My rabbit's nursing. How do I check her mammary glands for problems?

Yes, the babies are old enough to be weaned and should be separated from the doe if her mammary glands are red/hot/painful to the touch (although 4-6 weeks would be preferable if their mom did not have mastitis). If your local pet store carries Oxbow Critical Care for herbivores I would try feeding the doe a slurry of Critical Care and offering the kits some as well until you are able to bring her to your veterinarian. Good luck!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Ruby. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. She may have a mammary gland tumor. Her veterinarian will be able to determine if this is the case and if the mass requires surgical removal. I hope this information helps!

This is a very severe infection and she should see a vet because many antibiotics are not safe for rabbits and they can cause the intestinal tract to stop moving all together. Also, if she is still nursing the kits, the antibiotic must be safe for them. So please consult with a local vet to get some antibiotics for her - enrofloxacin or trimethoprim sulfa would be a good choice.

You can check their bellies. At that age, you can see a white band which is their tummies full of milk. Rabbits will only nurse once or twice daily unlike cats and dogs who nurse multiple times daily.

I am not sure if you bought all the rabbits together and were told they were all females, or if you accidentally bought a pregnant rabbit, or if you mated her. This may sound silly, but you should make sure that all the rabbits are female, because if there is a male in the cage, he needs to be separated from the females and the babies. Nursing mothers are very secretive, and usually only nurse once or twice a day. They only do so when they feel safe, usually just before dawn and/or just after dusk. It's unlikely you will catch the mother nursing, so that can't be used as a clue. Rabbits who are about to give birth will pull their fur out to make a nest. If any of the female rabbits are missing fur, she is likely the mother. Should you have one male in there accidentally and two females, they both could have had babies. In that case, the male should be separated, and the mothers can stay together because it will be impossible to tell which baby belongs to which rabbit. Just make sure the cage is extra large so they both have plenty of room for their nests.

Thanks for your question about your bunnies, and I am sorry to hear that you have lost a few of them. Also, thanks for the photo - it was very helpful. From what I can see in the picture, these bunnies are doing well. The things you are looking for are great - they have round bellies, they are warm, and they are clean. You can see in the photo that there is a more pale area visible on the belly - this is the stomach and it is full of milk! It is referred to as the milk line. This is a good thing to see on the bunnies, and when this is present it indicates that mom is doing a good job with the feeding. Please keep in mind that it is not uncommon for mother rabbits to only visit their babies once to twice per day. After the babies are weaned, I would recommend having the mother spayed as uterine cancers are very common in female rabbits. I hope this answers your question, and good luck with the new babies!

Thanks for reaching out about Otis and including a photo. This could be an infected scent gland but also possible dental disease. A veterinary visit is recommended to check teeth, but maybe start on antibiotics also. Good luck.