My family has always rescued rabbits. We had adopted lionheads and dwarfs from a local shelter for years but they were always very grumpy, except for our one dwarf who was so sweet and so beloved by our family. She passed recently at 9 years old, the last of our rescue rabbits. This time we made an educated decision to finally get a baby bunny instead of trying to tame rescues again (we loved them but now we have 5 children and want something easier to bond with). We chose a Flemish and went to a breeder who lived nearby. I didn’t like this breeder immediately. And it wasn’t just being judgmental. As a USDA licensed hedgehog breeder, I look for details. The things my inspectors would look for. First I didn’t like that she kept them all outdoors. I don’t usually mind outdoor hutches much if they are specious, safe, clean, in the shade, and there are measures taken in bad weather. But these cages were dirty and had holes and sharp edges. No igloos or bedding. I saw two cage doors left open and two rabbits with severe ear mites. I wanted to leave. But then she showed me the bunny she had saved for us and I was so in love that I got over it and handed the woman $20 and left with the Flemish, happy that she would have a better home with me than where she was even if I didn’t want to give this woman business. I couldn’t just leave her there. She was so sweet.
I took her home and when I took her out of the travel carrier and held her against me, I realized that her stomach was hugely bloated, distended, rounded and hard. Not just a chubby bunny, a rounded portruding stomach. It wasn’t normal. My mother breeds English Bulldogs and this bunny had a stomach that looked exactly like the huge bloated tummies puppies have when they are just fed. I’ve never seen that before. I called the breeder (who I doubted knew anything at all about rabbits but I wondered if she noticed the tummy too and I wanted to know the bunny’s age to tell my vet). She said the bunny was 8-10 weeks old, (she “thinks”) and that she didn’t see the stomach. She said “who knows? Could be pregnant though, she was still in the hutch with her father and mother so who knows”. She then told me to just bring her back because she “didn’t want me to have to have vet bills and she wasn’t going to help pay any vet bills either”, so if we were calling to ask for vet help, “just bring her back because she won’t help with any bills and would rather just take it back”. I said of course we aren’t bringing her back, we love her. And I decided not to ask that woman anything anymore.
I made a vet appointment but it isn’t until tomorrow evening, that was our vet’s first opening. I’m so worried about this being bloat. I read about it and it is so scary to me. Our kids are already in love with her and just lost a bunny so I am heartbroken about this baby being sick. I’m wondering if pregnancy is even possible when she is so young (though this breeder could be lying about age, so who knows). I have never bred rabbits, mine were all spayed. I always thought there were too many buns in shelters to ever make more. I do however breed multiple exotics, but I have never seen a pregnancy animal look this way. Do any of you have any information on when rabbits can conceive? Or what a pregnant bun will look like? And most importantly, what do you think this issue could be?
Thank you so much just for reading this massive novel of a post. I’m a very nervous and very protective mommy to all my critters and this has me so upset. Any advice from rabbit experts would be so appreciated.