I nicked my rabbit when I was cutting off dirty fur.

I injured my rabbit this morning, I found some lumps of dried poo stuck to his undercarriage and was cutting them off (with scissors with rounded ends). I should have got someone else to hold him, I think one pair of hands wasn't enough. It was really shallow but not like a cut, it has a surface area. Does he need to see a vet? What can I do to prevent infection? I remember the vet nicking him last year and saying they no longer routinely give antibiotics for minor skin injury. What should I look out for? I don't know how I'd tell if it was infected.

To make matters worse he already has stasis for the first time in many years. So he's on meds and being syringe fed. He is a determined fighter when it comes to syringe feeing, hates it. It was diagnosed after hours last night at the animal hospital, which is an hour's drive away so he's having an unsettling time.

He is one of a pair and they live in a purpose-built shed with a pen attached with runaround tunnels. I have cut off their access to the tunnels because I need to be able to reach him to give him the meds/food, this alone makes them feel a bit panicky. I'm thinking of bringing them indoors and putting them in pens side by side as I don't know who has produced the poo and I can't leave food to tempt him into eating because she'd eat it. They have access to hay all the time, I mean pellets and treats.

If there was no blood then I think he should be fine although I am not a Vet. You could ring your Vet and explain exactly what has happened and most likely they will say the same. Keep an eye on the area. It might be the meds which is upsetting his poohs. I would keep their diet very plain ie hay ,a few pellets and no veg for a few days. It is up to you whether you take them indoors but separating them is not advisable. Is it just the boy who had stasis?

Thank you, Tonibun. I have called the vet, they said to wash the wound in sterile salt water a few times a day and call them if it bleeds again, becomes swollen or pussy. It did bleed. I feel like such a bad bunny mummy! Poor thing. The vet was saying maybe he should be in hospital but they aren't having visitors at the moment and I'm also concerned about how much that would upset the other one. So I'm bringing them in the house and keeping them separated but side by side with shared time outside of the pen. I think that would be better for the bond than one going into hospital and this way I can leave food out for him and see whether he has taken it and how much he is using the litter tray. My husband is holding him while I feed him now which is making the syringing easier.

I'm sorry he is unwell with stasis
Don't feel bad, accidents happen! I have an angora/teddydwarf crossbreed so it means a lot of trimming and I have cut him by mistake a few times. Even if the cut is really small it is my experience that it almost always results in a surface area anyway. But I have just kept it clean like you do and it tends to get smaller really quick ( within a day).

A tip for next time is not to tent the skin so much if you understand how I mean, it is much easier to cut them by mistake and for the wound to get big if you tent the skin too much. In most areas I don't tent the skin at all, in some areas a little tenting but then I always feel where the skin is before I cut That have helped me

Lots of healing vibes for him, both stasis and wound!

Thank you, Walli, I'm glad it's not only me. You're right, I should have used both hands, I was using one to hold him and it was a mistake, as I needed it to check the skin hadn't moved. I won't do it like that again. He didn't seem especially bothered by it at the time, perhaps because he'd had a few doses of metacam. He's a mini lop and pretty furry himself at the moment as he's been living outside. I hate seeing him so unhappy but I did just catch him nibbling on some hay so I am hoping we can manage him back to health ourselves. It must be so hard to have an animal in hospital atm. Thanks for your support.

Hay nibbling sounds promising
Fingers crossed for a good night with more nibbling!
And the wound will probably look better tomorrow already

It can be hard to see where skin begins , especially near tail. Try to put a comb between skin and matt before trimming on outside of comb through matt.
It was an accident so forgive yourself.
Sending vibes he will recover soon from his stasis.

Thank you, bunny momma, that's a good idea, using a comb like that.

The scab is definitely smaller today so that's a relief. He has eaten hay, greens and pellets today though not in usual quantities. Best of all, when I let him out of his indoor pen this morning, he went dashing around the living room.

great news! Hope the improvement continues

Moonstone said:

Thank you, bunny momma, that's a good idea, using a comb like that.

The scab is definitely smaller today so that's a relief. He has eaten hay, greens and pellets today though not in usual quantities. Best of all, when I let him out of his indoor pen this morning, he went dashing around the living room.

Click to expand...

Good update. As a bonus,exercise improves gut motility.

He is well again. The scab is tiny and I stopped washing it with sterile saline yesterday as he's fed up with being picked up. He's a very happy bunny today. Thanks all.

Great news
I'm glad he is well and happy again!

Good update.