Pregnancy - Mini Rex

Question
Hi Dana,

We have a female mini rex (Missy) she's about one year old now and a male dutch dwarf (Mickey) about five months old. Neither have been spayed/neutered...I'm currently unemployed & unable to afford this, however, I do keep them in separate cages. When playing we keep them in separate rooms, although  Mickey tends to sneak in & out of rooms to get to Missy. He's always in heat.

Missy has had a false pregnancy a couple of months back. So this time I noticed some of the signs right away but didn't find her nest until last week. This is our first pregnancy. Currently, we keep Missy in a separate room where her nest, cage, food & water are kept. Yesterday (approximately 24 hours ago)she gave birth to 1 kit. When I found it, it was already dead and outside of the nest. This morning she was sitting in her nest. I noticed watery blood but no kits. Then she spent the rest of the day in different areas of the room. she looks as though she is contracting but nothing has come so far. Is it normal for rabbits to give birth to kits individually?

I have left her alone for most of the day and have gone in occasionally to pet her, dab her head with a wet towel, feed her hay & remind her to drink water. She is eating in small portions & has drank a bit of water. I notice when I pet her she sometimes makes this noise like a whimper but she doesn't mind the petting. I'm wondering if she's in a lot of pain.

Also, I noticed the last few days she had diarrhea. Is that normal because of her pregnancy? It looks as though her stool is somewhat improving.

She is back in her nest but I didn't think it would take so long for her to go through her labour. I tried calling a few vets but they were booked. I'm in Canada so I'm not sure if you would know of any emergency clinics up here!?!

Sorry to make this long I'm just worried for Missy & am a little unsure as to what I should do. I'm not even sure if she would let me pick her up to take her to a vet because she has been aggressive when it comes to picking her up lately.

Thank you in advance for any information you can give me. It will be much appreciated:)

Smiles,
Gaurika

Answer
Dear Gaurika,

Please use the list linked here to find a vet who will see your bunny as an emergency.  

www.rabbit.org/vets

There's an international link that will take you to a spot where many rabbit vets in Canada can be contacted, and I hope there is one in your area who will see you on an emergency basis.  (Emergency clinics often don't see animals other than dogs and cats, and sometimes can do more harm than good if they are unfamiliar with the special needs of a rabbit.)

It sounds as if she's having a difficult labor, and this is dangerous for many reasons.  She could have a baby stuck, but even if she can give birth, a prolapsed uterus can sometimes result from a very difficult birth.

Once your girl is over her ordeal, please have both bunnies spayed/neutered for their health and longevity.  See:

www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

I hope your little bun will be fine soon, but the only good thing you can do for her now is to get her to a good rabbit vet.

Take care,
Dana