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Mini lop missing a nail!

22 9:46:31

Question
Mocha\'s front nail
Mocha's front nail  
Hello Ms. Enve, I own an 8 year old mini lop rabbit named Mocha. As I was trimming her nails, which I try to do every 3-4 weeks, I realized her front right paw is missing a nail! Attached is a photo. I'm sorry for the poor quality, but I'm hoping if you could tell me whether or not to take her to the vet. Her mood hasn't seemed to change, if anything, she seems happier, ready to snuggle and more curious than ever. However, I don't want to base how she's doing purely by how she's acting if there's a chance she could have an infection. It's difficult to explain the color, but it's definitely around the darker shades of grayish brown. As you can hopefully tell, it's a jaggedy little stump. Please calm my anxiety! Thank you so much for your willingness to help!

Answer
Hi Jessica,

If it is not bleeding she doesn't need to go to a vet.  It is actually very common for bunnies to break their nails clean off.  I would just make sure that her living area doesn't have any wire which is often the culprit of missing nails.  As long as she continues to eat and drink normally she will be fine.  If she were to stop eating or drinking or become ill there is a very slim chance that it would be from this.

I hoped I have helped ease your anxiety.  Thank you for being such a responsible and caring bunny parent.

Pam