AboutLee Meyer (Mr.) Expertise I have 4+ years of experience with House Rabbits, rescue groups, and working with shelter rabbits. I do educational talks about house rabbits. I advise potential adopters, supervise bunny 'dates', fundraising/educational rabbit events, and help rabbit owners with their rabbits. I will answer questions about: general behaviors, body language, housing, toys, bunny-proofing, diet, spaying/neutering issues, nail clips, preventative measures, diet, and health questions.
To clarify, I will not discuss: anything that deals with rabbits for fur, food, factory-style breeding, deliberate or casual breeding by pet owners, or experimentation. I will not discuss how to poison wild rabbits you consider pests. My focus is solely on rabbits as loved pets. It is the reason I am a House Rabbit Society member as opposed to an ARBA member. If you do not view your rabbit the same way you would a pet dog or cat, please ask another expert your question.
I am not a veterinarian and cannot conclusively diagnose your rabbit. I do a lot of reading and have been exposed to many different situations across our six healthy rabbits, the shelter rabbits I work with, and my mother's rabbits.
IF YOU THINK THERE'S A PROBLEM, DON'T WAIT FOR A REPLY, GET TO A VET IMMEDIATELY!!! Sometimes what appears to be a small problem is life-threatening.
My advice with respect to medical issues doesn't take the place of a good rabbit vet. The House Rabbit Society has references on their site for vets they have researched. There are US and international links here for vets all over the world with rabbit experience: www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html
I recommend the following resources to all rabbit owners:
House Rabbit Society - online rabbit info (www.rabbit.org)
Book: Rabbit Health in the 21st Century 2nd Ed. by Kathy Smith
Book: House Rabbit Handbook 4th Ed. by Marinell Harriman
Experience House Rabbit Member since 2004
Discover Your House Rabbit organizer - 2006
Rabbit Adopter since 2004
HAWS Board of Education member (rabbits) since 2005
HAWS Rabbit Volunteer since 2004
Organizations National House Rabbit Society, Wisconsin House Rabbit Society, Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS), Education Board Member for Rabbits, Friends of HAWS
Education/Credentials BSEE, MSEE (Electrical/Computer Engineering), Marquette University
Expert: Lee Meyer (Mr.) Date: 5/15/2008 Subject: Hi I need your advice. . .
Question I was putting my show goat back in its pen when i heard this screaching sound, my cat was trying to eat a baby rabbit. . . I took it from it and it had three terible wounds on it (no skin was broke just tour off) i cleaned it up and put iodine on it went back outside and its mother had left. . . what should I try and do? I'm 16 years old and going to be a vet and its against my will to let this animal die!! Can you help me? :-D
Answer Hi,
if he's still outside, take him in if possible, put him in a fairly big cardboard box, high sides, top open, lined with old, soft cotton towels. Put a water crock in with him, crush up a baby aspirin in the water, give some green lettuce in little pieces more his size (like you'd put in your own salad).
You may want to try to minimize handling if he is scared of you, tries to get away from your hands, etc. If he isn't so scared, you can try to put regular neosporin (not the plus stuff) on his wounds as a protectant. Cat saliva is extremely lethal to small animals and he needs to be professionally cleaned up and given prescription antibiotics.
In the morning, you need to call around to vets, rabbit rescue groups in the area, or animal shelters to see if there is anyone near you who rehabs cottontails. They can try to get him well and raise him to the point they can return him to the wild.
Thanks for taking care of this little guy, and being concerned about him. So many people are "it's just a rabbit, bird, etc". He will remember your kindness.
