Horrible Bunny Fight

[sophiadiaz03]

hello i’m sorry in advance this is going to be long but i want to give as much info as possible. so i have a total of 4 buns 3 boys 1 girl. the oldest two boys are neutered and i was planning on breeding the other boy and girl. my vet told me as long as the other two boys were neutered along with bonding they would be okay but to keep an eye on them. i’ve had them separated except during the bonding process and move the girl to switch between all the boys so the youngest gets used to the scent (he’s okay with the girl so i thought that’d help) well today while i was at work the youngest had managed to get out and got into a big fight with one of the boys my roommate just had gone in to check on them and found them and instantly separated them into completely different rooms. she had told me what happened but i didn’t know the full extent until she sent a picture. his names bailey btw and he was so bad i felt absolutely horrible. he’s got a total of about 6 cuts. one small one on his ear, two or three (i’m not positive because his fur was in the way and i didn’t want to hurt him) big ones on his side (so bad i could literally see his muscles), one on his cheek it looked pretty deep and one super bad one under his throat. i had her bring him to my work (i work with dogs so there’s a lot of medical cleaning supplies i could use) i had gotten the bleeding to stop but as soon as i saw him i knew he needed a vet i just wanted to clean it as best as possible. there’s not a lot of vets in our area that helps bunnies but we found one the has an appt tm and one today she called there but they said it’s just walk in so she has to get there fast before they’re booked up. i was just curious from what i described if she doesn’t get to the vet in time will he be okay by tomorrow?? i just don’t want him to die at all but especially right before we get him help but these are our only options. i also am selling the younger bunny because the only place i can put him away from bailey and the others is in the cage (which is a pretty big size btw) but i don’t think it’s fair considering all the other buns are free roam. please let me know!!

 

[JBun]

There's no way to know if he'll be ok until they take a look at him. It will depend on the amount of blood loss, the extent of the injuries, and whether your rabbit goes into shock or cardiac arrest because of the stress of what happened. Rabbits can be quite fragile little animals, prone to going into shock from traumatic events.

I'm sorry this happened and that your bun was hurt. I really hope he will be ok. It sounds like it was just a really horrible and unfortunate accident. Until you find a new home for your youngest unneutered rabbit, you'll just want to make sure that he is safely secured in his cage away from your other rabbits, so there won't be a risk of this happening again.

Bonding rabbits is a very tricky and delicate process, that if done incorrectly, can pose a risk of serious injuries occurring. It doesn't really sound like your vet knows what they are talking about when it comes to properly bonding rabbits, so I would suggest reading up on it further before continuing the process.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-bunnies.html
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bonding_rabbits_together

 

[Deludedbyreality]

I agree with Jbun's response. While bonding rabbits you should have them all penned within close proximity of one another unless you are available for close supervision. Understandably your buns were all free roam prior to his arrival which is amazing for them but when introducing a new bun into the mix it's best to limit their potential access to one another unless you're around. Having the 3 free roam and have direct access to the lil guys pen will encourage an escape if at all possible.
Additionally regardless of having the other two neutered the one is not and the hormonal overdrive in that one is enough to present a slew of issues including breaking the bond of your other buns. Buns have incredible memories and they will hold that close for quite some time. The little one may not ever be able to be paired with a playmate... I suggest rehoming them to a single bun home or someone who has one other animal and letting them know about the bonding process as well. Even if it is a home with just a cat or dog they will need to properly bond this rabbit with playmates and pen enclosure now that this has happened since he will be wary of other animals. Be very careful to monitor your other buns behavior as well now since they could possibly fight amongst themselves. I'm not saying it's a definite but to keep it in mind and pay close attention to them.
I've had a really bad incident occur in the past as well with a couple of junior buns and like Jbun said it really will depend on the severity and placement of the wounds.
However all that said rabbits while delicate can be incredibly resilient in terms of superficial wounds. Skin tearing when rabbits fight is a very common thing and a hole torn from their skin (think the size of the tip of your pinky from a bite) can spiral out of control quickly when the afflicted bun moves. Bunnies do not have a layer of subcutaneous fat like we do sitting directly under their skin so it goes from skin to muscle with a thin membrane holding that skin in place where it needs to be.
Your bunny will need to have their fur clipped away in the affected areas and then can potentially have the skin stitched together or held in place with liquid stitches while it heals. Make sure to clean your hands thoroughly before touching the little one if you have handled your other bunnies as the scent can trigger them to be aggressive towards you in a fear response.
Your vet can give you a prescription for antibiotics to stave off infections as well as a painkiller for the first few days. Be sure to watch his input and output for any issues due to the antibiotics as it can disrupt their gut microbiome and make it difficult for them to go. Placing extra cecotropes from your other buns if they're healthy can help to combat this inside his litterbox. Cleaning daily during their healing process is paramount to preventing infections. Personally I like to do a morning and evening cleaning. You will probably need to fashion a little cozy sweater for them as well, easily enough done from the sleeve of an old sweatshirt or a tube sock, to prevent access to the wounds while healing. Bunnies are notorious for self cleaning and can pop those stitches right on out trying to fix themselves and cure the healing itch. I've posted below a link to the only cleaning spray available over the counter that I would use. You can find it plenty of places however including Tractor Supply, some Walmart Stores, and Chewy.com. I wish speedy healing for your little guy! Good luck and keep us posted!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00425DZTM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_ZeL3FbMA78VKX

 

[Madelyn L.]

I feel horrible for your bunnies! Get them to the vet as soon as possible! I hope he’ll be ok!