Rocky has a Rough Night

Rocky: Winter of 2008

Yesterday morning when I went down to do chores, I noticed blood in the bunny area.  Rocky's rear end was all matted with blood but he wouldn't let me near and I was short on time so I didn't force the issue.  He was bright eyed and hungry - even though he did seem to be missing part, or all, of his tail. 

This morning I had a bit more time before I had to head off to work so I caught him.  Rocky is my son's rabbit, a Holland Lop, and is about eight years old.  My son is off to college and his bunny is living the good life with my daughter's two Mini Lops.  Rocky has been neutered so the bunnies all hang out together.  He's never liked to be handled and so other than petting him a bit in the mornings when they get treats, he is left alone.  I managed to corner him and pick him up this morning.  He was squirming and kicking and carrying on in panicked rabbit fashion.  I turned him over on his back so he couldn't get traction with his hind feet but then they just went a hundred miles an hour in the air.  Sigh.  He's not bleeding anymore although his butt is a big matted mess of fur.  His tail still seems to be there, maybe, kinda.  It was hard to tell for sure but I felt a knobby thing in the tail vicinity.  I figure if he has that much fight in him and he's still eating well and otherwise happy, I'll just leave him alone.

A wet bunny.  One of the girls this past December.

Besides,he's got the girls to look after him.

They take turns grooming him - he is usually spotless - so I imagine he'll be cleaned up in a day or two.
















I wonder, though, what happened.  It wasn't the dogs because they are in the backyard in the evening and in the house at night.  The blood was fresh yesterday morning so it happened during the night.  Racoons are notorious for trying to pull chickens out of their pens, through their fencing.  We have secure chicken pen fencing (chain link lined with chicken wire) so they haven't gotten any of ours.  But we have neighbors who have lost chickens to raccoons.  It's not a pretty sight.  You can imagine.  Or maybe not.  It's gruesome.  Maybe a raccoon got Rocky by the tail? 

Other than that, we're just waiting on the rain.  The first of three storms is set to hit tonight.  Although the storms are coming in from Alaska and are cold, we have been taken off of snow watch.   The snow level is expected to be down to 4,000 feet and we are at 3,200.  So, we'll just be cold and wet.