sticky eyes

Question
hi they, my rabit is about 7years old, today i noticed both his eyes were stuck together with a white sticky mucus, i bathed them both with warm water with 1 drop of dettol in, but the eye lids seem very sore. can you suggest any thing else i can do for him, and what is it that could of caused this, i have recently put straw in the cage, could that be the problem. he shares a cage with another rabbit whom is very old, and her eyes are ok.  thank you  

Answer
Dear Sharon,

Your bunny could have conjunctivitis (infection/inflammation of the conjunctiva--the "pink" of the eye), a corneal ulcer, glaucoma, a dental problem causing his tear ducts to be blocked, or any number of different ailments that can cause the eyes to run.  None of them will go away on their own, so I would strongly recommend that you get your bunny to a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

for diagnosis and proper treatment.  If the problem has been chronic, not sudden, then this might help explain one possible cause:

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

I hope this helps get you started.

Dana