QuestionI have a 5 yr old female rabbit who lives alone and was once outside in a cage and has big nipples kind of like they are lactating they are soft and squishy what could be wrong? is it normal? She is a new zealand white. she has never been around other rabbits that i know of could she be pregnant?
AnswerDear Jennifer,
It's not normal for her mammary glands or nipples to be enlarged and soft. It could mean that she has mastitis (infection of the mammary glands) or even mammary cancer. This is far more common in unspayed, unbred females than in those who are spayed.
Please get your bunny to an experienced rabbit vet:
www.rabbit.org/vets
for examination and evaluation of her condition. If it's mastitis, it is very likely treatable with appropriate, rabbit-safe antibiotics, as per the results of a culture and sensitivity test:
www.bio.miami.edu/hare/culture.html
If it's cancer, then the vet will know the best next step to take. But the *first* step is certainly to get her some expert medical care, and the sooner the better.
I hope this helps.
Dana