2 questions

Question
Hello Dana,
I have 3 female rabbits, 2 are black and 1 is an albino and i have 2 questions about them. Firstly, my 2 year old black rex seems to have a sore eye. It's a bit red and seems to be bulging out of her head a bit. The other eye is fine. Do you ahve any idea what this could be and is it a life-threatening problem? Secondly, my 5 month albino mixed breed has dug a big hole in her outside run. Why do you think she did this? Thanks for your help.  

Answer
Dear Michaela,

First the eye question:  Yes, this could be a serious problem, especially if the eye is bulging.  This could indicate a retrobulbar abscess (an infection behind the eyeball) that must be treated before it causes further damage.  It is also undoubtedly painful, even if the bunny is not showing it.  Rabbits, as prey animals, do not tend to be very "open" about pain, lest they attract the attention of predators.  It's just evolutionary hardwiring that makes it a bit harder for us caregivers to know when there's a problem.

Please read:

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

and

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

for information on how dental problems can cause retrobulbar abscesses.   A good choice for treating this type of infection is bicillin injections (Penicillin-G plus Benzathine), though oral penicillins must NEVER be given to a rabbit.  Bicillin tends to be effective against most species of bacteria that cause abscesses in the head, and because bicillin has good abscess penetration and a long half life in the body, it can be very useful.  

The treatment may need to go on for several weeks before the problem is solved, but the first step is to get the bunny to a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

for full evaluation and diagnosis.

The bunny who dug the hole is engaging in completely normal rabbit behavior.  The scientific name of the domestic rabbit (derived from European wild rabbits) is Oryctolagus cuniculus, which is latin for "Tunnel-dwelling rabbit that digs tunnels"!

So she's just having fun being a normal rabbit.  :)  In the wild, rabbits live inside extensive warrens of tunnels with many entrances and exits to keep them safe from predators.  They're great engineers!  

Hope that helps.

Dana