Sometimes pets produce unusual sounds, and they are alarming to a person far from veterinary medicine, as he does not quite understand the reasons that prompts the animal to publish it.
A rabbit is a rather silent animal, but sometimes the sounds it reproduces resemble grunting.
Why does the rabbit grunts?
The behavior and habits of a decorative animal are no different from the usual rabbit. This animal has a fear at the gene level to be detected in front of a predator, and therefore sound communication is minimized. The reasons why the rabbit grunts may be several:
- an uncastrated animal grunts, wanting to mate;
- shows discontent;
- dental problems;
- eye and heart diseases;
- runny nose;
- pneumonia.
If grunting does not stop for a certain time, then the animal is better to show the specialist.
Did you know? In the wild, the life expectancy of a rabbit rarely exceeds one year, whereas at home the animal lives up to the age of 8-12 years.
Expresses discontent
It is not at all difficult to cause discontent of the rabbit: it was not so held up, not so held, it was taken up without its consent. He may be dissatisfied with the environment, not accept something or someone new.
Often a demonstration of irritation and discontent can be traced when trying to touch an animal. In a dissatisfied rabbit, the ears are tightly pressed to the head and back, and the head is pulled into the body, as it were, the posture is tense - the animal is visually reduced. It speaks with all its appearance about its inflated state, stress. If you want to caress the animal, then give it time to calm it down.
Dental problems
When the teeth do not have time to grind, the abnormal growth of incisors begins, which injure the oral cavity and cause pain to the rabbit.
Problems with teeth often occur for the following reasons:
- improper diet. Often, the desire to take the path of least resistance leads to problems - the abuse of dry store mixes, which are very nutritious, but do not contain fiber;
- trauma, as a result of which the jaw bones have grown together incorrectly, and the bite of the animal has changed;
- calcium deficiency in the body provokes weakening of the teeth, discomfort when chewing food;
- genetic predisposition.
Did you know? The rabbit has 28 teeth, and in the upper jaw, behind the large front incisors, there is a second - a small pair of incisors.
Runny nose
Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose occurs in rabbits of any age, with excessive swelling of the mucous membrane, the animal begins to breathe through the mouth, making a grunting sounds.
The reasons for which appeared rhinitis are:
- wounding the mucous membrane of the nose, the use of stale, moldy food;
- inhalation of hot air, the presence of dust and gases in it;
- infectious diseases.
Learn what and how to treat a runny nose in rabbits.
Pneumonia
Inflammation of the mucous membranes of the bronchi enters separate parts of the lungs, which are filled with fluid, preventing air from entering them.
The sick animal has difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, body temperature increases.
The animal coughs, nasal discharge appears, swallowing is difficult, as the pharynx also becomes inflamed, grunting sounds appear, and there is no appetite.
Important! High humidity, high content of harmful substances in the air (vapors of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, smoke, etc.), drafts are factors that lead to a negative impact on the state of the respiratory system of rabbits.
Eye and heart diseases
Eye diseases cause an oppressed state in an animal, in which there is no appetite. The animal tries to hide in a quiet corner, it does not open its eyes or opens it with noticeable difficulty. Often, eye diseases are accompanied by tearing, inflammation of the eyelids. The following causes may cause eye disease:
- injuries (scratches, bumps), falling into the eye of sorin, feed particles, insects;
- eye contact with cosmetics or disinfectants that irritate the mucous membrane;
- bacterial or viral infections;
- avitaminosis of an animal due to malnutrition;
- inflammation brought from other parts of the body.
Eye diseases, like others, need to be treated, you should not hope that it will pass by itself. The faster you react to the disease, the easier it is to cure it.
It will also be useful for you to find out what exist and how to treat diseases in rabbits.
Untreated diseases can provoke problems of the heart in a rabbit, causing heart failure, which is manifested in the behavior of the animal. The animal develops apathy, desire to hide, loss of appetite, intermittent breathing, mouth open all the time, uncharacteristic sounds appear.
If one or more symptoms appear, you should contact your veterinarian, who will prescribe a course of treatment.
Preventive measures
The problems that arise with rabbit teeth are easier to prevent than to treat them. Caring for the teeth incisors is not difficult, but requires certain actions:
- examination of the animal's teeth, its oral cavity, at least once every two weeks, in order not to miss the development of the disease;
- a balanced diet that combines the presence of juicy and roughage;
- injury prevention.
Important! Grinding teeth is not solid food, but the process of chewing.
Prevention of diseases of the respiratory system is the observance of veterinary and sanitary standards for the maintenance of animals, timely cleaning and disinfection of the premises where the animal is kept. It is necessary to quickly respond to the occurrence of a bad state of health of the animal and immediately eliminate the reason for the development of the disease.
The sick rabbit is placed in a dry and warm room with good air ventilation, gives a complete (dust free) food, produces the necessary manipulations, which are prescribed by a veterinarian. If you identify or suspect that a small animal has become infected with an eye disease, it must be isolated from the herd in order to observe it individually and prevent infection of the remaining rabbits. A sick rabbit is washed with boric acid and instilled with eye drops, which the vet prescribed.
Attentive and careful attitude, high-quality care will make your rabbits cheerful and healthy.