Runny Eye and Breeding

Question
I have two rabbits and two separate questions.

1. MY first rabbit, is 5 years olf. he has never had any trouble with his eyes or teeth. On July 15th I bred him with a new female that we rescued from a cruel fate at a pet store. About a week after that, his eye started to run. I wipe it for about a week and kept cleaning it, hoping it was an irritation. It didnt go away so i took him to the vet. She said she had knowledge of rabbits and gave me a triple antibiotic ointment to put in his eye for 10 days. Needles to say, his eye is still running. I would like to go back in to the vet,  but am hoping that i can steer her in teh right direction. Or should i try to find another vet that i know has succesfully treated rabbits?

2. MY second question is about the female i bred. After 14 days, i felt her abdomen and THINK i felt babies. I figured I should just wait and see. HOwever, she has reached the 31 day mark as of yesterday and still has not pulled any fur or made any nest. I have bred rabbits before when i was younger and never had any problems, so I am not sure what to do. I am prett sure she is pregnant now because she is touchy, fat and her nipples are very large. What if she doesnt have the babies in a few days? When should I become concerned?

Answer
Hi Kiera,

First question: Not seeing your guy myself, I can't say for sure what he's got wrong.  Possibilities include a scratch on the eye, a nasal infection draining thru the tear duct, ear infection draining thru the tear duct, a dental problem affecting this area (sometimes these are not visible by looking at their visible teeth - ie a growing tooth root).  Maybe the female got a paw swipe or a nip around that area and scraped the eye.  But if it is a runny eye, that generally isn't to do with the surface of the eye than with something in his head that is infected and draining.  Has he been scratching his ears more, and maybe even have his head tilted a bit?  If so, he's got an infection in his ears and/or brain and will require (a good rabbit vet) the vet to determine what the cause is and provide appropriate medicines.

Second question:  I do know that not all pregnant rabbits behave the same, and some pull out fur and make nests very soon prior to giving birth.  It may have taken a little longer for her to get pregnant.  I'd say if you've already saw 31 days go by, I'd say give her 3 days and if she still hasn't given birth, I'd ask a rabbit vet (maybe call first and see if they can tell you anything that may help) first to see if there is any info they can give you, and as a last resort, bring her in to be looked at.  You just don't want to move her unless it is absolutely necessary.  It will stress her out more being pregnant, and you don't want her agitated in case she may 'take it out' on the babies.

I will tell you breeding and birthing are areas I have the least amount of knowledge and experience with, as I don't breed, all my rabbits are fixed, and truth be told,
I am not a big advocate of it (with my rabbit shelter volunteer background) because of all the abandoned rabbits that come into the shelter bought from breeders or pet stores who buy their stock from breeders.  

If the vet you previously saw is not an experienced rabbit vet, go to  www.rabbit.org\vets   and see if there is a House Rabbit Society recommended rabbit vet near you.  I'd go to one of these over a vet with little or no experience with rabbits.

Hope everything works out well for your little guys.  Lee