Could my rabbit die while trying to give birth?

Question
Hi,
I would like to ask a question about my rabbit, Hope.You see I thought both my dwarf rabbits were females, so for the last few days I've been letting them play together.They were getting along really well so I left them alone for a few hours while I did my home work.Today, I put them together and my rabbit, Cottontail just tryed to breed to Hope, my female rabbit.I checked Cottontail and he looks like a male to me (I'm not 100% sure though).He might of been trying to breed her yesterday too, when I was gone.Hope is a 3 year old, Netherland Dwarf and has NEVER had a litter in her life!I keep hearing on websites that female rabbits cannot give birth if they haven't been bred before they are a year old.I'm just wondering if you would know if Hope could die trying to give birth, if she is pregnant, and if there's some thing I can do?
Thank you for your time.

Answer
Both males and females will mount each other as a sign of dominance, not just to mate. However, it is definitely a good idea to make sure of the genders of both rabbits, because if one is male, you should be ready for babies in 28 to 32 days. Does Cottontail have two bald sacks on either side of the genitalia? If so, he is a male. If not, your rabbit may still be male, but if he is over 1 year old, he would very likely be infertile. To be fertile, at least one testical has to drop from the body. If it does not, the sperm is kept too warm, and "dies" off.

Rabbits can have birth at three years old, whether or not they have ever been bred before. It is a little less likely that they will get pregnant, but not at all impossible. It is also a bit more dangerous, as the bones will have fused without ever being widened by having babies at a younger age (when they are still soft enough to move). However, rabbits can die from birth no matter what the age. There is always a small risk of a pregnancy or birth going wrong.

As for what to do, make sure the two are seperated until you find out for sure what the genders of your rabbits are. If one is female and the other male, prepare for babies. A nestbox (you can find them at some feedstores or online at companies such as bassequipment.com - you will need a small one) with nesting material (hay works well, but make sure there is also plenty of hay in the cage for her to eat so she doesn't eat all the nesting material) needs to be in with her at 26 days after she could have first gotten pregnant. If she is pregnant, she should have the babies by 32 days after the two were first together.

Find a rabbit knowledgable vet in your area. A vet can palpate (feel) your rabbit to see if she is pregnant. Usually this needs to wait until around 2 weeks after being bred. Also, if your female does experience any problems, you can have the vet ready to help out with the birth, if needed.

You may see a change in her temperament. She may become aggressive and grumpy. This is fairly normal for pregnant rabbits, and it is especially common in dwarf breeds. Generally rabbits will stop being grumpy a few weeks after the babies are born. However, once you are sure she is not pregnant (or after she has weaned her litter, if she is pregnant), I would highly recommend getting both rabbits fixed. It can prolong their life by eliminating any chance of cancers of the reproductive organs (ovarian and uterine for females, and testicular for males). It also can help curb bad attitudes (hormones can make rabbits act up), things like spraying, etc.