Buck Making Unusual Sound and Not Eating UPDATE

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Heritage Homestead

Heritage Homestead

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Of course when I can't access the internet one of the rabbit decides to act up.

A week or so back Chess went off his feed. He would hardly touch it for a couple days. It was very hot around that time and I though that might account for it. He had no discharge coming from his nose or eyes and look perfectly normal, so I decided to wait and see. After a couple days right when it cooled down he started eating all his food again.
A couple days ago he did the same again. This time it was only one day, but the weather was nice and cool, so I was a little worried.
Now this morning he is making an unusual sound. I'm not sure how to describe it. It is kind of like a quiet grunting sound that he seems to make while he is breathing. It's not a wheezing sound and he is not tipping his head up to help himself breath. There is still no discharge and he is eating. Though sometimes over the last few days I've thought he wasn't as excited about getting his feed in the morning as usual, but he has been eating it all.

This is so frustrating and discouraging. If Chess gets sick I know that will be the end of my rabbits. I can't afford a new buck and if I lose him I'll be done.
Any idea what might be the problem?
If I come up with a better description of the noise he is making I'll let you all know.
 
I wish I had some suggestions to make, HH, but I can't think what the problem might be. Possibly something respiratory but the symptoms seem so slight. If you haven't already isolated him, it would be a good idea.

Are any of your does bred? If so, I strongly recommend that you keep a back-up buck since it would be difficult for you to buy one.
 
I only have one senior doe and she is not bred. I actually tried to breed her yesterday (the due date would have been my birthday), but she wasn't receptive.
I have her 8 week old litter and there is a NZW buck in there, but I'm not sure I can afford to keep the rabbits for another four months while I wait for him to mature.
 
Perhaps you can sell some of the youngsters from that litter to pay for feed for the others and just keep back one young buck. Once he is mature, you may be able to pay for the feed from rabbit sales.
 
Unfortunately I already needed to sell all the bunnies to pay for feed. I'm not sure I can make the money go that far without another litter.
I'm just praying Chess gets over whatever it is.
 
Hi Heritage!

I had been wondering where you were. I am so sorry to hear Chess is having trouble. :(

The only thing I can think of is maybe he has wool block, and the impaction is causing a lack of appetite? Look at this link under "Woolblock" for treatment options:

http://bettychuenglishangora.com/cares/index.html

Of course, that may not be it, so you might want to try a couple of different things. First off, I would give him electrolytes in addition to his water. According to a lot of our members, orange Gatorade is a favorite flavor, but you can easily make your own:

homemade-electrolytic-solution-t14844.html

If you have any chewable Vitamin C and/or Echinacea tablets, offer him those and hopefully he will eat them if he needs them. Also give him a chunk of salt/mineral block- just knock a piece off of one your large livestock blocks.

Also check his water source. If he is having a hard time getting enough water, his appetite will be poor. A crock is probably a better option than a bottle right now.

Keep checking your NZ doe for readiness- if Chess is not feeling too poorly he may be able to get her bred for you.

Good luck, HH! :clover:
 
Sorry about my disappearance. Sometimes things come up and I'm off the computer for quite awhile.

I hadn't thought of wool block. I've never had any trouble with that in my NZs. Thanks for the link.

We have Vitamin C. Is it possible to give them too much? Each of our tablets are 500mg. We actually have an entire mineral block that we got for the cow that she refused to eat (she likes the sheeps better). Way more than enough there.

He does have a crock.

Oh, he was more than willing to do his job yesterday. As soon as she was in there he was up and at her. Seemed frustrated that Ebony wasn't working with him! :lol:
 
Heritage Homestead":3fk2pwje said:
I only have one senior doe and she is not bred. I actually tried to breed her yesterday (the due date would have been my birthday), but she wasn't receptive.
I have her 8 week old litter and there is a NZW buck in there, but I'm not sure I can afford to keep the rabbits for another four months while I wait for him to mature.
Click to expand...
:yougotpm:
 
I took a look at the wool block link and most of the signs don't match up, but just to be on the safe side I went to see if we have any Enzymes like they suggested.
All I can find that we have is some Nature's Sunshine Food Enzyme capsules. Would those work as well?
Some of the ingredients say they have milk lactose in them. And I was thinking dairy was not good for them.
 
I don't think they can eat too much vitamin C- most animals (including people) just excrete the extra in their urine. There is a book written by a vet who uses extremely high doses of C to treat everything from Distemper to hip dysplasia...

As for the enzymes, you want bromelain. Do you have any Adolf's Meat Tenderizer in your pantry? Fresh pineapple and papaya are other sources of the enzyme.

There are more suggestions here:

wool-block-info-t13801.html
 
No, bromelain, meat tenderizer, pineapple, or papaya. Man, I don't have anything! :x

I gave him some electrolytes and vitamin c. I put the vitamin c in his pellet feeder with a few blades of grass, so he would come over and find it. I just went out to check on him and found the vitamin c on the ground (untouched) and the bowl empty. Oh, of course there was no sign of the grass. He ate that. :roll: So, I put vitamin c back in the feeder (one last try) and refilled the bowl. He was low on water so I went to refill that. As I was walking back I hear water falling and see the cat that was under the cages jump out of the way. As I walk around to the front of the cages I see Chess holding the container in his mouth. He dumped it again. :x Guess he doesn't want it. :roll:

I listened for the noise and he wasn't making it then, so it is not a constant thing.
Sometimes rabbits give me a headache.
 
No, about the same. Still making that noise, but no discharge/sneezing and his droppings look normal. He's still eating.
I think I'm going to take the gamble and breed Ebony. Hey, what have I got to loose? :shrug:
 
Grunting or tooth grinding is usually a sign of discomfort or pain. Look him over carefully to be sure he has no physical injuries.
 
so he's making noise, but eating and drinking fine?

he might be just fine. seriously.

i had a buck once he made noise when he ate.
I let him be and when it was time to get a new buck and let him go I autopsied him as best I could and could find nothing... mind I didn't go down the nasal passages or anything like that. but lungs were perfect as was everything else.
 
Update on Chess:

He seems perfectly fine now!! I haven't heard anything for quite awhile and he is back to his excited self. And he is due to be a dad again on Saturday! Yay!
Thanks so much for all te advice. I am ssoo happy he is better!
 

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