Opps..... Looks like my rabbit might be pregnant!

[DancingWthDucks]

Today I let my Mini Lop doe, Flora (1.5 years old) out into the garden, for exercise, and whilst I was inside, my Holland Lop buck, Thistle (3/4 years) managed to escape from his hutch..... Before I managed to catch them, Thistle mated and fell off Flora twice :/. Flora has had a couple 'false pregnancies' in the past, and Thistle try's to mate with EVERYTHING in his reach (ducks, shoes, washing, people's legs, etc).

I'm a newbie to all this rabbit breeding stuff and any advice would be REALLY apprieciated. A few questions:

-What are the chances of her being pregnant?
-How can I find out if she is?

Thanks,

Charlotte.

 

[Kiki]

I'd say your chances are 50/50
and you will find out when she delivers!


Seriously though..I'm not sure.

 

[BantamLover21]

Assuming Thistle is fertile and the doe isn't too fat to conceive (and doesn't have any other reproductive problem), she is most likely pregnant. Fall offs generally mean a buck has successfully bred a doe.

You may be able to tell if your doe is pregnant when she is about 14 days along by palpating her. Gently but firmly squeeze her abdomen, reaching up toward the backbone. If she is pregnant, you may feel small grape-like objects. However, palpating can be a challenging skill, and even if you feel nothing, that doesn't mean she isn't pregnant.

If you weigh your doe regularly, if she is pregnant, you should also notice some weight increase. The amount gained varies from rabbit to rabbit and from pregnancy to pregnancy, though. Some of my large Sable does have gained as much as a pound while pregnant, some only a few ounces. Weight change with smaller breeds may be less noticeable.

Regardless of whether you're sure if she is pregnant, about 28 days from the time she was bred, give her a nest box and some nesting material (shavings, hay, etc.). If she's pregnant (and sometimes even if she isn't), she'll probably build a nest anytime from day 28-day 31 of the expected gestation. She may pull fur a few days before giving birth, but more often, just few hours/minutes before kindling.

 

[BirdsNRabbits]

Basically all BantamLover21 said. The only reason Thistle wouldn't be fertile is if you've been having long periods of hot weather or he has an infertility problem... which is pretty un-heard-of for rabbit bucks. The fact that he fell off probably means he did breed her. Now, since she has a history of false pregnancies, she may not have took. And he may have missed.

Palpating is a skill that I've found very hard to master, and with me breeding a dwarf breed, sometimes don't even try. If you do attempt to palpate her, place her on a flat surface with her head facing towards you. Gently, yet firmly feel her abdomen and press upwards. If she's pregnant you might feel the small, grape-sized kits. They might even move around. Kind of like feeling a baby kick. But palpation isn't a tried and true way to tell that a doe is pregnant.

On day 28-31 give her a nicely sized nesting box with plenty of materials. I use straw. But you can also put shavings in the bottom, with hay. Most of my does kindle on days 30-31 but times vary. She will build a nest in the materials and pull some of her own fur to put on top of them. She will probably pull fur right before she has the babies, and since most of the time they kindle at night, you wont see this process. But I have had some does kindle during the daytime.

There are lots of variables with all of this. Just make sure she stays healthy and has everything she needs! And good luck!

 

[DancingWthDucks]

Thank you very much for your replys! My vet (at her last check up) said she was an okay weight, and the weather hasn't been very hot, just mild, so it looks like there is a possibility of her being pregnant. I think I'll probally wait and see- I don't really want to risk damaging the kits if I palpate incorrectly..... I'll keep you updated on the outcome

 

[DancingWthDucks]

Today I noticed that she's been doing some nest building (10 days to go), so I'm going to put her nest box in, plus she's almost doubled in size and her appetite has increased hugely, so things are looking hopeful!

 

[DancingWthDucks]

This afternoon, I cleaned out her hutch and added a deep cat litter tray, lined with newspaper, a thin layer of wood shavings and lots of soft meadow hay. I was pretty disappointed because she had a quick sniff of it and then ignored it ....

I've just been outside now, and she's sat inside the nest box, pulling fur and constructing a nest as I type!!!! From what I've been told, this means that she's definetely pregnant!!!

 

[BantamLover21]

This afternoon, I cleaned out her hutch and added a deep cat litter tray, lined with newspaper, a thin layer of wood shavings and lots of soft meadow hay. I was pretty disappointed because she had a quick sniff of it and then ignored it

....

I've just been outside now, and she's sat inside the nest box, pulling fur and constructing a nest as I type!!!! From what I've been told, this means that she's definetely pregnant!!!

Some does will pull fur and build nests as part of false pregnancies, but it sounds to me like your doe has a real pregnancy. Good luck with her!

I have two does due in the next few days. Hopefully all of our does have some healthy litters.

 

[BirdsNRabbits]

Good luck to both of you!! Yes sometimes does will construct nests and pull fur and still have a false pregnancy. You'll just have to wait and see, how many days along is she?

 

[DancingWthDucks]

Good luck to you BantamLover!

Flora gave birth overnight on day 30 (Tuesday/Wednesday)!! She had 5 kits in total (quite a lot for a Mini Lop?)- one was born outside the nest which I found dead, plus there was a stillborn kit inside the nest box, so overall I had 2 dead kits and 3 healthy alive kits! They are snuggled inside a thick layer of fur and all have huge bellys. I'm so proud of how well she's done, considering it's her first litter!

I'll update and post pics as they get older....

Thanks,
Charlotte