How to Care for a Wild Rabbit with a Broken Leg

Wild rabbits are an elusive creature, and often appear as fleeting glimpses in a garden or an outdoor field. Watching them cautiously from a distance is one of the best ways to ensure their safety without disturbing them.

However, sometimes you may come across a wild rabbit that appears to be injured or unwell. Perhaps it has fallen somewhere and can’t get up again. Perhaps it’s being chased by a predator, or perhaps it simply appears too weak to move.

Whatever the circumstances, in these few moments you need to make a decision on whether to leave the rabbit alone, or intervene with its care. A wild rabbit with a broken leg is something that many people would hesitate in approaching. But not if you know what you’re doing!

Here we will cover some key advice about how to care for a wild rabbit with a broken leg at home. So, that they have the best chance of recovery once back in their natural habitat.

Check For Signs Of Pain Or Suffering

There will be no doubt that, as you approach the rabbit, it will be in a state of great stress. Aside from the injuries, it will be incredibly frightened by your presence.

Wild rabbits are used to living alone and in solitude. So, their instincts will be telling them to get away from you as quickly as possible. If the rabbit is on the ground, check to see if it is sitting up. This is a position of protection, used by a wild rabbit to avoid being targeted by a predator.

If the rabbit is on its back, it is suffering and needs help immediately. It could be on its side, then, wait a while longer. To see if it can right itself in order to protect itself. If not, it might be too weak to do so, in which case you may need to intervene.

Make The Rabbit Comfortable

One of the main things you’ll need to do is to make sure the rabbit is as comfortable as possible. This may be difficult depending on the level of stress. But try to stay as calm as possible and avoid sudden movements.

First, try to calm the rabbit by speaking to it gently and stroking its head. If this isn’t possible, covering the rabbit with a towel or piece of cloth can help to calm it down. You can also try making a soft, low-pitched noise to help to calm the rabbit.

If the rabbit is on the floor, try to prop it up against something soft. Such as a pillow or a folded up blanket. However, move any wires or cables out of reach of the rabbit. In case, it starts to panic again and tries to get away. If the rabbit appears to be unwell and is unable to move, try to make it as comfortable as possible.

You may need to move the rabbit to a safe location. Such as to the side of the road if it has fallen in the middle of the road. A wild rabbit with a broken leg will have difficulty moving. So try to make it as comfortable as possible by covering it with a warm, soft towel.

Know the Signs of a Broken Leg

If you try to manipulate a wild rabbit’s legs, and they are extremely limp or loose. Then there is a high probability that the leg is broken. However, sometimes rabbits will limp or drag a leg when it is not broken. So try to check for other signs that the leg is broken.

Wild rabbits will rarely use their back legs to scratch themselves. So if they attempt to do so, they may be indicating that their legs are trapped somehow. Aside from this, if the rabbit seems to be using one leg more than the other, it could be broken.

Wild rabbits rarely use their back legs to jump and will often use their front legs to jump off the ground. If a wild rabbit is trying to jump and can’t manage to do so, there is a good chance that at least one of its legs is broken.

Get The Rabbit To a Vet ASAP

If you have managed to calm the rabbit, have made it as comfortable as possible, and have checked for the signs of a broken leg, the next step is to get the rabbit to a veterinarian as quickly as possible. Ideally within the first few hours.

Wild rabbits are incredibly fragile creatures, and their ability to recover from injury is limited. The sooner you get the rabbit to a veterinarian, the better their chances of recovering from the broken leg.

While you’re at it, make sure to check that there are no other injuries on the rabbit and try to find out how it was injured. This will allow the veterinarian to treat the injury better and with more accuracy.

Will A Wild Rabbits Broken Leg Heal On Its Own?

Their broken leg will not heal on its own and will require medical intervention to heal properly. Without treatment, the wild rabbit will likely die from the injury.

The good news is that a wild rabbit can recover from a broken leg if it receives proper medical care. With the help of a veterinarian, a wild rabbit can make a wild rabbit with a broken leg will have difficulty moving. So try to make it as comfortable as possible by covering it with a warm, soft towel.

Know the Signs of a Wild Rabbit’s Broken Leg

If you try to manipulate a wild rabbit’s legs, and they are extremely limp or loose. Then there is a high probability that the leg is wild rabbit will require treatment from a veterinarian to heal properly. The sooner you get the rabbit to a vet, the better their chances of recovery are.

A wild rabbit with a broken leg needs special attention and a helping hand. While it can be a frightening experience, the best thing you can do is to stay calm and try to make the rabbit as comfortable as possible.

Try to speak to it gently and keep your movements slow and steady to avoid frightening it further. Once you have calmed the rabbit, try to find out as much as you can about how it was injured, so you can be as accurate as possible with your treatment.

There is no guarantee that the rabbit will survive, but with good rabbit care you may give it the best possible chance of making a full recovery. Hopefully these tips helped, and gave you answers – can a wild rabbit survive with a broken leg?