[RedneckWoman]

I have two rabbits left out of one of my NZWs litters and when they were born (two months ago) I looked all of them over carefully and thought they were all normal and everything but this morning I noticed one of the rabbits is missing one if it's back feet. It isn't an open wound or anything it has fur on the stump there is just no foot there. It gets around fine and appears to be healthy but I am not really sure what to do with it. Should I go ahead and try to sell it? Give it away? Cull it? What would you all do with it?

 

[Meg Z]

If you're raising for the table, and it's getting along fine, I'd let it grow until butchering time. I'd also keep an eye on any offspring from that same breeding. Flukes happen, but you want to make sure it's not genetic.

Meg

 

[Pat Lamar]

Most likely, this is a result of the dam trying to help it to be born, but accidentally snipped off its foot and you just didn't notice it. Whether or not to cull it would depend on my reasons for wanting to keep it. There will always be pet buyers who will purposely choose the "underdog" (so to speak), but please consider the paragraph below before deciding what to do with it.

You say that the rabbit "gets around fine".... but is it compensating for the lack of the foot with the other foot? I once had a rabbit who lost a hind foot and compensated for it by turning the other foot inward for better balance. This naturally placed that foot in direct line of being constantly urinated and defacated on. The rabbit eventually died before it was 6 months old. The slightest injury on the good foot would cause infection and become septicemic under such undesirable conditions. If this is the case with your rabbit, then, I would cull it.

Pat Lamar
President
Professional Rabbit Meat Association
http://www.prma.org/