Rabbit face flattening- Grimace scale

[Lois]

Hello everyone

I recently got a new female rabbit. I discovered yesterday that she has three scabs in the shape of teeth marks from a suspected fight while bonding at her previous owner’s house. Today I have been reading up on the grimace scale for rabbits and I think she might have face flattening. At first, I thought it may just be her breed (she’s some kind of mix) but looking at pictures of rabbits from different breeds I can’t find any that has a similar face shape. Aside from the face flattening, she is showing no real signs of pain. She is eating and running about and grooming herself and me. Do you think that I should still take her to the vets? Have any of you experienced something similar? Is this even face flattening or am I being dramatic?

Thank you for your help

[Bam]

The rabbit grimace scale is difficult to interpret, especially so if you dont have some sort of baseline.

(For other readers: The rabbit grimace scale is used to asses pain/discomfort/distress in rabbits. Here is a picture of cheek flattening:

It is very difficult to say if your bun has cheek flattening without knowing if there is a change from her normal look.

I dont think the grimace scale is very useful on its own, i e as an only measure of a bun’s comfort level. Changes in appetite, alertness, interest in the environment, poop (quality, size, amount, color and shape of poop), water consumption, hay consumption and body stance are also important to look at. One thing that is often a very visible clue as to how a rabbit feels is how the fur looks. (Although this is not always applicable if the bun is already in a big molt. Stress will however result in some shedding.)

How do the scabs look? Is there any redness, swelling, seepage? Does she seem bothered (excessive grooming of the area).

I think it would be wise for all us bun owners to take pictures of our rabbits when they are happy and relaxed, so we have a baseline for comparison. Although the grimace scale would still be very difficult to use with very fluffy rabbits.

[jerseygirl]

She honestly looks fine to me. It does sound like she’s acting like a healthy rabbit also.

How old is she?  If she is still under a year old, it could be just the lean look that younger rabbits have.

Otherwise, just her breed mix. I love her colour pattern!

[Lois]

Shes about 8 months old and shes been acting super relaxed and happy. I honestly just think I freaked out a bit after finding the scabs

[Louiethebunny]

I agree, she looks fine, she’s such a cutie! The dark fur on one eye is so adorable! Dwarf breeds of rabbits tend to have more “smooshed” faces, so it’s not unlikely that it’s just her breed.

[Lois]

Her behaviour is normal and shes eating great. I honestly think that I freaked out after finding the scabs. The scabs are doing great though. I have been cleaning them with saltwater and putting sudocrem onto and so far 2 have fallen off revealing very healthy skin underneath.

[Bam]

Sounds good! She looks good to me to, I forgot to say 💜

[Author]

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