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My rabbit has a broken leg, surgery is too expensive. What to do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Small Animal | Rabbit | Male | unneutered | 6 years and 3 months old | 12 lbs

my rabbit is 6 years old, and has broken his back femur. we can’t cast it because you can’t cast a bunnies hip, but we don’t want to put him down and the surgery is too expensive. he’s still eating and drinking, but sticking his leg out and not hopping much. what do we do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Ady Y. Gancz, DVM, ABVP (Avian), ECZM

Answered By Ady Y. Gancz, DVM, ABVP (Avian), ECZM

Veterinarian, Board-certified avian specialist

Published on November 18th, 2017

Sorry to hear about James.. If surgery is not an option, the only other thing you can do is keep him under strict cage-rest (a small cage) for at least 1 month, possibly more. Usually the leg will heal, but some lameness will persist. This does not mean in most cases a poor quality of life, but he is a large bunny and may require some adjustments in his environment (e.g. making things more accessible to him). Having said that, surgery is usually a better option, and there may be organizations that may help with the funding, so I advise you to check this option first.
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