Can you get sick from the ammonia in your rabbit's urine?

by Corey
(Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

I clean my rabbit's cage every 3 days but I went away and the person taking care of him only fed him and gave him water. I got home late so I fell asleep and I felt like I was going to throw up when I got up, I had a head ache and also had it coming out the other end.

***Moderator Comment***
Excellent question, Corey. The main symptoms with ammonia odor are mainly eye, nose and throat irritation. If it gets really bad, you could experience eye injury and lung spasms. At the very worst, ammonia poisoning can be rapidly fatal. Glad you're still with us, heheh.

My guess, from your descriptions, is that your room smelled pretty rank, but not bad enough to prevent sacking out. The symptoms you describe sound an awful lot like an intestinal flu, though it is of course impossible to say either way with certainty.

Hope you'll be feeling better soon...
K