Help! Rabbit Attack!

[Ptbunny8087]

We just had 2 rabbit attack each other. It was a 2 year old and a 7 weeks old. They got in a fight and it seem that the 7 week old go bit. The top teeth went to the top of the head and the bottom went in tw top eye lid. The eye lid looks like a slit but isnt that bad. the top of the head it seem the top teeth went in and is just bleedingWe called the vet and he said it would heal fin but I show her and was wondering it it will heal like normal. You all must have had something like this happen. What do you think? She is moving around and is just acting normal. Help!

 

[Zass]

Actually no. I've never had an injury caused by one of my rabbits attacking another. They are all housed separately.

The only rabbit my 7 week old babies ever come in contact with is their mother, and I wouldn't breed a doe who bit her own babies.

 

[MaggieJ]

Even with rabbits of all ages together in a fairly small colony, I have never had one attack another in the sense of biting. There have been occasional short chases, but nothing violent. I think cage rabbits have more problems getting along with each other than colony rabbits... They just don't have the social skills.

 

[Ptbunny8087]

Even with rabbits of all ages together in a fairly small colony, I have never had one attack another in the sense of biting. There have been occasional short chases, but nothing violent. I think cage rabbits have more problems getting along with each other than colony rabbits... They just don't have the social skills.

What do you think I should do about her eye??

 

[MaggieJ]

The picture is kind of blurry and I did not get a good sense of how serious the bite is. If the eyeball itself is okay, I would carefully disinfect the wound and put some antibiotic ointment on it. But then, I have to say that I have had very little experience with rabbit wounds.

 

[akane]

For the injury clean it up with an antiseptic. Peroxide is fine for one time use but damaging to healing tissue so usually we go to betadine rinses. If it's going to scar there's nothing you can do about it. The fur might grow back normal. Keep a close watch on the eye and you might want to go ahead and see if you can find terramycin ointment. Pet stores do not carry meds anymore. You have to use feed stores and human pharmacies.

Most people don't keep rabbits together past 8-12weeks old and even then usually they are all the same age and often all the same litter. You shouldn't mix rabbits older than that without really knowing what you are doing and having lots of space as in a room sized pen for large breeds. The smallest I've kept mature small breeds together in is 3x6' and I don't suggest it. I do throw a mix of young netherland dwarf in my 36x30" cage but not without the occasional problem and not over 12weeks old. I would not mix show rabbits. I have done colonies with dozens of rabbits but there's always a risk of at least a small injury like an ear tear that would be faulted or even DQ on the table. Anything I decided to show or sell for show I moved in to individual cages. It's the meat rabbits and sometimes pet stock that are raised in groups.

 

[squidpop]

I can't see the wound in the photo, do you think it needs stitches? Sometimes you can superglue wounds depending on where they are and what the edges are like.

If you disinfect with betadine or peroxide you should dilute it first with boiled water or saline. Betadine can eat the tissue and inhibit healing. I think if it were me I would just rinse it really well with saline solution to clean it. I think if you do see signs of infection you should probably just go to the vet and get antibiotic ointment or oral antibiotics.

P.S. I put betadine on a scratch on a 6 day old kit once and I could see the tissue being eaten, the edges of the wound curled and the scratch turned bigger right before my eyes. When that happened I did some googling and research and that is when I read that betadine and peroxide can kill the tissue and inhibit healing.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I can't see the wound in the photo, do you think it needs stitches? Sometimes you can superglue wounds depending on where they are and what the edges are like.

If you disinfect with betadine or peroxide you should dilute it first with boiled water or saline. Betadine can eat the tissue and inhibit healing. I think if it were me I would just rinse it really well with saline solution to clean it. I think if you do see signs of infection you should probably just go to the vet and get antibiotic ointment or oral antibiotics.

P.S. I put betadine on a scratch on a 6 day old kit once and I could see the tissue being eaten, the edges of the wound curled and the scratch turned bigger right before my eyes. When that happened I did some googling and research and that is when I read that betadine and peroxide can kill the tissue and inhibit healing.

use a dilute solution of betadine , not full strength.

 

[squidpop]

Personally, I think wash wounds with saline, (there are recipes to make your own on the internet), and don't even use peroxide, iodine, or betadine— all those things make wounds heal slower. Also, since its on her eye, it wouldn't be good for any of that stuff to get in her eye. <br /><br /> -- Tue Aug 05, 2014 7:15 pm -- <br /><br /> Personally, I think wash wounds with saline, (there are recipes to make your own on the internet), and don't even use peroxide, iodine, or betadine. Also, since its on her eye, it wouldn't be good for any of that stuff to get in her eye.

Another thing I think might be good for disinfecting wounds, without destroying healthy tissue is Manuka Honey. I've noticed it being used for infected wounds on forums a lot. Here is a thread on a horse forum where they used it on a big infected wound on a horse and it healed nicely.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/s ... ces-to-buy