Wet Nose on a Rabbit: All You Need to Know

The question of whether a pet’s wet nose is a sign of good or poor health is one that many owners find themselves asking. Is it fine to ignore a wet nose as entirely typical, or should some form of veterinary advice be sought? Let’s find out the reasons why rabbits’ noses might be dry or wet.

A rabbit’s nose tends to become moist if the animal is trying not to overheat or if it is attempting to improve its sense of smell. So while there are some natural conditions that can cause a wet nose, that does not mean that a runny nose or discharge isn’t necessarily an issue. The best approach is to become familiar with your pet’s daily habits, which will allow you to start reading them.

Below, we explore the reasons why a rabbit’s nose might be moist and the possible issues that could result from it:

Possible Reasons for a Wet Nose

Rabbits will regularly have wet noses, and many circumstances can cause this. For example, if they are feeling too hot, they will moisten their own noses with their tongue as a defense. Dog owners might be familiar with this habit, although rabbit owners will not see their pet panting like a dog does.

Rabbits will also make the most of any water lying around when they are overheating, which they will dip their noses into. Indeed, this offers your pet a double benefit as it also heightens a rabbit’s sense of smell. This might surprise some, but rabbits do have an excellent scenting ability and use this instinct to judge their environments. Consequently, it can be a real advantage for your rabbit to have a moist nose.

This is not to say that a wet nose is positive in all circumstances, as some early disease symptoms are indicated by a runny nose. In particular, rabbits are prone to developing respiratory conditions.

With this in mind, therefore, being able to tell whether a nose is runny or excessively moist can be crucial. Spotting the difference could be vital in making an early intervention into your rabbit’s condition.

Staying Cool

Maintaining a safe body temperature is vital throughout the animal kingdom. Rabbits are no different and are particularly sensitive to conditions that cause overheating. This, in turn, can lead to serious negative consequences.

Typically, a healthy rabbit’s temperature will be between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. This optimal temperature can be compromised if the surroundings reach above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The majority of domestic areas do regularly move above this temperature, so be aware of whether your rabbit is struggling.

Indications of a rabbit struggling in the heat are:

• Low energy/enthusiasm
• Fast, shallow breathing
• Warm ears
• Damp nose
• Tossing back its head at the same time as breathing rapidly with an open mouth

It should be clear why maintaining a suitable environment for your pet rabbit is crucial, especially when it comes to temperature. If you can keep its living area below 80 degrees Fahrenheit, then your rabbit shouldn’t struggle with any symptoms of overheating.

So, considering these factors, a perfectly healthy rabbit may have a moist nose if it is trying to avoid overheating.

Enhancing Scenting Ability

As already mentioned, smell is crucial to rabbits and perhaps an even more important sense than either sight or hearing. This might seem unusual to us, as we depend on sight and hearing for so many things, but rabbits have evolved differently. While their sight and hearing are good, smell allows them to interpret their environment more extensively.

The following are crucial examples of why scent is so vital:

• A rabbit’s hearing is very good, which explains why a loud noise can scare them so easily. Once they hear something, they will sniff the air to analyze whether danger lurks nearby.
• While a rabbit’s eyesight is not poor, it does have limits such as not being able to pick up on objects that are not moving. Plus, rabbits are farsighted, which explains why scent and hearing are more important for threats that are close by, as rabbits are unlikely to become visually aware of them prior to their nose or ears alerting them to danger.
• Rabbit kittens will not be able to see until they are ten days old. So smell is the first sensation to help guide their senses in finding their mother and feeding.
• As rabbits seem shy to us, it might come as a surprise that they are very territorial and also inquisitive. If they encounter fresh ground, they will want to take a look around with a view to making it their own. Their ability to scent will help them more than any other in this task.

Considering the above, it becomes clear why a rabbit’s ability to heighten its sense of smell is invaluable. Consequently, it will often be fine for your rabbit to have a moist nose for the numerous advantages that this offers.

Wet Nose or Discharge?

Undesirable discharge from the nose can be hard to spot, as an owner might simply interpret this as typical moistness. One way of being certain nothing is wrong is to check whether the moistness has a certain thick quality. 

A wet nose should not contain thick liquid, so this can be identified as discharge. If this is the case, your rabbit will need immediate veterinary attention, as it may have developed a respiratory condition or other illness.

It is important to understand that rabbits cannot breathe through their mouths like us, so a nose that is struggling to function is a real issue and could prove fatal.

Possible Conditions

Because of the importance of a rabbit’s nose for breathing, it can be revealing to explore the types of illnesses or conditions your pet might be suffering from whenever nostril discharge is identified.

Snuffles

This condition seems to be unique to rabbits and leads to a variety of possible infections affecting the mouth, eyes, ears, and lungs. In this event, discharge from your rabbit’s nose will confirm your pet has snuffles.

Should this condition be identified, it is important to remove your pet from the vicinity of other rabbits. It is a contagious condition, and any other rabbits you keep could be infected and become ill as well.

Without proper treatment, snuffles will likely prove fatal for your rabbit. Some signs to look out for include:

• Skin sores
• Head tilt
• Wet/matted facial fur
• Runny nose
• Wet paws
• Nasal discharge

When your pet is affected by any of these, there are some things you can do to help, but it is nevertheless crucial to involve your vet. If not, you are placing your pet at risk.

Pneumonia

It can be alarming to think your pet could have pneumonia. In rabbits, the development of pneumonia relates to the lungs being inflamed by parenchyma. Signs of this can include going off food, inactivity, sneezing, coughing, and discharge from the eyes and nose.

While these could also be signs of other conditions, if they persist for two days, then you should contact your vet for advice.

Myxomatosis

This is a disease that has decimated wild rabbit populations in the past, and the Myxoma virus will likely never completely go away, potentially affecting your own pet. Typical, but not exclusive, sources of myxomatosis are fleas, flies, and fur mites. Indeed, contaminated plants, especially those sporting thorns and thistles, can also harbor the disease.

It is also the case that if your pet rabbit comes into contact with the Myxoma virus then they are likely to have far less immunity than those in the wild. Pets do tend to exist in a plastic bubble that can easily be popped, so you’ll want to be mindful of any chance of myxomatosis finding them.

A number of signs of this rabbit disease include inactivity, puffy eyelids, and purulent (pus-producing) conjunctivitis. This can result in discharge from the nose and eyes, shortening your pet’s life expectancy to a couple of weeks. Be mindful, therefore, of myxomatosis and always be prepared to visit your vet if your rabbit shows symptoms. 

Conclusion

So, as far as rabbits are concerned, having a wet nose isn’t necessarily an issue. There is a greater likelihood that they are looking to work out their surroundings via their favorite sense. Plus, they could just be preventing themselves from becoming uncomfortably hot.

However, if the moisture on your rabbit’s nose becomes thick, you should treat it as an issue. It is a clear sign of discharge and therefore of an infection, so your rabbit could be at risk of developing a life-threatening condition, or indeed already have one.

You cannot be too cautious if this happens, spending needless time looking for reassurance on the internet. Better to be safe than sorry, so just take your rabbit straight to the vet. Many infections can be cured with basic antibiotics, so you shouldn’t be afraid of massive expense. If left untreated, their condition might worsen rapidly and prove fatal.

In conclusion, a rabbit with a wet nose probably does not need to see the vet. If the wetness appears to be thick, though, then treat this as an emergency and get your rabbit seen by a professional as soon as possible.