My daughters pet rabbit has chewed her toes off her back feet, can anybody tell me why it done this? We have it penned up real good, so I don't think a stray animal could have done it. We have it in a cage that we ordered from Bass Co. and the bottom has 1/2 x 1" screen.

-- russell (rhays@sstelco.com), April 08, 2001

Answers

I have never seen a rabbit do this to themselves, when I have seen it happen a dog nipping from the bottom of the pen was to blame. Is it more than one toe? they do some tines catch on the cage if they are real long but most of the time a dog is to blame

-- grant (organicgrange@yahoo.com), April 08, 2001.

check to make sure it isnt, catching, snagging, hooking its toes on anything,, a weld spot,, a bend peice,, and end wire. Run your hand over the entire inside of the cage to feel for it. What size wire are you useing? if its too large, its toes will stick thru,, and can snagg that way,, if it goes to jump

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), April 08, 2001.

About 15 years ago when we had our very first rabbit and had NO IDEA what we were doing then (My son won the rabbit at the county fair) the rabbit climbed into the back of the clothes drier vent and got his nose cut off! My husband rushed him to the vet and he said to just let it heal. Jack lived to be an old age and fathered numerous bunnies before he died in my son's arms. (We had learned by then about keeping rabbits in hutches, etc.!) But anyway, my point is, if the injury heals o.k. the bunny should be o.k.

Now we raise English Angoras and some lops.

I haven't had any to chew off their toes but do think it could possibly be from a dog or other enimal jumping up and snipping and snapping at them. I've heard of that before. I've heard of newborn bunnies being pulled through bottoms of cages like that and being eaten by dogs too. Best of luck and hope the bunny is not in any pain. Suzy in 'Bama

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), April 08, 2001.

Has this rabbit ever had a injury to its spine? Decreased circulation can in rare cases cause paw chewing.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), April 08, 2001.

Where is the cage. Weasels, cats and other things CAN get through wire bottoms of even 1/4 inch hardware cloth. With wire bottoms, the cages should be three feet minimum off the floor. In my case, I have worm boxes under them, so we had to fence off the bottom with the same 1/4 in. cloth.

Is there any scarring? How is her fur? The reason I ask - if SHE did this to herself, there might still be blood in her coat. Don't look around the mouth, though, as either way, she would like the wounds.

Either way, if there are wounds there, put an antibiotic cream on her toes, but very light. She WILL lick it off, but perhaps not before it can do her some good. Make sure of what is in that cream, though!!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 09, 2001.