Weeping Eyes In Rabbits (What To Do)

Well, the immediate thing is to organize a vet visit as soon as you can. If the bunny’s eyes are weepy or have become red, medical attention is needed promptly. This mostly happens to the kits (younger rabbits) more than the adults.

Once you get to the vet, talk to them about all the other symptoms (apart from the weepy eyes). The info you give the expert will help them to know what caused the teary eyes of your rabbit.

After The Vet’s Visit

1. Clean The Rabbit’s Eyes

The weeping will not stop suddenly; it will continue for a while, well, until the rabbit is completely healed. Get a soft, damp cloth and use it to dab the rabbit’s eyes. If necessary, hold the material gently against the eye for any crusts to loosen and soften.

2. Feed The Rabbit

If the rabbit does not eat by itself, you should step in and take care of it. Younger rabbits who suffer from weeping eyes will choose not to eat, which can have detrimental effects.

So, get a dropper or a syringe at a feed or pet store and use it to feed the bunny. On what type of food, you should talk to your vet or animal nutrition expert to know the liquid foods you should give.

3. Keep The Rabbit Away From The Rest

If your cage has multiple rabbits and only one is infected, you need to isolate it. Since the infection can spread, isolation will keep things under control. The unaffected rabbits will remain clean and safe, and you will get the space needed to treat the sick one.

4. Ensure That The Rabbit Takes All Its Medicine

Since the weepy eyes may result from an infection, your vet will prescribe some antibiotics. On top of that, they may or may not give oral antibiotics. It will depend on the severity of the issue or if the rabbit has any other injuries or conditions.

Always use the medicine you get from the vet and not any other, whether human or animal. If you use non-rabbit medicine, you may exacerbate the situation.

5. Get The Rabbit Back To The Vet For A Follow-Up Check

You will need more scans to know if the condition is getting better or worse. At the vet’s clinic, the expert may want to do CT scans or X-rays to see the root cause of the weeping.

With X-rays, the expert will know if there are any injuries in the bunny’s skull that are causing the weeping. On the flip side, CT scans assist in locating obstructions to the bunny’s tear ducts.

Weeping Eye In Rabbits (Prevention)

1. During Feeding, Reduce Dust

You can achieve that using food hoppers that have solid sides. You can get them at feed and farm stores, and they will help prevent your rabbits from getting the hay dust. As you already know, dust is an irritant and may be one of the reasons why your rabbit has weeping eyes. 

2. Make Certain That The Bunny’s Facial Area Is Dry And Clean

In a day, take several moments of your regular business to clean the rabbit’s face. When you do that frequently and consistently, you will deal with the debris and dust building up there. Remember that the items are possible triggers of weeping eyes in rabbits, and you don’t want that happening.

3. Ensure That The Rabbit’s Enclosure Is Dry And Clean

This one should be obvious, but there is no crime in mentioning it. Make sure that all the items in the cage – beddings, towels – are clean. This will help to deal with the bacteria that triggers weeping eyes in rabbits. If there are any wet spots, ensure that you dry all of them.

Do not use household cleaners or harsh chemicals. If you do, your rabbit could be poisoned, or you could exacerbate the situation. If you’re using soap, ensure that you rinse it thoroughly before the rabbit comes back into its space.

Studying The Symptoms That The Rabbit Presents

We’re done looking at what to do with weeping eyes in rabbits. Now, why don’t we look at the symptoms and the diseases?

If your bunny has too many tears coming out of its eyes (or one of them), or if its eyes have crusty items, you are looking at weeping rabbit eyes. To treat that condition, you need to know the cause.

In the technical and medical world, these eyes are known as epiphora, and actually, they are taken as symptoms of other conditions and not conditions themselves.

When your vet or animal health expert talks about weeping eyes in rabbits, the main subject is usually conjunctivitis. This is an infection caused by some bacteria and viruses. Other causes of conjunctivitis include dental problems that pressure the tear ducts to release tears endlessly.

Here’s how you know whether your rabbit has weeping eyes or not:

1. Start By Wiping The Eyes’ Discharge Away

When you’ve cleaned up the crusty items, take a look at the rabbit’s eyes. Check for redness or irritation, and if you notice any, you could be dealing with conjunctivitis.

Then, monitor the rabbit’s eye surface closely to ensure that it is as smooth and as shiny as it can get. If you see a matte appearance or if the surface looks jagged, there could be an ulcer in the cornea. Such a symptom should get you going to the vet’s clinic.

2. Check For Injuries

If your rabbit’s face recently experienced some disturbance or trauma, it can trigger weeping eyes. Check for any injuries or scratches that may be painful enough to cause the teary symptom.

Any swelling or inflammation could lead to a case of weeping eyes, so be keen in looking at the details. Look for any debris or blades of hay that may be stuck under the rabbit’s eyelid; they could be behind all the tears you see.

3. Do Close Monitoring Of The Rabbit’s Mannerisms And Behaviors

Because of their prey natures, rabbits will hide their sickness and injuries. You could be dealing with weeping eyes if the rabbit has eye discharge together with lethargy, particular lowness, and shyness.

To know if the rabbit is shy, try letting it out of its enclosure. If it not active (as usual), it could be dealing with an issue.

4. Make a Mouth and Face Examination to Pick Out Any Inflammation and Swelling

If your rabbit has another infection that causes inflammation, it may get weepy eyes. Swellings and abnormal growths like abscesses put pressure on the rabbit’s tear ducts and cause weeping eyes.

Antibiotics can treat these symptoms that the vet will give. For growths and swelling, the vet will drain the matter and clean the area to deal with the infection.

Final Words

Weeping eyes in rabbits is a common issue with many rabbit breeds. If you notice teary eyes on your bunny, you don’t have to panic. Ensure that you clean the area around the rabbit’s eye together with its cage. If things seem too overwhelming for you, the best thing is to talk to a vet.

If your rabbit’s eye issue is caused by an underlying condition, it needs to be resolved before any teary-eyed treatment is administered.