Bloody Urine in Rabbit

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I went to feed the bunnies today and as I was cleaning out the cages, I noticed bloody watery stuff on the hay...this is from the bunny that had ear mites, which we are treating. She is eating and drinking water just fine now.

The vet said she had a heart murmur. I wonder if I should mate her soon and then see what happens, but I hate to put too much stress on her.

Can anyone help? I gots to get a bunny book...next time I go to town.

Idaho Cher

-- Cher Rovang (fullcircle@nidlink.com), October 17, 2000

Answers

Could be that it wasn't blood at all. Rabbits sometimes have a very, very dark orange urine, looks almost dark enough to be blood. I have been alarmed several times myself, thinking someone was bleeding, but it was just pee. Happens to perfectly healthy rabbits, too.

-- Shannon (Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary) (gratacres@aol.com), October 17, 2000.

Like Shannon said it may just be dark urine. But I have some other questions for you: 1. Are your rabbits in cages with wire bottoms? If they are why do you have hay on the floor of the cage, this could be why you are haveing a problem with mites. Hay on the bottom of cages hold manure, urine and create a good place for mites to grow and other harmful things. If you are feeding a well balanced pellet they really don't need hay. But if you like to feed hay only do in ocasionly and place it in a rabbit hay feeder or better yet place it on top of he cage and let the rabbits pull it down thru the wire.

2. Why would you want to breed a rabbit with a heart murmur? Sounds like its time to cull her or let her die of old age unbreed. Breeding any animal with a defect is only going to create more animals with defects. Only breed your healthist, strongest animals and cull the rest.

You can find a lot of good information at www.rabbitfarming.com or www.hoppingstart.net sign up for the E-mail newsletter it has lots of good info. Also be sure to read the newsletter archives. GOOD LUCK!!!

-- Mark (deadgoatman@webtv.net), October 17, 2000.

Concerning hay for rabbits: actually, the latest word from the House Rabbit Society (a non-profit rescue group that advocates keeping rabbits loose indoors, much like cats) is that hay (or grass) IS important for keeping a rabbit's digestive tract working properly. Some house rabbits get no pellets at all, only hay. Rabbit nutrition and vet care have come a long way in the past 5 or 10 years, and while rabbits used to live only 5 to 7 years, now the life expectancy of a well-kept bunny is up to 12 years! Hay in the diet contributes to the good health of rabbits.

-- Shannon (Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary) (gratacres@aol.com), October 17, 2000.

Rabbits can get urinary tract infections, The vet can give you antibotics for it[calf mana, or high protien can cause red urine and that kind is harmless].

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), October 20, 2000.

Well, I went out there this morning and I found bloody urine, she seems fine. Just as active, good appetite, and there is never any hay left over in her cage, she eats it all. I also would like to point out that it was DEFINITELY bloody urine. It wasn't just orange colored. Can anyone help?

-- Kelly in KY (Operagirl87@hotmail.com), November 11, 2000.

-- (squeegeewee@yahoo.com), July 14, 2001