# Do unspayed females have periods?



## kirsterz09

Hi all was just wondering about this as noticed blood stains in her fur around her rear and as there is no physical signs of bleeding or bloody faeces, I was wondering if periods could be the reason?


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## Erins Rabbits

Ah, no. Rabbits are a species that is in season most of the time, but goes through stages of being unreceptive, they don't hae periods. There shouldn't be any bloody discharge unless there is something medically wrong.


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## undergunfire

How old is she? I don't want to scare you, but bleeding can be signs of uterine cancer if she isn't spayed. I think it would be best to get her into a vet and talk about getting her spayed as soon as possible.


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## kirsterz09

Do you think I should take a picture of her will that be of any help? There definatly wasn't any visible sign of bleeding or blood in the faeces.


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## naturestee

Erin and Amy are right, rabbits don't have periods and blood means there's something wrong.

Where does she pee? Can you put paper down or something so you can see it better? It's possible the blood is from her urine, meaning a bladder or kidney infection or stones. Uterine cancer is also a possibility. In any case, blood from the genital area requires vet attention.


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## kirsterz09

Well took some pictures, post them in a sec, there is no signs of blood in her urine that I can see currently, she has been in the run all day and even though she had water didn't touch it till she was back in the hutch when she drank loads, so could it be a urine stain? Having looked at it under a better light it does look more dark orange/red. Going to try and clean her up a bit for now will post pics in a min, would it be best to monitor for now and if find definate signs of blood then take her to the vets?


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## kirsterz09

Here's some pics of her


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## kirsterz09

She's about 4 now and yes I can monitor where she pees, I'm really confused by it as the only signs I find are on her.


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## Wabbitdad12

I agree it could be a urinary tract infection or stones. Monitor her water intake carefully, is she drinking any water? See if you can get her to drink more until you can get her to a vet.


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## kirsterz09

yes she drank a lot of water when she was back in the hutch, which is what made me wonder if it was a dark urine stain due to dehydration as she tends to drink quite alot, it's just that while she was in the run she didn't really bother but when she was back in the hutch she went straight to it. She's been drinking normally every other day, so again I wonder if it just a dehydration thing?


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## mistyjr

Bleed like that isnt normal


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## mistyjr

*bleeding


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## CiaraPatricia

Hmm, does she eat anything unusual, cos I think I remember reading that if a rabbit eats alot of something like carrots or beetroot it can stain their pee, which would be nothing to worry about. 

I think you should probably take her to the vets anyway, just to be sure. Are you going to breed from her, cos if not then you might as well get her neutered, especially since she is 4 now, it would be best. Uterine cancer is very very common in bunnies around 4-5, not trying to scare you, but it's something to think about. I hope she'll be ok


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## kirsterz09

Thanks actually you having mentioned the carrots thing just might be true, as when we put her away we noticed a load of carrots in the run, which were put there without our knowledge by the fiancees parents, so it could be that, as she was fine when I checked her over before putting her in the run (I always regulary check her rear as she used to have problems with poop sticking to her butt) I will still check her urine/poop to make sure but as of yet it's fine, though I'll keep a close eye on her.


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## Happi Bun

It actually looks like urine to me. 


From the HRS website:
_
Red color of the urine is sometimes observed in rabbits. It is probably caused by a plant pigment and does not affect the health of the animal. For obscure reasons (my rabbits all eat the same food, drink the same water and get the same treats) some get red urine, some don't. Red urine (due to excessive urinary pigments) may occur due to any of the following: _
_While on antibiotics 
_
_At the first cold snap in the fall _
_After eating fir leaves _
_After eating carrots, spinach or other veggies containing beta carotene _


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## kirsterz09

thanks for your comment, I think so to, as I said she was fed a lot of carrots by my fiancees parents, so this might help explain it and why I can't find any evidence of blood any where else. I definatly keep an eye on her to make sure that she isn't having any other complications but so far she's been fine.


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## kirsterz09

Quick update, It does look like carrots were the cause, she's been fine since, with no signs of blood anywhere, I'll still monitor her though and see how she goes.


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## CiaraPatricia

It probably is the carrots, my female has quite red pee too. 

I would still get her neutered though, unless she is used for breeding. It's best for all pet rabbits really  I looked it up and it said 80% of all females get uterine cancer by 4-5 so people should neuter them. I wish I got my old rabbit neutered, I never knew this, but she died at 5. It's sad to think that maybe I could have had her a few more years. That probably wasn;t why she died, as she died suddenly, but still.


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## kirsterz09

I've considered it on and off, it's such a hard decision to make, as I know she could contract cancer if I don't but I'm also aware that neutering her contains alot of risk too! She has been put under once before and it took her a while to come round which was scary, I also am aware that some members have lost their buns during this proccedure too and finally I have witnessed first hand a rabbit die during a routine operation and it was by no means plesant. Though I'll make a few enquires with my vet about price, risk etc.


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## wooly_queen

To me it just looks like orangey pee... maybe it's just a dirty bottomed bunny.


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## tonyshuman

I agree that it looks more like pee than blood. Blood is stringier and thicker, and doesn't just add color to the urine. It will be in clumps in the urine.

Rabbits are induced ovulators, meaning that instead of having hormones that cycle through their bodies on a monthly basis that lead to ovulation (like humans and many other mammals), rabbits only ovulate immediately after they have mated with a male. The act of mating causes a signal to go to their ovaries to release eggs to be fertilized. Cats are the same way. 

This strategy is really useful for an animal that survives by producing large litters at any time that the environment is opportune for their survival. It means that as soon as it warms in the spring and the environment can support lots of bunnies, a female can mate and have babies without waiting for her ovulatory cycle to occur. 

The fact that males don't stick around females often in the wild also helps--the chance of encountering a male rabbit is sometimes pretty low for a female rabbit, so she has to have every mating "count" for fertilization. 

It's true that blood in the urine is often a sign of uterine tumors or infection, or bladder infection. The 80% of unspayed does getting cancer figure is a bit exaggerated but often misquoted. I've looked at the scientific article they're talking about, and it says that around 80% of unspayed females have uterine tumors by that age. The tumors may or may not be cancerous. Whether the tumors are cancerous or not, they're certainly not good for the rabbit's health. It's very important to get her spayed unless you plan on using her for breeding and/or showing.


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## kirsterz09

I am definatly considering getting her spayed, she wasn't sooner because she might of been bred from but as it hasn't happerned it is worth considering. I think I will go down to the vets and discuss it with them. It's the risk factor that comes with putting a animal under that bothers me. I just want to know that she'd be alright, Clover is our little girl, she all ways wants cuddles and gives you a good groom. I'd never forgive myself if anything happerned to her at the vets, yet I'd feel the same way if something happerned to her if I didn't.


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## Cheese_The_Rabbit

kirsterz09 said:


> Quick update, It does look like carrots were the cause, she's been fine since, with no signs of blood anywhere, I'll still monitor her though and see how she goes.



You shouldn’t give your Bun Bun a lot of carrots though.. Carrots have a lot of Sugar that can cause tummy issues to some rabbits.


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## Blue eyes

Cheese, please note the date (found above each post in green bar) before posting. Your advice is absolutely correct  but the thread is 9 years old.


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