my rabbit accidentally gave me a deep bite

Question
My rabbit bit me by mistake, it was really my fault, i was feeding him raisins, i had two in my fingers, i went to feed him one he took the other and bit my finger down to the bone. Should i be concerned about germs or anything? Do/can rabbits have rabies? I've cleaned it well but it keeps bleeding.

Answer
Dear Joy,

The chance that your rabbit carries the rabies virus is virtually zero.  However, there are other bacteria that can enter a deep wound and might be cause for concern.  They are not specific to rabbits, but Clostridium tetani (which causes tetanus), Staphylococcus, or other bacteria that can cause infection could have entered the wound when your bunny bit you simply because they were on your skin.

If you haven't had a tetanus shot recently, contact your physician and ask whether now's the time for a booster.  It might be a good safety precaution.  Also ask the physician whether any special action should be taken, such as antibiotics to prevent infection.

It's good that the wound bled profusely, as this will help flush out any bacteria.  But it's better to be safe than sorry, so give your physician a call and cleanse the wound as recommended.

But be comforted in knowing there's nothing deadly that's peculiar to rabbits that should worry you.  This should be treated the same as any nasty puncture or cut wound you'd get from any other source.

Hope that helps.

Dana