rabbit with runny eye

Question
my rabbit has a really bad runny eye with took it to the vets they gave us some cream but it isn't working he is in a small shed with is cage. he is eating good.could it be that he needs to be cleaned out more we thound some mice in a shed we are trying to get rid of them.but what shall i do.

Answer
Hello Emma,

Some bunnies are more sensitive to fumes than other's.  If the shed is small it is very very important that you clean it often.  You also need to get rid of those mice.  They carry diseases that can make rabbits sick.  You can't use poison because if one crawled in your bunnies cage after eating the poison it could kill your rabbit also.  Have you ever considered getting a cat?  Many cats can be trained that bunnies are not food but mice are.  I have an older barn cat that is really good around my rabbits.  She stays outside and all of her feedings etc are done right in the rabbit barn.  I have never noticed any mice other than the one's she brings to me after she has caught them.  She is so proud of herself.

Did your vet check your rabbit for snuffles?  If he had snuffles he would also have a white nasal discharge.  Also do you use bedding or do you have wire cages?  If you use bedding cedar is very bad, pine is ok but can supposedly cause kidney problems after long time exposure.  I use pine on some of my rabbits, but the one's who have cold like symptoms or obvious allergies and sensitivity I will use Aspen.  It is actually recommended that you always use Aspen because it is safer.

If you have tried all of these suggestions and your rabbit still has runny eyes, this is what I would do:

I would start out using Bosch & Lomb Eye Wash ... it
has Boric Acid in it and that's good to wash out the eye with.  If after several days the eye doesn't begin to clear up - I'd get some Terramacyin Ophthalmic Ointment  from the vet. If that is not what he already gave you.  It works very well.  It is something you should keep on hand anyway.  I recommend all rabbit breeder's have a tube of it.

Until you can have a permanent solution to your mouse problem put up those neck snap traps.  Put a whole bunch of them in there, make sure they are away from your rabbits and put them where you or whoever does your chores isn't going to accidently get snapped.  You will probably have to change them often but just keep changing them.  You need those mice gone.  For every mouse you see, they say  there are 10 you don't see.  Before we had our cat I had killed over 200 mice before they were gone.  I eventually got them all but still keep snap traps up in corners and so the cat can't get to them.  I haven't caught a mouse in years though.  It is more of a precaution.

I hope your rabbit gets better.  If he has any sign of white nasal discharge please get him back to the vet immediately and make sure its not snuffles.. snuffles will spread to your whole herd and you could end up with a disaster on your hands.

If you have any more questions please let me know

Sincerely,

Pam Enve

You might also want to ask one of the other breeder's what they do for mice control. I am only telling you what I do but really it is not my area of expertise.