Accidental pregnant bunny, I believe?

I am a first time dwarf rabbit owner. In March I got a litter of 4 twelve week old bunnies, which were far too small to sex by the person that I got them from. They all got along rather well for the longest time, but right before I left for a 3-week business trip, I noticed that one bunny kept chasing the other three. I had planned to get them all sexed by a veterenarian once I got back from my trip, but in the meantime I had my husband bring inside the two I suspected were girls to prevent any pregnancy (especially since they are brothers and sisters) and left the other two in their pen for the several weeks while I was gone. Once I returned, I went to go check on my bun children and realized that one of the "boys" had either pulled out "his" own hair on the tummy or that the other one had done it. I immediately brought "him" inside the house and to the vet later in the day. It was a Sunday so the only vet open was Banfield, which does not specialize in rabbits, and under normal circumstances will not treat them. The vet said that he was almost certain that "he" was a she and that the hair loss were most likely a result of either the other bunny pulling it out, a skin irritation, or possible pregnancy. I got the treatment spray for her skin to reduce irritation and after 2 days of treatment the redness has gone down so I am thinking that could have been the problem, but now I am noticing that her nipples are rather swollen and there is a small pouch on her tumtum and I am really afraid that she could be pregnant. I feel like an utter moron at this point in time and like a terrible bun parent, but my main corcern is making sure that my precious Goomba and her kits would be okay. Obviously taking her to the vet is a neccessary first step, but I would just like to know other people's experience or knowledge regarding this kind of thing. Number one, if this sounds like she is pregnant, she is only about 7 months and 4.2 lbs (but keep in mind she in a dwarf, and a big'un at that) and I am corcerned about her health and ability to birth babies. Number two, HOLY CRAP, it was with her BROTHER. I have seen conflicting information on the internet about any kind of problems that this could cause. I have seen some things that say some breeders do it purposely to retain positive characteristics but I have also seen some (mostly yahoo answers comments) that say you will end up with missing legs or dead babies or something god-awful like that. I can't believe I am saying this, but it is only first generation inbreeding (still eww from a human standpoint), and they are from a very healthy bloodline. I just would like to think that maybe my baby and my baby's babies will be okay. I just can't imagine having to come home to find a litter of special needs babies that I have no idea how to deal with. Should I leave her in the house with a safe place where she can feel comfortable to either have her babies or wait until the gestation period would have passed to know she is in the clear, or return her to where she has always stayed outside so that she is more relaxed? I am so confused and scared that I have done something just awful, and I know that this is obvioulsy not the best of situations. I already feel terrible enough, so please no comments about how irresponsible that was of me, believe me now I KNOW. What I would most appreciate is some advice for what others would do in this situation if this was their beloved pet and this accidentally happened to them, or possibly even some better ways to tell how far along they are or if they are pregnant. I would like to be able to take off work and be there with her when she has them to address any problems if it is likely that there will be some. Thank you for your help everyone. Oh and by the way, I am a vegetarian, no selling them for meat- that is the worst thing I have ever heard, these are my best fuzzy friends CHILDREN... Whatever is done has to be the absolute most humane and caring thing I could do for them, and if there will be very likely healthy tiny buns I will certainly be raising them for PETS, not food. My concern is that if they will be inevitably deformed, I don't want to put Ms. Goombie through that, especially if it could be harmful to her health.

And.....the star in the east appeared and lo and behold the virgin bunny was pregnant. Ok, you waited too long, the bunnies bred. You have babies coming. That leaves you with three options--get the bunny fixed before she gives birth, let her birth them and sell the babies for meat, let her birth them and sell them as pets but warn the new owners that they're inbred. Snake owners will take the babies off your hands at any stage of the game after the rabbit gives birth. Death will be pretty quick that way.

First, relax, if she got pregnant, the babies will be fine. The inbreeding isn't as big of an issue as you might think. She should be offered a nest box in her own cage, at least until you're positive there's no pregnancy. It's hard to see if a rabbit is pregnant; they don't "show" like other animals. A few days before the birth, the babies can be felt through the abdominal wall by palpating gently (feels lumpy, like a belly full of marbles.) Usually, the mom doesn't pull fur until just before the birth. It wouldn't hurt to be on hand during the birth if possible. A 7 month old dwarf is plenty old enough to have a litter safely and yes, she's a big doe for a dwarf, anyway. An issue with dwarf breeds is the babies getting a dwarf gene from each parent - this causes a "peanut" - lethal gene and the baby always dies. She may not even have a dwarf gene, at her size, so it may not occur. It happens in 25% of kits of two dwarf parents. Please see my breeding page on my rabbit site for all the details of her care and the possible kits.

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