cleft lips and hairballs in rabbits

Question
My sister and I were riding our bikes today and had seen a wild bunny in someone's yard. We stopped and noticed that the rabbit looked raggish. So we went to the ladies house and she said he just ended up here about 1-2 weeks ago. So we were allowed to catch him.
I own 3 rabbits so I figured I could keep another one.
So my sister and I caught it. It showed no signs of disease (Rabies)(He's a male, particularly nice but shows signs that he was abused like cowaring down when you try to pet him but definitely once domestic, and he's an older rabbit- 3 years old im guessing.)

I sprayed him down with flea and tick spray and gave him a powder bath. he has tons of matted hairballs on his lower back. he also had what looked like a cleft lip. Can rabbits have cleft lips? (His nose is also a tad runny. But the "mucus" is clear, his eyes aren't runny. So I read online that it can be from change in environment or bedding. I don't think hes in need of a vet)His ears were also warmer than normal. But I brought him in , fed him some good food and his fever is getting cooler.

So, mainly, cleft lips. Are they possible in rabbits? And what should I do about the hairballs? There's no way of brushing them out, so should I just shave them off? He'd look funny, but who cares?

Answer
Dear Savannah,

Thank you for your kindness in rescuing this poor abandoned bunny.  He was likely someone's pet, and they just dumped him.  How cruel.

As good as your intentions were, it is very dangerous to use flea or tick spray on a rabbit.  Rabbits groom and lick themselves, and even products like this that are marketed as safe for rabbits are just NOT safe for them.  Instead, get him to a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who can check him over and see what treatments are necessary.  Revolution (selamectin) is the safest medication for fleas and ticks, and it is topical and applied only once a month.  No more sprays or powders!

For the runny eyes, please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html

And note that if you have female rabbits who are not spayed and this is a male, you must NOT let him near them.  He can get them pregnant in seconds, and before you think that would be cute and fun, you MUST read this:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/scary.html

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/breeding.html

All rabbits normally have what's called a "hare lip":  the philtrum (which corresponds to the little indentation under your own nose) is not fully closed, and that's normal.  Here's what a normal rabbit upper lip looks like:

http://hoppelz.com/images/stories/aboutrabbits/06anatomy/harelip-rabbit.jpg

If the bottom lip is split, or if he has a split other than right down the middle of his upper lip, then this is likely an injury.  Whether or not it can be repaired will be up to the vet to determine.  But yes, it's possible even for bunnies to have cosmetic surgery.  :)

I can't see the mats to determine whether they need to be removed. But you can probably comb a lot of them out by using a fine-toothed flea comb like this one:

http://tinyurl.com/338rm3q

and putting some baby cornstarch-powder (available in the baby section of any supermarket) on the affected areas to loosen and lubricate the mats so they won't pull and will come out easily.  Shaving is risky, since rabbit skin is incredibly thin and easy to accidentally cut.  I'd try the combing with baby powder first.

I hope this bunny does well in your care.  For all the best, most accurate information on rabbit diet, health and care, please visit:

www.rabbit.org

Good luck!

Dana