Rabbit with wet nose

Question
My rabbit is an 8 year old Rex and recently he has had a wet nose. It is not thick or milky looking it is clear and thin. He is eating fine and he especially likes bananas. Also when he breathes you can hear noises that sound like he has mucus in his lungs. Im not sure if that is what he has but it is the best way to describe the noise. Every day he gets a bowl full of cheerios 1/4th of a banana and vionate powder. Is there anything i should be worried about and should i take him to a vet?

Answer
Dear Bob,

The first thing I need to warn you about is that, as far as his diet is concerned, you're killing him with kindness.  A bowl of Cheerios and half a banana is far too much starch for a rabbit.  The vionate probably hasn't hurt, since his diet may not be balance, but I'd strongly recommend that you gently switch him to a balanced diet that will promote his overall good health, and leave the Cheerios and bananas for little treats over the course of the day.

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

has all the information you need to get him onto a good diet that will make him healthier and better able to fight disease.  If he's got mushy stool, this diet will also solve that problem.

The runny nose and sneezing are cause for concern, especially if you hear sounds in his lungs.  This could mean that he has an upper respiratory infection, pneumonia, or both.  Please read:

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

and get him to a rabbit-experienced veterinarian ASAP:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If he has pneumonia, he may need to be nebulized 2-3 times a day for best results.  Pneumonia can progress to become a practically untreatable, life-threatening condition in a rabbit, and sometimes there are no signs.  You're lucky your bunny is giving you a warning with the noises, and I'm hoping that a good vet can get him on a treatment protocol that will get his infection cleared up.

The sounds might not be coming from his lungs, but do express your concern to the vet so s/he'll be sure to give the lungs a good listen, and possibly even radiograph them to be sure there's no congestion there.

I hope this helps.

Dana