My rabbits nails

Question
My rabbit Thumper, is almost 1 years old. One day he was jumping of the stairs and his nail got caught in the carpet.Thumpers whole nail came off.His nail was bleeding alot. So i was wondering, if this happens again, what do i do to his foot?

Answer
Dear Sandi,

If it happens again, be sure to disinfect the affected toe very well with a dilute solution of betadine (povidone iodine) in clean, lukewarm water.  

To stop the bleeding, a styptic pencil, or clean wheat flour can be used.  But BOY, do those nails bleed!  Gentle pressure on the broken nail can also help.

The best cure is prevention,though.  Be sure the bunny's nails are always kept trimmed to a safe length so they don't catch in anything and tear off.  A good rabbit vet can show you how to do this:

www.rabbit.org/vets

or you can follow the instructions here:

http://www.hrss.net/aar/care/care_groom_trimnails.html

Hope that helps!

Dana