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What Are Rabbits Allergic To? In 4 Most Common Causes!

What are rabbits allergic to? If you are planning to raise a rabbit, you probably want to know the answer to this question.

Allergies are bothersome for sure, and rabbits are not exempted.

What are rabbits allergic to

What are rabbits allergic to

Well, poor quality hay or bedding can be the reason why your rabbit sneezes a lot, or maybe it’s their environment that triggers their allergies.

Yet, don’t worry as allergies are manageable and can be cured!

Nevertheless, this article will help you as your knowledge boosts. Read on!

Is Your Pet Allergic?

It’s great to know that you are interested in rabbits, maybe it’s because of their cuteness?

Well, I can relate to that! I decided to take care of Thumper, my pet rabbit, due to his melting cuteness!

However, you’d want to make sure that you, yourself are not allergic to rabbits.

Get to know your allergens and visit a doctor to ensure that adopting a rabbit would be alright.

You see, your allergy reactions could progress if you expose yourself to particular allergens.

Therefore, I would suggest you meet the rabbit first and see if your allergy starts to show up to ensure that you can take care of this fluff while breathing freely.

What Are Rabbits Allergic To?

Now that you are aware of your allergies, you can manage them, and if you don’t have any, then lucky for you.

Yet, are you aware of what are rabbits allergic to? If not, then keep on reading.

What Are Rabbits Allergic To?

We, rabbit owners, know that Timothy Hay is essential to our pets’ diet, and finding out that it’s sensitive to it would be horrifying.

Yes, you heard that right! Some rabbits can actually be allergic to hay. You can learn more about this topic at can rabbit have allergies

Nevertheless, here are some allergens you’d want to watch out for:

#1. Hay

My Thumper loves Timothy hay with his food, and I believe your rabbit loves it too! As rabbit owners, we all know that their diet should consist of at least 80% fresh hay.

Yet, we should not be at ease as some rabbits may have allergies to it.

You see, there is low-quality hay that can cause your pet to sneeze or have watery eyes.

Poor quality hay is usually dusty that will surely give your pet some reactions.

So, make sure to check the ventilation of the hutch where your rabbit spends its time to see if the ventilation is good.

You have to make sure the air inside your rabbit’s hutch goes out, replaced with the clean air outside so that the dust particles wouldn’t stay, which are known to cause allergies.

Types of hay

Nevertheless, here is a list of types of hay you want to feed to your pet rabbit:

  • Timothy Hay
  • Orchard Grass
  • Alfalfa Hay
  • Mountain Grass

The following types of hay vary in texture, protein, fiber, and calcium levels; that is why you want to consider your rabbit’s age when feeding then a particular type of hay.

For 7 months old or younger

Offer younger rabbits, Alfalfa Hay, due to its high protein, calcium, and fiber content.

The following nutrients are essential for your rabbit’s proper growth and weight gain; they will help them stay healthy and strong.

For older than 7 months

Timothy Hay, Mountain Grass, or Orchard Hay would be suitable for rabbits of this age as Alfalfa Hay could make them overweight because of its high protein and calcium content.

What Are Rabbits Allergic To?

The following hay types are perfect for older rabbits because they consist of the right amount of nutrients their body needs (low in protein and calcium but rich in fiber), helping their digestive system work while keeping them from being overweight. You can learn how to tell how baby rabbits old are in this article. This will help you provide them with the right diet. 

Yet, despite feeding them high-quality hay, if you find your pet allergic to Timothy Hay, then try to switch it with other types such as Orchard Grass for it might be less allergic to it.

I am lucky because I can feed Thumper Timothy Hay without a problem. I bought this Kaytee Timothy Hay, and Thumper loves it.

Some rabbits can be allergic to other food such as vegetables, pellets, or maybe some treats.

Be sure to observe your pet’s reaction towards any of these; you can usually identify a food allergy if your rabbit has irritated skin.

It will scratch a lot, leading to fur loss; if this happens, please go to your veterinarian for a check-up. Scratching in rabbits can be due to various reasons. You know more about it in this article where do rabbit like to be scratched

#2. Beddings

Just like with poor quality hay, your pet’s bedding can play a huge role in your rabbit’s allergy.

Dusty and dirty bedding will surely irritate rabbits. If not cleaned or replaced frequently, you are allowing ammonia to grow freely in your pet’s bedding resulting in allergic reactions.

But, if the bedding is unsoiled or cleaned, then it might be the wood chips or newspaper that makes your rabbit sneeze.

So, do change the beddings frequently, clean your pet’s area for the symptoms to subside. You can read about the best type of bedding for rabbits here what is the best bedding for rabbit

#3. Environment

It’s not only from the food they eat or the place where your rabbits sleep; it could be from their surroundings too. 

Rabbits are sensitive, especially with their sense of smell, so you want to make sure that the area where your pets stay should be free from irritants such as:

  • Fireplace fumes
  • Carpet cleaning products
  • Cigarette smoke
  • Freshener sprays
  • Other strong scents

Prolonged exposure to irritants can put your rabbit’s life at risk, so keep them away from possible hazards.

Again, ventilation will be necessary for you to keep irritants away from your rabbit. If you notice that smell is coming up that could harm your pet, then a fan would be handy, or maybe open your windows to allow fresh air to come in.

Keep in mind that our pets have sensitive noses, which require extra care to live happily.

#4. Sickness

Allergies can sometimes indicate that your pet is suffering from a particular infection.

Are you worried because your rabbit sneezes, has watery eyes and a white discharge?

Then visit a veterinarian because your pet might be experiencing a tooth problem, snuffles, or Pasturella.

You shouldn’t take it lightly as these problems may lead to severe health conditions.

Symptoms Of Allergy

We might mistake red, watery eyes for fever because I did! I thought that Thumper was experiencing fever, but it’s allergies.

As pet owners, we have to know specific symptoms for different diseases for us to do proper actions.

Symptoms Of Allergy

It concerns that allergies for rabbits are not familiar, poorly documented, and rarely diagnosed; that is why most owners can’t identify them quickly.

Yet, here is a list of symptoms that could help you know if your pet has allergies:

  • Clear discharge from nose
  • Rubbing its face on the ground frequently
  • Red and watery eyes
  • Irritable skin
  • Sneezing
  • Touching its nose frequently

Conclusion

Hopefully, you learned from this article about what are rabbits allergic to.

Always watch over your rabbit’s health since they are sensitive creatures.

Be careful on what hay you’re feeding your pet, always clean and change their beddings; make sure that there are no harmful fumes present, and watch for symptoms as it can indicate particular sickness. Rabbits are sensitive pets and you should do your best to avoid any discomfort in their life. Thank you for taking out time for reading this article. 

Enjoy your time with your lovely pets. 

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