sneezing bunnies

Question
I made the mistake of buying what appeared to be 2 healthy rabbits from what has turned out to be somewhat unscrupulous breeder.  One is the largest mini-lop I've ever seen and the other is a precious little (about 5 lbs) short eared domestic--white with blonde spots.  I have raised rabbits on a very small scale for years, but I've never run into this before.  It turns out that both rabbits a sneezing quite a bit and continuously (several times a day).  I have checked for foreign objects, and that is not the problem.  I feed them good quality pellets supplemented with fresh vegetables (from a "rabbit-safe" list).  I use coastal hay for their bedding and for "munching".  I don't think they had ever seen hay before from the looks of their pens when we bought them.  Both rabbits seem to feel fine and each has produced a beautiful and healthy litter.  Could it be allergies to the hay?  I'm at a loss and want to make sure this doesn't become a life-threatening problem or make them so miserable that it affects their quality of life.  Thank you very much in advance for your time.

Answer
Dear Becca,

Well, I'm glad you got those poor bunnies away from the bad breeder.  They will be safe and happy with you.  But yes, you should be concerned about the sneezing, as they both might have upper respiratory infections that need to be diagnosed and treated with the appropriate antibiotics by a rabbit-savvy veterinarian.  Please read:

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

and

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

and find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

The problem isn't life-threatening now if they're just sneezing and don't seem to be having trouble breathing.  But it will not likely go away on its own, and it could get worse if not appropriately treated.

I hope this gets them both on the road to recovery, and that they have long, happy lives with you.  They'll be even happier once you read this:

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

Good luck, and please write back if you have any other questions.

Take care,
Dana