I had a guy I know pick up 7 rabbits from his mother in law. They are 8 & 12 weeks old. He was keeping them in a large dog carrier over night, on the ground, & it had 6" x6" openings at the bottom. I think it got it's leg between the ground & bottom of the cage. It drags it's back end around. I've seen it move the one leg but the other stays straight out. It will roll up on it's bottom when it get alert like it is ready to bolt but rolls back to it's side to move. It normally laid on the side that isn't working. At first I hoped it was just from low circulation & would go back to normal but 26 hours later it isn't doing any better. It is eating & drinking well. My guess is it is one of the 8 week old ones since it is the smaller of the two sizes.
Possibly Broken Leg
- Thread starter King
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Bunnylady
Herd Master
The (apparently) sudden onset of symptoms, with both hind limbs being affected, sounds like something known all too well by longtime rabbit raisers - a spinal injury. Rabbit bones are quite delicate; it isn't at all uncommon for a young rabbit to wiggle out of somebody's arms and fall on the ground, and wind up dragging both hind legs. I have seen a rabbit lying in its cage with a foot sticking out through the wire get startled by something, try to jump across the cage, catch the foot and wind up breaking its own back. The cause of injury in this case could be something that happened in the carrier, or someone getting one hind leg when they went to remove it from the cage, or maybe an awkward moment when they went to put it in the carrier.
The fact that this bunny still has some movement in one hind leg suggests that it still has some nerve function, so there is some hope of it regaining the use of its legs. It needs to be kept in a cage by itself, in a place where it is unlikely to be exposed to anything that might startle it or cause it to try to move suddenly. Damaged nerves take a while to repair themselves, but within a couple of weeks you should see signs of some improvement. It may take a couple of months for the rabbit to heal to whatever level it can. It could be a 100% recovery, or it may remain the way it is now; it could be somewhere in between those two extremes - it's hard to say. The simplest thing would be for you to just cull it and be done with it, of course.
The fact that this bunny still has some movement in one hind leg suggests that it still has some nerve function, so there is some hope of it regaining the use of its legs. It needs to be kept in a cage by itself, in a place where it is unlikely to be exposed to anything that might startle it or cause it to try to move suddenly. Damaged nerves take a while to repair themselves, but within a couple of weeks you should see signs of some improvement. It may take a couple of months for the rabbit to heal to whatever level it can. It could be a 100% recovery, or it may remain the way it is now; it could be somewhere in between those two extremes - it's hard to say. The simplest thing would be for you to just cull it and be done with it, of course.
- Thread starter
- #3
It is at 3.7 lbs. Not knowing what age it is but was told some were 8 weeks & others were 12 weeks. She looks like the ones that range 4.25-4.5 lbs. The smaller bunnies are the same weight but a different color.
Something else I noticed was that she pees quite a bit when she is first picked up. I'm thinking she may have trouble peeing or she is trying to hold it. I don't have a problem culling it but should I try to get a few more pounds on her?
Something else I noticed was that she pees quite a bit when she is first picked up. I'm thinking she may have trouble peeing or she is trying to hold it. I don't have a problem culling it but should I try to get a few more pounds on her?
alsea1
True BYH Addict
I would cull now.
- Thread starter
- #5
My son took care of her last night. The blood vains in the one hind leg were ruptured. I've never heard of this. I didn't see it to know for sure tho.
She was a lot of work tho. It seemed that we had to pick her up several times a day to drain her bladder. I don't think she could pee on her own. That is the main reason we decided to cull.
She was a lot of work tho. It seemed that we had to pick her up several times a day to drain her bladder. I don't think she could pee on her own. That is the main reason we decided to cull.
