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ladysown

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Cleaned out the rabbitry tent today...as in reorganized where I had the hay, the feed, tidied etc. No rabbit cages, just STUFF.

Had Jesse over and we talked abit about my rabbits and what I see and what I find confounding, and he doesn't know either. :)

New tent.
It's wet in there because it's new ground, was put up during a wet fall, so the ground is just DAMP. I get rabbits that sneeze, I move them to old tent. They stop sneezing within half a day.

I have one rabbit that has blown white snot once...just a dribble. I immediately stuck her in the guinea pig pen in the old tent farthest I could away from anyone. She is fed last with hands washed etc. She has zero matting on feet, she has four babies on her, none of them are showing signs of anything. Jess looked them over good. She has a damp nose because it's a scorcher out there today. But no snot, and other than looking out of condition and moulting, she looks the picture of health.

I have one young doe...one of the litter than got really sick because I left the tent open on a cold night, and therefore got some entretis. In the new tent she blew yellow/green snot ONE DAY, and has been in the isolation tent since then. NO snot, no dirty feet, no nothing, looks good, acts good, seems fine.

Another one of those three has a constant sneeze. Never see snot. Sounds good, looks good, just has this sneeze regardless of where I put her.

No one around any of these rabbits shows signs of anything ever.

Affected rabbits are all small breed. Mini rexes and a polish doe. I see nothing with my meat buns.

What is this?
Something to worry about?
Can it be treated?
Do I ignore it?

I cannot figure this out. Is it just the new tent and they are having dust/ammonia/something reactions? Do I have something I need to cull for?

I need some answers....ideas....anything.....
 
I'm thinking it may be environmental. Exactly what, I'm not sure.

One of my Cal does sneezes occasionally, but no snot. It seems to be most prevalent when I've been moving the grass hay around more than usual. The grass hay seems to be more dusty than the alfalfa hay, for some reason. Makes me sneeze, too.
 
The new location has damp ground?
The old location is it damp too?
Do the air currents run differently from one location to the next?

I am thinking mold spores from the damp ground.

As to a sneezer that doesnt have snot, some buns are just sneezers.

Worry if you get yellow or green snot.
You only have to cull for snuffles as thats not curable and buns that appear healthy and they often do are carriers and infect others.
 
I'd be looking at mold of some sort, too. damp ground....without sun getting to it to disinfect...

A smaller breed of animal will react more quickly to a mold or environmental change than a large breed does.

My first thought is to spray with a weak bleach solution...ground, walls of tent, roof. and then air the HELL out of the place. It's warm. If possible let the sun shine onto the ground. The sun does an amazing job of killing microbial nasties.

BUT....others will understand rabbits better than I do, and will have a better take on what to do.
 
I think I'll end up culling the one that had the yellow/green snot.
and probably, though I hate to do it, the polish doe who had the white snot.

Wish I had a definitive answer as to what caused this problem. Can mould cause breathing problems?
 
can mould cause breathing problems...YES. It's an allergen for almost every species of animal. Can be toxic if it gets out of control. There are some houses in southern US that are being torn down because of a mold that is in the walls. It's almost impossible to get out of a house once it takes hold.

There re thousands of types...You know how many people are allergic to hay or start sneezing? That's from one of the two types that get into hay when it's baled. If you open a bale of hay and smells musty/moldy..that's type A mold and it causes sneezing, watery eyes, etc. Type B is almost undetectable by the human nose..but it's far more deadly. Molds are the main reason that hay will "go bad"
 
This does sound like it is a mould problem to me... and yes, mould can cause BIG problems even when it is invisible. Spraying the ground with a mild bleach solution may help... or perhaps a white vinegar solution? Not sure which would be less irritating to the rabbits. Is there any way to move them out while you work?

I'm trying to think what might absorb the extra moisture. I am not familiar with products used for larger livestock, but isn't there something called Stall-Dri? It sounds as though it should dry things out...and where there is no excess moisture there should not be a mould problem. I've put down a bale or two of pine shavings in our summer rabbitry during a wet season... They seem to wick up the moisture and seem to help dry things out. But I've never had health problems with the rabbits, likely because there is almost always a good breeze here.
 
over the winter I kept bedding down with sawdust from local carpenters. Seemed to help.
I didn't have as much problems this year as I did last.

I just find it confounding when I can't see mould, and when I move bunnies to the old tent, the problems immediately disappear. Makes me think my bunnies aren't sick, but yet I can't have them in the new tent and that one I can proof against rain and cold wind. the Old tent is well...drafty and not so good for little kits. Though this time of year it's perfect. :)
 
That really is sounding more and more like mould. It can be growing under the ground and gets disturbed when you walk. Or it can be up on the ceiling, or on the walls of the tent and just doesn't show.

That's about the only thing that makes even a tiny bit of sense. If there aren't any other variables...unless there is something in the water line if you have one? or maybe in the feeders there? I assume you've cleaned out any dropping pans really thoroughly since that's an easy place to find mould.

Open up the tent. Don't try to have a totally draft proof area, particularly if it's damp. That's just asking for trouble. Air flow is vital to good health for any mammal.
 
I would put them in the old tent and give the new one a good cleaning. Can you take the walls off of it and let the ground dry out and give the walls a good spray down with a 1:10 bleach solution?

ETA: I meant to spray down the walls with the bleach.
 
MaggieJ":3ek4pavb said:
I'm trying to think what might absorb the extra moisture. I am not familiar with products used for larger livestock, but isn't there something called Stall-Dri?

Yes, I agree it sure sounds like mold. Stall Dry is awesome- DE & Clay- it should dry up any mold for sure. You can get it at TSC.


HTH,
MyT
 
What is the new tent made of? Is it different from the old tent? I know there is a strong odour from new items made of different plastics. I know when you buy one of those "egg-carton" mattress pads you need to let it air out for a while before you sleep on it.The plastic could be treated with something that is no longer present in the old tent. Just a thought.
 
you know, I never even thought about that. The airing of a tent and the smells/chemicals it might emit. Almost bought a fly trap today until I thought...hold on...this works via chemicals...probably NOT a good idea to have around bunnies.

We've had two days of hot, not very windy days and I've been able to keep the new tent open. So far no one is showing any signs of stress beyond the "it's hot out here" norms. And the new tent is under a tree so that helps a whole heap. :)
 
I was also thinking it might be the tent itself, especially if it has been treated with a water repellent or mildew preventative. Give it a good cleaning and air it out thoroughly and try putting a rabbit in it again. I wouldn't cull any of the rabbits unless they are suffering.
 
had a brainstorm today as I was mulling over rabbits inbetween a really busy day.. (was volunteering at an agility trial).

In the spring I start using hose water for the rabbits.

Could that be an additional sort of problem for the bunnies? Something in the hose that the rabbits have a hard time adjusting too? I don't notice their drinking slacking off at all, but it was just a pondering.
 
I wouldn't think it would be the hose. In my very unprofessional opinion, that would cause gastric problems rather than a sneeze. Do you use the same hose in the old tent too?

Another thought...are both of your tents facing the same direction or are the openings facing the same direction? If the airflow is coming in the new tent but not the old tent, it could be bringing in allergens that don't agree with the buns.
 
no, the tents don't face the same direction. They are 90% to each other.

I use the same hose for both tents. I just didn't know how lead leaching from hoses might affect rabbits. It was a "duh" moment. If people aren't supposed to drink hose water...what about the bunnies? :)
 
If the two tents are at right angles, you need to consider which is getting the better ventilation from the prevailing breezes. If it's the old tent... that might account for why the new tent is not so healthy.
 
I don't let any of my animals drink from water out of a garden hose. They all seem to be made in China where lead and melamine don't seem to be a big deal... There are special RV hoses made for drinking water though.
 

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