Rabbits are cute and fragile animals. That is why they make the perfect pets. The way a bunny behaves and startles easily, one might think of them as the weakest of all animals.
However, rabbits have a superpower that very few people know. Have you ever wondered, are rabbits immune to rattlesnake venom?
The answer is yes! Rabbits are immune to snake venom and a few other poisonous creatures’ sting or bite. The antibodies in their blood protect them from a snake’s venom. However, this does not mean your bunny is safe from a snake. Snakes have other ways to prey on rabbits.
One cannot even think that an animal that gets stressed easily and has a delicate immune system would be one of the few animals immune to one of the deadliest predators.
Rabbits have left us, humans, behind as well. They are aloof to something we can survive with a lot of medical help. Read more to know about this amazing strength of your bunny!
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Resistance vs. Immunity
Before you let your rabbit roam free without any fear of snakes, you must know the difference between resistance and immunity. Many animals in the world have resistance to snake venom. It means they have a higher chance of recovery, and one bite cannot kill them. However, constant exposure to a snake’s venom can be proven fatal.
That is not the case with your bunny. Snake venom has less to no effect on your precious furry friend. The bite will sing your bunny and can get infectious, but the poison is as close to harmless as possible.
Why Are Rabbits Immune To Snake Venom?
If your furry friend has an unfortunate encounter with a snake and gets bit, the poison will go into its bloodstream. The moment your bunny is exposed to the snake poison, its immune system will get to work. Your bunny’s immune system will work on hyperdrive, and antibodies will start appearing in its blood.
These antibodies are designed to fight the venom. The instant presence of these blood warriors makes your bunny immune to the ruthless snake venom.
The Venom Is Harmless, But The Bite Might Not Be
The great news is that your bunny will not die of snake poison, but the bad news is it still got bit by a snake. Getting bit is a traumatic experience for your fragile-hearted furry friend.
Your bunny can go in shock due to all the stress it faced with the bite. Rabbits are fearful creatures. They are afraid of almost every animal around them. Plus, they do not know they are immune to snakes. To them, a snake bite means anxiety levels to the max.
Furthermore, a snake has long teeth and can penetrate your bunny’s skin deep. It can get infected and cause many troubles for your furry baby. It could damage a delicate bone or induce blood poisoning, etc. If your bunny gets bitten by a snake, take it to the vet immediately to treat the physical and emotional trauma.
Snakes are not venomous to your tiny furry pet. However, you can still not rest easy when it comes to protecting your bunny from snakes. Snakes do not only use their venoms to kill their prey. They have many other methods to kill, eat and swallow other animals that your bunny is not strong enough to fight off.
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What Are Other Ways Snakes Can Harm Your Bunny?
Snakes have multiple ways to hunt and eat their prey. Their greatest weapon is their poison. They are quick to attack and stun their prey with their bite. However, rabbits are immune. Hence the bit will stun them but not kill them. The snake can be off guard at this immunity of the bunny, and the furry guy can have its chance to hop away.
As your bunny will be stunned, scared, and stressed, it can freeze at the moment. Due to that, the snake can use other methods to kill your bunny. Here are a few:
Constricting Its Prey
A snake has a long, strong, and versatile body. It is an intelligent predator, which makes it a bigger threat for your bunny. One of the methods used by a snake to kill its prey is to squeeze the life out of it.
A snake will wrap its body around the animal slowly. It waits for the prey to exhale. Once the air is out of the prey’s lungs, the snake constricts its body, making it impossible for the prey to inhale more air. As a result, the prey dies of a lack of oxygen. Brutal and clever. After that, the snake enjoys its fresh meal.
Swallowing The Prey
Snakes are one of the mightiest predators in the wild world. Their petite bodies have a lot of elasticity than it shows. A snake can swallow an animal whole 3 times bigger than its size.
Your little bunny friends will be no problem with this deadly animal. Snakes have hundreds of curved teeth in their mouth that help them with this eating technique. Once a snake starts swallowing your furry friend, there is little to no chance of survival of your rabbit.
How To Keep Your Bunny Safe From Snakes?
A rabbit’s hutch is attractive to a snake. It is the perfect source of accessible food, shelter, and water. Eating a grown rabbit is no issue for a snake, and kits would be like dessert. Do not worry. There are some things you can do to protect your precious pets:
- Be aware of any snakes around your rabbit’s hutch.
- Know what type of snake roams in your area.
- Make your rabbit’s hutch sturdy and durable for ultimate protection from predators.
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Make Your Bunny’s Hutch Snake-Proof
Most people prefer their furry friends to live indoors with them. However, if you have created a lovely home for your pet bunny outdoors, you need to prepare it for any snake attacks. Here is what you can do:
Take Care Of Openings
A snake can get through any space that is wider than 1/4 inches. Thoroughly examine your furry friend’s hutch for openings. You should cover every hole, crack, and window large enough for a snake to get through.
Use Hardware Cloth
For windows or ventilation openings use hardware cloth as a covering. You do not want to create an unbreathable box for your bunny. Taking these precautions with windows and ventilation areas will be sufficient enough to protect your bunny from a snake.
Leave No Space To Hide
Ensure there are no bushes or plants near the hutch of your precious friend. It will be difficult for a snake to hide this way.
Use Snake Repellant
You can apply a non-toxic snake repellant around the hutch. It will encourage snakes to stay away from the area and avoid your furry bunny’s home.
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Alternatively, Keep Your Bunny Indoors
Domesticated rabbits cannot survive the outdoor world. Just like a caged bird cannot fly outdoors because it never learned to fly, your bunny does not know how to survive in the wild.
It will be best for you and your pet rabbit if it stayed indoors. It will make you less stressed about a snake attack and reduce your bunny’s anxiety about safety.
Your baby bunny would want to play outside from time to time. It is suggested to choose daytime for your furry friend’s playtime.
You can join your bunny in its hopping, running, and playful activities. It will bring you closer, and you can keep an eye out for snakes. Plus, daytime reduces the presence of many predators, as wild animals like to hunt at night.
Final Word
It is wonderful how such a tiny, fluffy, and sensitive creature can be immune to one of the deadliest things on the planet. People use snake venoms in wars to kill their enemies, yet we have a fluff ball immune to the poison!
Do not let your bunny’s superpower let you be careless about its safety. Your furry friend requires plenty of attention, love, care, and safety measures. These voiceless creatures depend on their owners for their lives.
Ensure that you are prepared for a snake attack, outdoors and indoors both. Take your bunny to a vet as soon as it has been in contact with a snake. It does not matter if your bunny has no physical wounds.
It will have emotional ones. Calming your bunny will not be an easy job for you but a vet alone. Keep your furry friend close to your body and stroke its head. Let it know you are there for your furry baby and rush to the vet.