Re:newborn rabbit and injured

Question
QUESTION: My rabbit rejected her kits ,one left alive, but she took a bite out of it.I am feeding it kitten formula and keeping it very warm and I put neosporin on the bite . Do you think it will die from an infection if I do not take it to the vet and is there anything a vet can do that I am not doing already? Ifeel real bad because they were ok last night .what should I do?thanks for any advise.

ANSWER: Hi,

if it's a bad bite you may want to consider a vet looking at the bite to see if there needs to be more done.  Otherwise you can just call the vet and see if you can get some advice over the phone if you are worried about moving the baby around too much.  They certainly could give you a better topical med to put on the bite.  Possibly not needing to actually see the kit.

Often if you don't give the mom enough space to be away from the babies she can do this, especially if it's the first litter.  They like to stay away so as not to draw predator attention to the nestlings.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your answer. How much space do you recommend and how often should I feed the kit?

Answer
Well the more space you can get between the nest and the mom, the better.  You can't do what wild rabbits do (20-25 ft) but if she can have several feet apart or more and be able to stretch out and relax that usually is pretty good. Or even let her out in her play area away from the nest for awhile.  But since you are taking care of the kit now, and it's away from contact with her, right now it's kind of a moot point.