Yes, bees can sting your rabbit. If that happens with your baby bunny, you should treat their wound immediately.
If immediate first aid care doesn’t seem to help your pet, contact your vet to know what to do next.
Some bunnies can be allergic to bee stings and may develop adverse reactions or even die if they are not treated right after the bite.
Therefore, be sure to take your bunny buddy to the vet and get them checked if in-home remedies don’t comfort them.
Bee Stings and Pet Rabbits
As harmless and pretty as they seem, bees can be quite deadly, especially for other animals (including rabbits) who don’t even realize what’s happening to them after a stringer is jabbed into their skin.
Bees are generally not menacing, as long as you don’t aggravate them.
The moment they realize that they are being chased or cornered, they can get aggressive and sting whomever they see as the enemy.
Stinging is a defense mechanism for bees, which they are not afraid to use.
On top of that, they do not have any exceptions when it comes to ramming their pointy stringer into the apparent foe’s skin.
That means other animals are not safe for bee stings. If they follow a bee or make it feel endangered, it will harm them. The rule holds for every pet animal as well, so naturally, rabbits are no different.
Bees can sting rabbits, and they often do.
The hopping mammals love to go around frolicking and going after things that seem hard to catch, such as a bee. For this reason, you might find your furry friend roving around the backyard chasing a bee.
Of course, it may not happen every time rabbits come across bees, but the possibility persists.
When that happens, the bee will likely feel unsafe and jab your baby bunny, hurting them.
Unfortunately, the wound site is not too prominent when a rabbit is stung, which is why you may not be able to pick up on your pet’s discomfort instantly.
However, if your fuzzy pal develops hives or rashes due to the attack, you have a better chance of knowing about it sooner rather than later.
In any case, the fact is that bees sting rabbits, so you should keep your hoppity hopping buddy safe and keep an eye on them when they are jumping around in the yard.
What Happens When A Bee Stings A Rabbit?
The first thing that happens or that your bunny feels after getting stung by a bee is experiencing a pang of sharp pain near the wound site.
Once your fluffy friend feels the twinge, they will most likely whimper, which can be your window to pick up on their agony if they don’t show signs of an allergic reaction.
Some bunnies can be allergic to bee stings, in which case they will develop rashes or hives all over their body. They may also suffer from an anaphylactic shock and die.
Although it rarely happens, you should still be vigilant enough to spot signs of anaphylaxis.
Sometimes, pets may lick their bruise repeatedly to soothe the agony. However, it doesn’t do much for them as the stringer is still pierced into their skin.
You need to remove the stringer from your rabbit’s body; otherwise, they will continue to be in pain no matter how much they lick their wound.
A stringer looks like a tiny splinter that is as thin as a strand of hair. You may not be able to see it from a distance, so hold your furry to look for the sliver sticking out from the laceration.
Once you have spotted it, gently take it out. First aid doesn’t stop there; you need to do more to ease your pet.
What to Do When a Rabbit Is Stung By a Bee?
As already mentioned, the first thing you need to do is remove the stringer from your injured pet’s body.
Here is a detailed rundown of what you have to do next.
Restraint Your Bunny
A hurt bunny can be uncontrollably restless and may not let you touch the bruise.
Therefore, ask a friend or someone in the family to help you handle your bunny by holding the injured animal from behind.
Doing so may seem cruel at first, but that’s the only way to calm your bunny.
After the other person has gotten hold of your fluffy pal, you can examine their injury up close.
Assess the Sting Site
Generally, the skin harmed by a bee stringer swells or becomes red, so you should see that when you get closer to your little one.
While you are at it, look for symptoms of an allergy flare-up. Sometimes the signs can be a bit hard to spot.
For instance, if your fuzzy friend gets tiny zits around their cut or the rest of their body, you will only be able to see it up close. Therefore, don’t solely focus on the area where the bee stung them.
Ice the Wound
Icing is perhaps the oldest in-home remedy in the book to soothe irritated skin.
Whenever anyone cuts or bruises their skin, the first tip they are told is to apply ice or an ice-cold piece of cloth.
So employ the same old trick and rub ice on your fuzzy bud’s laceration. Bear in mind that they will resist quite a bit when you put ice on their skin, but you need to stay strong to help them recover.
Look Out For Reactions
Once you have applied ice or a damp cloth on your baby bunny’s cut, let them be on their own because that’s all you can do for them.
However, don’t forget about them and get busy with work. Keep them close to see if they have any delayed allergic reactions. If that happens, contact your vet immediately.
Also, don’t give your pet medication under any circumstances. No matter what anyone says, always ask the expert (your vet) before administering any medicine.
If you are uneasy after icing your tiny bun’s slash, go to the veterinary clinic to get help.
How to Prevent Your Bunny from Getting Stung By a Bee?
As the adage goes, prevention is better than cure; you should take preventive measures to keep your little one safe from bee stings.
Don’t know how to do that? Here is how.
Don’t Let Your Pet Out Alone
Leaving your fuzzy pal out unsupervised is a recipe for disaster because you will not know what they do without your watchful eyes following them.
If you are close by, you can ensure that they don’t run after a bee or bother it in any way and thus not get hurt.
Clear All Dead Leaves and Flowers
The foliage on the ground can attract bees, bringing them closer to your pet. Naturally, when a bee is right above the ground, your furry friend can get to it much more conveniently.
Therefore, clean your yard regularly and make sure there are no fallen flowers and leaves to appeal to bees.
Ending Note
As unfortunate as it may be, bees sting rabbits, so you should know what to do if that happens with your little fellow.
Or else you will put them in unnecessary danger.
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