that rabbits are obligate nasal breathers. This means that they breathe through the nose rather than the mouth (allowing them to graze more easily anytime they are not sleeping).
This symptom must therefore be considered very serious and even without others warrants an emergency trip to the vet. If snuffles isn’t the cause of your pets condition, the vet will be able to conduct tests to rule out and any other possible causes such as heart problems, a thymoma (tumor on the thymus in the chest), or severe respiratory tract disease.
The vet should also be able to give your rabbit a course of antibiotics to kill the bacteria. in some cases, If the rabbit has particularly infected or runny eyes, sedation to flush out the tear ducts may be necessary.
Remember snuffles is contagious so if you have more than one pet in close proximity to the sick animal, it would be worth getting it checked out also.
How To Look After a Rabbit With Snuffles
We have already discussed taking your rabbit to see the vet as soon as possible so that it can receive the correct treatment. However, while that treatment is taking effect, there are a couple of things you can do to make things a little easier for the pet.
Firstly, make sure the rabbit is warm. If it’s a hutch rabbit that is usually kept outdoors, consider bringing it inside the house for a while until its health has improved, particularly if you live somewhere where the evenings are very cool.
This is one reason why it’s useful to keep an indoor-style hutch as a spare, even if your rabbit is primarily outside the house.
Another way to keep a rabbit comfortable during a bout of snuffles is to stay on top of cleanliness. In terms of the hutch or cage, you should of course be doing this anyway, but what you may not be used to is assisting the rabbit with its own personal hygiene.
A rabbit with snuffles may have mucus residue around the nose and the fur that it may struggle to clean on its own, particularly if its front paws have become dirty.
Help out by using a warm (but not hot) flannel. Soak it in some water, squeeze the excess water out of it and use it to gently spot clean those areas. Take care not to soak the rabbit during this procedure.
The final way you can help a rabbit with snuffles may seem a little unorthodox but you may like to try it particularly if your rabbit is really struggling with its nose breathing.
Dissolve some vapor rub (albas oil or Vicks) in a bowl of warm water and leave it close enough that the rabbit can smell the eucalyptus fumes.
Bear in mind that a rabbit’s sense of smell is better than ours so they won’t have a problem picking up the scent even from several meters away.
It’s quite harmless provided the pet is kept well away from the hot water and the fumes will help the rabbit breathe a little more easily.
The last thing you can do to help a rabbit with snuffles is the most important of all – providing a healthy diet and all the nutrients the rabbit will need to make a full recovery.
Simply follow our ultimate feeding guide here to create the perfect diet for your own pet.
Rabbit Sneezing
Another common symptom of snuffles is sneezing. Even if the sneezing is not accompanied by any of the other symptoms that we have discussed, this could still be very worrying.
However, snuffles are not the only thing that could cause your rabbit to sneeze. While pets are often the ones causing allergies, it is not uncommon for them to suffer themselves. In rabbits, there are a number of things that could be responsible for this including dust, particularly in the hay.
Furthermore, rabbits can sometimes be susceptible to allergic conditions that affect the respiratory tract. This is comparable to asthma and hayfever in humans. Again a vet will be the best person to diagnose these conditions.
A lot of rabbits are kept as house pets rather than in the garden and this is great, it means that they will have a lot more interaction with their humans. However, some of the bad habits that humans have could mean that the rabbit suffers.
For example, If you smoke or use vaping equipment in the home, there is a very chance that this could also be detrimental to a rabbit’s health.
Wrap Up
If you have a cold, you should not be concerned about passing this on to your pet. You will still be able to interact with them as usual, if you feel well enough, without infecting the bunny.
However, rabbits suffering from cold symptoms lasting more than a few days are almost certain to have a bacterial infection and should be taken to a rabbit-savvy vet for diagnosis and treatment. The faster you can catch and treat this infection the better.
Further Reading
Is Your Rabbit Sick? 9 Signs the Answer May Be ‘Yes’ peta.org
10 signs that your rabbit is under the weather thehealthypetclub.co.uk
Snuffles in Rabbits squeaksandnibbles.com
