I think my rabbit has a cold

Question
Well I just bought my rabbit about 1 month ago. I am not sure of his age, but he's young. Today I noticed a small amount of "mucus" around his nose, so I cleaned it. Then later on this evening I noticed some more, but not as much, and I cleaned it again, but I think he is sick. He hasn't changed any eating habits, or pooping habits, and he is as active as the day we got him. I plan to take him to the vet soon for a basic check up, and to find out the simple things (age, vitals, health etc.) but I wonder should I worry about his health, I mean should I "over-worry" myself because I treat him like he is my baby, and I just want to know is he really sick, and what could have caused his cold? Please help, Thank you i advance.  

Answer
Hi Dereka,

with rabbits, it is better to be very precautious when it comes to their health.  They tend to mask illness and injuries, so when you see them, they may have had it already for awhile.  That is why you can't wait when you see a problem, to take care of it.

This sounds like an infection that will require antibiotics.  Please keep cleaning her, and get her to a vet as soon as possible.  You will need to give her probiotics like acidophilus during and after antibiotics to make sure her gut has enough good bacteria left to work properly.

There are a lot of things that could cause his cold.  He could have already had the bacteria before you even bought him.  Lots of young rabbits are sold unhealthy.

I'd get him to a good rabbit vet (not every vet is a good rabbit vet), so if you don't have one yet, go to:

www.rabbit.org\vets

and find a House Rabbit Society-recommended vet in your area.  They only recommend vets that have lots of experience with rabbits.  The site also has hundreds of articles on all aspects of rabbit care.

I would also pick up the book "The House Rabbit Handbook, 4th Edition" by Marinell Harrimann.

Write back anytime.  Lee