Mastitis is bacterial infection of the mammary glands in nursing or recently pregnant rabbit does. Glands become hot, hard, painful, and discolored, and the doe often goes off food. Untreated, septicemia can kill within 24 to 48 hours. Treatment combines safe antibiotics, pain control, careful hand-rearing or fostering of kits, and addressing any underlying environmental triggers (Quesenberry & Carpenter, Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents, 4th ed., 2021).
Last reviewed: June 2026
Why Nursing Does Get Mastitis
Bacteria — most often Staphylococcus aureus, Pasteurella multocida, or Streptococcus — enter through micro-trauma at the nipple from sharp kit teeth, contaminated bedding, or scratches. Stress, overcrowding, poor sanitation, and engorged glands all raise risk. Pseudopregnant does can develop a similar swollen mammary picture without infection, but true mastitis is hot, painful, and accompanied by systemic illness.
Signs
One or more glands are red, hot, swollen, and firm. The skin may turn blue or purple in severe cases, signaling necrosis. The doe stops eating and grooming, withdraws from kits, and develops fever. Kits become restless, lose weight, and may die from inadequate milk plus contaminated milk. Septic mastitis presents with collapse, weakness, and very low body temperature within hours.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is clinical based on appearance and history. Bloodwork shows elevated white cell count and inflammatory markers. Milk culture, when possible, guides antibiotic choice. Differentiate from pseudopregnancy (no fever, not painful, both sides symmetric) and from mammary tumors (slow-growing, not hot, common in older intact does).
Treatment
Antibiotic choice must be rabbit-safe: oral penicillin and clindamycin are lethal to rabbits. Trimethoprim-sulfa, enrofloxacin, chloramphenicol, or injectable penicillin G are commonly used, ideally guided by culture. Pain control with meloxicam and sometimes buprenorphine is essential, per the 2019 Benato et al., 2019, JSAP consensus on rabbit pain. Warm compresses and gentle expression can help drainage. Necrotic glands may need surgical debridement. Severe systemic cases are hospitalized for IV fluids and supportive care.
Kit Management
Kits should not nurse on infected glands. Options are to express milk from healthy glands, foster onto another lactating doe of similar age, or hand-rear with kitten milk replacer 4 to 5 times a day. Kits depend on colostrum and milk for immune support, so any change in feeding must be supervised by an exotic vet. The 2024 AEMV Pet Care Guides, 2024 provide hand-rearing protocols.
When to See a Vet
Call your vet today if:
- Hot, swollen, painful mammary glands in a nursing or recently bred doe
- Doe refusing to eat or showing reduced grooming
- Discolored (red, blue, or purple) gland skin
- Kits restless, vocal, or losing weight
- Any nursing doe with fever or hunched posture
Go to the ER immediately if:
- Collapse, weakness, or cold ears and body in a doe with mastitis
- Black or necrotic-looking mammary tissue
- Rapid spread of swelling to multiple glands within hours
- Refusal to eat or drink for more than 12 hours plus systemic signs
- No fecal pellets for 12 hours in a sick doe
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I treat my rabbit's mastitis at home?
No. Mastitis can progress to fatal septicemia within 24 to 48 hours, and safe antibiotic choice in rabbits is narrow — common antibiotics like oral penicillin are deadly. Same-day exotic vet care is required. Home support — warm compresses, hand-feeding, separating sick glands from kits — is done only after a vet has examined the doe.
How much does rabbit mastitis treatment cost?
Exotic vet exam typically runs $80 to $200. Bloodwork and culture add $150 to $350. Outpatient antibiotic and pain medication courses are $80 to $200. Hospitalization for septic cases runs $500 to $2,000. Surgical debridement of necrotic glands is $400 to $1,500. Catching mastitis on day one is dramatically cheaper than treating septic shock.
Can I save the kits?
Often yes. If only one or two glands are infected, kits can nurse on healthy glands. Otherwise, fostering on another doe or hand-rearing with kitten milk replacer can succeed if started promptly. The exotic vet can guide the schedule and demonstrate technique.
Will mastitis come back?
Risk drops sharply with environmental hygiene improvements — clean bedding, reduced crowding, monitored kit nail and tooth trimming. Recurrence in the same gland is uncommon if treatment is complete. Spaying after weaning prevents future mastitis and reduces mammary tumor risk.
Is the swelling mastitis or pseudopregnancy?
Pseudopregnant does have symmetric, soft, non-painful mammary enlargement without fever or systemic illness — they often pull fur and build a nest. True mastitis is hot, asymmetric, painful, and accompanied by reduced appetite. When in doubt, a same-day exam settles it.
Still Not Sure if Your Rabbit Needs a Vet?
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