loud sniffing noises

Question
My bun Bandit is 9 months old.  I've read everything on the internet I could about noises that rabbits make.  I already know that when they're annoyed or really mad they let loose a loud sniff noise, but my bun seems to do this a lot; even when she flops.  She'll flop and then make a short, loud, sniff.  Or she'll sit up, look at me, and do it again.  Sometimes she even does it when she's eating.  Occasionally the sniff will turn into a honk so maybe she's trying to do that but it doesn't come out right.  In any event, she doesn't have any eating problems, sleeping problems, or pooping problems and her nose and eyes aren't runny either.  WHAT is this NOISE??  Should I be worried??

Answer
Dear April,

Without hearing the noise, I can't do more than make an educated guess.  It could be that she's just making high-spirited snorting noises,  but it sounds more like she's either sneezing or blowing to clear her nose.

Rabbits can have upper respiratory infections or even a foreign body up the nose, so I'd recommend you have her checked by an experienced rabbit vet.  Be sure to describe the symptoms clearly, and the vet will do the rest.  You can find a good vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

and read more about sneezing and its causes in rabbits here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html

so you'll be ready with the right questions.

Hope this helps.

Dana