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Young female rabbit peeing blood

22 9:49:17

Question
Hi, two days ago my rabbit was playing on our deck and she jumped and slipped- just being frisky. She fell about 3 feet onto the grass but not before some part of her- I couldn't get a good view- hit the deck when she scrambled to get back on. She seemed stunned but otherwise okay, but she was wheezing a little. She ate/drank/pottied like normal and yesterday she wasn't wheezing anymore, so we thought it was okay to not take her to the vet. This morning I went out to feed her and noticed her pee was deep reddish-brown. She hasn't eaten any beets or anything. Do you think she has uterine cancer or is this a result of her fall? Btw, she's about 2 weeks away from being able to breed, 4 & 3/4 months old.

P.S. I recently got a boy bunny who was about 9 weeks old and he spent some time in her cage for lack of another place to put him (his cage was a few hours late in being delivered) but we watched them very closely... I'm not sure if something might have happened while my back was turned...

Thank you!

Answer
Dear Paige,

It takes only a few seconds for a male rabbit to impregnate a female.  And some can reproduce quite young.  What you saw might be the results of a miscarriage, possibly induced by the fall.

Rabbit urine can be very dark, and can vary with diet (beets aren't the only thing that can change the color of things...).  So this could just be a phase.  But if you are concerned, and if this continues, then it's a good idea to have her checked by a rabbit-savvy vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Note that the male should be neutered *now* so that he can be bonded with her without the risk of pregnancy.  He can be fertile for several weeks after neuter, so the bonding will have to wait until then.  Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/breeding.html

Once your girl is about eight months old, she will be old enough for spay. This is especially crucial in females, as they have a very high risk of uterine cancer if not spayed.

I hope this helps.

Dana