Bad nose

Question
Hi, my rabbit is about 6 months old and he seems to have had a bad nose for quite a while now. It looks as-though he has banged his nose on the edge of his hutch and it keeps bleeding and being really crusty. I have noticed few spots of blood on the inside of his hutch, but it is more crusty than bleeding. Every time it looks like its getting any better he bangs it again. It also looks like one of his eyes is getting slightly swollen. I just need some help to check my little bunny's ok. His name is Joey.
Thank you, Jessica

Answer
Dear Jessica,

This could be one of several things:

1.  mange or other mite-related disorder (see www.bio.miami.edu/hare/furloss.html)

2.  rabbit syphilis (treatable with injectible Penicillin)

3.  myxomatosis (if you are in the UK, Europe, or Australia)

In any of these cases, your bunny needs to be seen by an experienced rabbit vet who can accurately diagnose and properly treat the problem.  You can find a good vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.


Dana