Injured wild baby bunny

Emily Schaefer

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My cat was caught with a wild bunny. It's a baby, but alert, eyes open, ears up. The skin was ripped away from the back of its leg, I can see the muscles underneath. I am not sure if it is eating/drinking or not. I gave it pellets and mixed hay that I have for my rabbits, along with some clovers and fresh grass. It has a water bottle, of it knows to even use it. I just got my rabbits within the last 2 months, one had ear mites, but nothing like this. Anyone that could take them are an hour away and it's just not an option at the moment. Will the gaping hole heal?
 

alsea1

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I doubt the rabbit will make it. The wound sounds pretty severe. Wild rabbits don't thrive well in captivity.
Giving the rabbit pellets when it is not used to eating them may do more harm than good. His gut likely will not tolerate it very well.
My advise would be to humanely put the rabbit down and spare it a lingering death.
 

promiseacres

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We have a local wildlife rehabbed who take any and all injured wildlife. Maybe check to see if you've any local? They are great.
But yes I would offer greens like dandelions vs pellets. You might clean with peroxide but cat bites get infected very easily. Unfortunately Alsea is probably right it's probably going to waste away... we never had good luck with wild rabbits.
 

Bunnylady

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Frankly, if this little guy survived the night, I'd be surprised. A cat's mouth is a nasty place; the bacterial load from a cat bite can overwhelm the immune system of an already severely stressed baby rabbit. I successfully raised several wild baby bunnies many years ago, but they weren't injured; almost inevitably, when you put 'cat' into the equation, the end result was, "bye, bye, baby" IME.:(
 

Dude with rabbit

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I'm in the same pickle my cat caught the rabbit twice though the first time she skinned its leg but it healed enough to let him go free the second time was the night which she ripped off some of the back fur nothing internal or bleeding but I made a temporary rabbit burrow using two pillows and a towel they seem to work the first time to keep him warm also this one is my Grand bunny child because it's parents are ones that I rescued whenever the bear was ran over buy a lawn mower almost all mate safe one ran into a dog kennels and didn't make it but all the others did and apparently they had bunny children and I plan on letting this one have children too
 
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