Rabbit bitten in the ear

[SD-rabbit]

Hi, I had posted a few days ago about bunny bonding challenges. Things seemed to really progress positively after my post until a terrible bonding session where the two bunnies fought so badly and our bunnies ear got bitten.
He seemed ok yesterday but his ear is down today. I don’t know if he’s keeping like that on purpose or if we need to take him to the vet. Any experience with this? He seems to be acting normal otherwise. We are rehoming the other bunny as this has been very stressful for both.

 

[JBun]

The main reasons I can think of for the ear being down would be because it is painful to the bun, there is bruising and swelling, or there is an infection. You'll want to keep an eye on it to make sure there are no signs of infection(redness and inflammation, bump below the surface, white pus).

If it isn't looking infected but the ear doesn't go back to normal in the next few days, I would get the bun to a knowledgeable rabbit vet just to have it checked out. It may be your bun would benefit having meloxicam prescribed to reduce inflammation and alleviate pain, and possibly rabbit safe antibiotics if needed. Also keep an eye on eating. If your bun stops eating or isn't eating well, it's likely the ear is hurting him. Rabbits shouldn't go more than 12-24 hours without eating or eating a sufficient amount, then it's considered an emergency.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[nicolekline97]

Lucy was bitten in the ear but I didn't realize it for a few days. When I did realize it I washed the area and applied a holistic skin gel for a couple of days. Keep a look out for infection and monitor how the rabbit is behaving. After a few days if she doesn't perk up I would take her in but it would not hurt to take her in anyway or give the vet clinic a call. JBun has excellent advice