Every rabbit breeder has it ingrained within his or her training to watch out for a sneezing rabbit. First off, if the sneezing rabbit is displaying a white nasal discharge in conjunction with the sneeze, this is the worst scenario and more than likely indicates a case of pasteurella or pneumonia. In either case, the rabbit should be immediately isolated from other animals, as the condition can be passed along to healthy rabbits, and makes the animal a candidate for immediate culling from the herd.
If the rabbit is sneezing without showing a nasal discharge, consider the circumstances. If the animal has just started to eat its pellets and sneezes, it may be a product of dust off the pellets that irritates the nasal passage. This sneeze is not a cause of concern—PROVIDING—you do not see a matting of the fur on the forelegs. This matting is caused by the rabbit wiping its nose after a sneeze, and if matting of fur on the foreleg occurs, it is an indication you are headed for much further respiratory problems, including early stages of pasteurella or pneumonia. Again, isolation should be practiced until the cause can be fully determined.
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