Rabbits Bunny leg help ASAP!

[Inle_Rabbit]

Has he been to a vet? I worry that if he still is not hopping correctly and you have said the wound is shallow that something else is not wrong. Maybe a ligament has been torn when your cat caught him, or the long canines of the cat has damaged the muscles too much. What seems like a small wound may be very deep given the length of cat teeth. If he has perminate damage he can never be released into the wild. I have no idea what process is then used.

The stress of a car trip is minimal when you conciser he will be receiving the correct care from experienced people. A wild life rescue may also have other bunnies that he could be cage next too to help reduce stress. Rabbits like guinea pigs crave attention of their own kind. I highly doubt that a rescue would have a cage that was too small for the rabbit to stretch out, even hobby breeders know better than that.

Have you been in contact with a wildlife rescue to make sure that you are giving the bunny the best care?

 

[Wildcavy]

The other thing I should mention is that wildlife rehab is not like caring for domestic animals. You MUST be willing to learn how to euthanize. Unless an animal is deemed fit to be an education animal -- and you need a special permit for that, too -- if it is too injured to be released, you have to euthanize. You can't get attached. This means that if the bunny you are caring for is too injured to survive in the wild, and there is nowhere for it to go as an education animal, it would be euthanized. If it is too tame to go into the wild, that would also make it a candidate. If it cannot reproduce, it would be euthanized (cannot put a non-productive wild animal back into the environment and have it use resources that an animal that can reproduce would use).

And it is not easy to euthanize all animals. You can give a bunny a shot, but you don't even want to know what has to be done with reptiles. I could never be a reptile rehabber.

 

[PigPandemonium]

Alright, thanks for the info! Just had no idea what to process was, so I wanted to know if it was an option or not, it might be in the far future, as I would love to help animals in any way possible.

I had a vet friend come over and check him out, she said she saw nothing wrong other than the bite wound, and that I should keep on with what I'm doing. He seems to be getting better very very quickly, so hopefully I will be able to release him soon! His walking is better than the yesterday, if he keeps getting better at this pace, than I think in the next day or two, he will be ready to go back.

There are many places around here that are safe to release him too, I've picked a great area not near any roads and such where he will be safe, and away from wild cats.

 

[xXMaggieXx]

Each state has different rules. Much of Virginia's permitting process is governed by Game and Inland Fisheries, for example. The process to get fully permitted takes a couple of years -- you have to do book study plus an apprenticeship with a permitted rehabber and a vet. And you have to take continuing ed classes.

I've not finished the permitting process because I know that I cannot have a special zone in my house to have the animals here. Instead, I assist other rehabbers and provide transport.

If you are a permitted rehabber, you must have a separate area and you are inspected. You have to demonstrate that you will not cross-contaminate and that both humans and wildlife are respected.

You tend to specialize as well. The person that I work with the most is a bat rehabber. It's amazing and humbling to work with bats. Half of her basement has been refitted with special cages, humidified chambers, etc.

But bunnies and baby squirrels, for example, need entirely different care even from each other. Bunnies are better for people who don't have a lot of time because they don't need the same level of constant care as baby squirrels. And you tend not to get involved with birds if you do mammals. Birds need federal reg understanding, and raptors / protected species cannot be rehabbed without an even more specialized permit.

I could go on and on, but it isn't a short-term process. Beyond the basic care, you also have to study zoonoses, wildlife regs, capture and transport, triage, etc.

I have a full course of rabies shots. I had the pre-exposure because of my life prior to the U.S., but I had to get post-exposure because of an incident with a bat that I was handling (the bat is fine, I'm fine, but it was a lesson that you cannot be too careful no matter how much training you have).

Just FYI, in many jurisdictions you would already have broken the law by having the bunny this long. They don't usually drop the hammer of course, but you have to know these things before you get into it.

It's entirely possible that the bunny is ready to be released. Do you know where you are going to release him? Territory is important. Do you know whether he is now accustomed to humans? Are you sure that any infection has cleared? Like cavies, bunnies are prey animals and hide symptoms. In the event of an injury, a rehabber may -- and a wildlife center will -- take a blood sample to ensure any infection has cleared before release.

I agree completely! Im in virginia and volunteer at my local SPCA and we are a licensed wildlife rehabilitation center. Im 13 but have been able to help out since I have volunteered for over 3 sessions and am dedicated and took training classes. I help with nursing the baby squirrels and take care of some crows that we cant release because of disformed beaks but are lucky enough to be friendly and we can use them to educate! They even say what sounds like a "hi" to everyone. Even though thats all I am able to do. I have heard of some animals having to be euthanized because they couldnt be released or educate or reproduce.

 

[Paula]

Did the vet weight the rabbit and adjust the baytril dosage or offer any other suggestions on what your next steps should be?

 

[PigPandemonium]

I had weighed him previously, and called her about the dosage when I first got him, since the cat bite infection would be the most life threatening. Her suggestion was to just keep with what I am doing, since he seems to be improving rapidly, and then to release him once the wound gets a small bit better, so in a few days.

 

[Haymonster]

Did the vet give an opinion about whether this is a wild or a domestic bunny? "Wild" colouring is not a definite indication that it's a wild rabbit. You get agouti domestic bunnies, too. I just think that you should be sure that this is a wild bunny before releasing it.

 

[RodentCuddles]

The point of keeping a cat indoors is to help ensure it lives a long, healthy life. Nothing about being outdoors is conducive to a long and healthy life. Do you know that the average outdoor cat's lifespan is just 2-3 years? Indoors, they can live 20 and beyond (though 15-16 is probably average).

Ever since we got my cats as kittens they have been outside most of their life, only coming inside when we are home and they are now 11 years old and still acting like kittens. Unlike a friend of my mums who's cat is and has always been an indoor cat and is 8 years old and behaving like he was 17 years old.
I'm just saying that I think cats should be allowed to go outside, and that it does not shorten their life span. Just from my experience, don't wanna start a fight. (;

 

[PigPandemonium]

I'm thinking he's a wild bunny, though he seems very tame. I didn't bring it up, because I'm mostly convinced he's wild. I don't know why a tame bunny would be wandering around outside, though stranger things have happened. His coloring looks like all the pictures of cottontail bunnies I have seen, the only thing being that he doesn't have the white tail from what I have noticed, and he has a white mark on his forehead. Here's a picture where you can see what he looks like.

 

[EverGreenly]

My former roommate's cat brought me a bunny once. He slung it across the driveway before I realised that it was still alive. I put him in a shoebox, kept him as warm as possible, and when he lived through the night I brought him to the nearest (well, best vet in the county) in the morning. His eyes weren't even open yet so I'm sure they euthanized him. I didn't want to feed him anything, I was afraid it would do more harm than good. But I do understand wanting to help.

 

[Haymonster]

Colouring isn't a definite indicator. My bunny was found as a stray, and he's an agouti. He had already been desexed when we found him, though, so we're sure he's a domestic rabbit. Plus he was just way too friendly to be a wild rabbit. Domestic rabbits can be found "wandering around outside" because people dump them, or outside rabbits escape.

Anyway, I think that the wild rabbits that you have in the US are actually a different species than domestic rabbits? From the photos and videos that I've seen of wild American rabbits, he does look wild. The ears tend to be a different shape. I'm not expert, though. That's just my personal opinion. I guess that just having had the experience of taking in a stray rabbit that had "wild" colouring but was clearly someone's pet at some stage (having been desexed and having absolutely no survival skills), I was just concerned.

 

[Wildcavy]

@RodentCuddles , I can't speak for the situation in New Zealand, but having your cat outside in the United States definitely shortens its lifespan, and has a detrimental effect on native wildlife as well. It also raises the transmission rate of certain parasites where "outdoor" or so-called "feral" cats are in any concentration.

Apart from disease, domestic cats in the wild are vulnerable to predators -- not just coyotes and bobcats but also a very large raptor such as a Great Horned Owl could easily take a smaller cat. An injured cat would be vulnerable to crows, ravens, etc. Not to mention getting run over by a car.

Domestic cats do not hunt to eat wildlife in general -- they hunt because it is their instinct, but they are largely ineffective and end up injuring and causing a long, painful death by infection for the animals they injure. No one should think "oh, he just knocked a few feathers off of that robin" and that the bird will be okay. Any infection is going to present either an immediate problem (death) or longer-term (scarring or injury disabling the animal) suffering and death. The domestic cat does not need to hunt to eat, either, unless you are neglecting to feed it. And if you are feeding it, simple logic says that allowing it to kill wildlife is simply gratutitous.

When I was doing rehabber training, the most disturbing video I saw was a housecat in a tree knocking Mockingbird babies out of a nest, one by one. I don't blame the cat -- it is doing what cats do. But I absolutely loathe the neglect of the owner who allowed an entire nest of babies to be killed, which not only was a tragedy for the babies, but also meant that an entire breeding season of energy and opportunity was lost to that breeding pair of birds.

Two weeks ago, I did transport for a bat to the rehabber. The woman's housecat has a door and she lets it come and go. The cat got hold of a momma bat and killed the bat. The momma bat had a 2-day-old baby on her back, clinging for dear life, confused about why momma was cold and not giving any milk. I am certain there was a second pup dead somewhere. I brought the baby to the rehabber still on momma, because the baby was no bigger than my thumb nail. The woman kind of laughed and said her cat was always getting into things. Goodness knows what else that cat has done. It's touch and go with bat babies to begin with --try designing a formula for a bat -- and this one was so wee. I had a hard time containing my anger and just thanked her for calling us.

It's a hot topic in the U.S. I do not understand why, because it should be a simple thing for anyone who loves their cats and wildlife. The cat situation gets people so angry some wildlife folks have actually gotten threats.

 

[Haymonster]

I did a quick search and found this: "Domestic cats are considered primarily responsible for the...eradication of 41 bird species from New Zealand islands alone". I can't link directly to the article as it's a pdf, but if you put this in google: https://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/predation.pdf
https://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/predation.pdfthen it should find the article for you.

As for danger to your cat, although there may not be the predators that you find in other countries, there's still dogs to contend with, and other cats. Not to mention the risk of getting hit by a car.

 

[Haymonster]

It seems the link works now... I don't know why :S

 

[Inle_Rabbit]

That bunny is a wild bunny.

 

[cross]

you are such a good samaritan good luck

 

[Paula]

I agree that it's a wild bunny and think a vet or wildlife rehabber would recognize that pretty quickly. Color isn't always the only indicator, and one of my bunnies was caught by a friend as wee baby and handed over to me to release in a safer area. When I got him it was obvious he was not a wild rabbit, so I had him neutered and he lives happily with my two flemmies now. His coloring is similar to yours, though he has more white patches which made it easy to determine he was a domesticated rabbit whose mother had probably been turned loose.

PigPandemonium - as everyone has told you multiple times, that rabbit needs to be released since you aren't going to get it to a wildlife center where they can properly rehab it. As WildCavy mentioned, a big part of that is helping them keep their natural fear of humans. The longer he's with you, the more he loses it, and it is a survival skill he needs to retain. It's great that you are trying to treat his wound yourself, but in reality, you aren't doing the animal any favors by keeping it and might actually be doing some harm.

As for the outdoor cat situation, I can appreciate that folks think it might be cruel to keep a cat indoors. At our old house we built a cat fence (so cats can't climb over and other things can't climb in) in a small area of our property. He loves going outside and letting him go out safely, I agree, is wonderfully beneficial for him. However cruel you might think it is to confine them outdoors, I personally think it's a lot more cruel to expose him to predators that roam the area (for me, the main danger is coyotes and the occassional rogue raccoon), the potential of being hit and killed by a car, exposed to diseases. Not to mention that every time your cat brings in a maimed or wounded rodent (or rabbit) he's taken away food from one of the other animals in the area, like owls and other birds, coyotes, etc. We've had this discussion before on this forum and I suspect you're going to do what you want to do, and that's fine, but let's not pretend you're doing the cat any benefit by exposing it to so many unknown dangers.

 

[Wildcavy]

Here is some additional information from the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Note that the regulatory issues are specific to Virginia, but the care of "orphaned" wildlife is not. I've excerpted also the part specific to bunnies. They admit hundreds every spring.

(broken link removed)

Most infant mammals cannot digest human foods, sugar, or milk from other species. If you need to care for a young wild animal until it can be taken to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator, the most important thing is to keep it warm and do not try to give it any food or water.

Eastern Cottontail Rabbit:
(broken link removed)
• Rabbits in Virginia nest in hollows on the ground, putting them at greatest risk from lawnmowers and garden tillers. Before mowing your lawn, check for nests – shallow depressions on the ground, possibly lined with rabbit fur and/or grass. Do not attempt to mow within 10 feet of a rabbit’s nest if there are babies present.
• Baby rabbits are vulnerable to domestic cats and dogs. If a rabbit has been in a cat’s mouth it is important to get it to a veterinarian, wildlife center, or permitted rehabilitator as soon as possible so that it may be treated with antibiotics.
• For more advice on what to do if you find a baby rabbit, including how to know if it is an orphan, (broken link removed).

 

[Wildcavy]

Also:

[h=3]If You Find A Baby Rabbit[/h]Cottontail rabbits nest from March through September and may have as many as four litters per year. The average litter contains four to five babies. Young rabbits disperse from the nest at 15-20 days old. By three weeks of age, they are on their own in the wild and no longer require a mother’s care. If you find a baby rabbit:
[h=4]Is the rabbit injured (bleeding, broken bones, puncture wounds, been in a cat’s mouth, open wounds, etc.)?[/h]

• If YES, take the rabbit to your nearest (broken link removed).
• If NO, see below.

Is the rabbit fully furred with its eyes opened?

• If YES, if the rabbit is larger than a baseball and weighs more than 4 ounces or 100 grams, it is on its own and does not need human intervention.
• If NO, attempt to locate the nest (a shallow depression on the ground possibly lined with rabbit fur and/or grass; cottontail rabbits do not burrow) and put the rabbit back. Nests that must be moved (due to construction) may be relocated up to 20 feet away from the original site (scoop up and rebuild the nest with the mother’s fur and place the babies inside). Check back briefly once a day for two days. If the rabbits appear to be plump and healthy, leave them alone. Mother rabbits feed at dusk and dawn. You are not likely to ever see the mother. If the rabbits appear thin and weak, have wrinkled, baggy skin, contact a (broken link removed) in your area immediately. Rabbits may be temporarily moved for mowing if they are returned to the nest before dusk. Do not attempt to mow within 10 feet of a rabbit’s nest if there are babies present. If you suspect the nest is abandoned, you can sprinkle the area with flour or cross two twigs over the nest and check back in 24 hours. If there is no sign of activity at the nest, you will then need to get the bunnies to a (broken link removed).

NOTE: Raising a wild animal in captivity is illegal unless you have a state permit. For information on how you can become a (broken link removed), contact the Wildlife Center of Virginia, the (broken link removed) or your state’s wildlife agency.

 

[PigPandemonium]

@Paula As I mentioned above, I will be releasing him in the morning. I've tried to limit contact as much as humanly possible, only taking him out briefly when he needed the wound cleaned, or his Baytril.