Wet Rabbit

Question
Last night my female rabbit did not want her usual raisin when I got home.  That is weird.  I looked her over and noticed she was wet on the hind end, and made her box wet when she got up.  She did not want to move.  I left some greens, an alfalfa block, and some raisins in her cage with her so I would know in the morning if she had eaten anything.  This morning the greens were mostly gone.  She ate 1 raisin this morning, after my second try, and ate more greens that I gave her just before I left the house.  

I am not sure why she would be wet like that.  Her litter has wet spots in it, like usual, and she doesn't look like she has been dribbling anywhere on the cage.  I am not sure how serious this could be, though.  The nearest rabbit vet is 3.5 hours away, and I while I plan to talk to her too, I was hoping to have some idea what might be going on ahead of time.  What do you think?

Thanks,
Heather

Answer
Dear Heather,

Can you identify the wetness as urine or liquid/mucous stool?  The latter should have a nasty smell, and the former should smell like pee.

If she's leaking urine, she could have any number of urinary tract problems, which you can read about here:

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

If it's runny stool, then please read this right away:

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

and

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

But perhaps most importantly, you need to take her temperature, and there are instructions here on how to safely do that:

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

If you don't feel confident with the thermometer, then it's best to wait and let the vet do this.  But another possible reason for a bunny to become suddenly incontinent is a high fever.  We've seen this happen, and it's vitally important to keep the temperature at normal levels, if this is the case, until the vet can see the bunny, diagnose the problem and treat appropriately.

I hope this helps, but please keep a very close eye on her.  The condition is serious if she is refusing food.  I hope you can get her to the good rabbit vet as soon as possible.

Dana