Pregnant rabbit problems

[RDchicken99]

Hi everyone! I have a New Zealand rabbit doe who is pregnant with her first litter! (Note: this is also my first rabbit litter as well, hah) So, yay! At around 26 days or so she started hay gathering, she was looking REALLY pregnant, all good signs! She wasn’t really keen on the nesting box so we filled her cage with straw which she loved. She started making herself a lovely little nest, she was pulling fur like a maniac, and I honestly thought she was going to have her kits because at one point she was panting so hard. And then she just stopped. It’s been several days and still no babies, she’s stopped hay gathering, pulling her fur, all of the pregnant bunny things. I have no clue what happened. Any ideas?

 

[Tre3hugger]

How many days is it right now since she was bred?

 

[Stuart Tate]

Hi everyone! I have a New Zealand rabbit doe who is pregnant with her first litter! (Note: this is also my first rabbit litter as well, hah) So, yay! At around 26 days or so she started hay gathering, she was looking REALLY pregnant, all good signs! She wasn’t really keen on the nesting box so we filled her cage with straw which she loved. She started making herself a lovely little nest, she was pulling fur like a maniac, and I honestly thought she was going to have her kits because at one point she was panting so hard. And then she just stopped. It’s been several days and still no babies, she’s stopped hay gathering, pulling her fur, all of the pregnant bunny things. I have no clue what happened. Any ideas?

Hi have you checked the cage for signs of blood, could be she had the kits and has eaten them, has she had any blood on her rear, had a few first time mothers eat there young due to the slightest thing happening walk past cage noise from neighbours, and then others are perfectly fine will drop kits in front of you.

 

[cassie]

Learn how to palpate. It isn't hard and it will tell you whether she has babies inside or not. She could have lost the litter, she could have resorbed them, or it could be a false pregnancy. Give her a few more days and if there are still no babies, breed her.

 

[RDchicken99]

Update, yesterday I had went to check in her nest again, and uncovered some kits, she had buried them pretty deep in the bedding, so I must have missed them before. Three kits, all dead, one was fully formed, and the others both very malformed. One was barely developed, it was just a little ball. Any ideas on what could have happened? Is this something (kind of) normal for first time moms? And also, when is it best to breed her again? Thanks for the help guys.

 

[HorsesRMe123]

Update, yesterday I had went to check in her nest again, and uncovered some kits, she had buried them pretty deep in the bedding, so I must have missed them before. Three kits, all dead, one was fully formed, and the others both very malformed. One was barely developed, it was just a little ball. Any ideas on what could have happened? Is this something (kind of) normal for first time moms? And also, when is it best to breed her again? Thanks for the help guys.

I’m so sorry you lost the litter! Yes, mother rabbits can be very good at hiding their kits and you sometimes have to really look for them. I’ve lost an entire litter (8 kits) with a first time mother and it’s not uncommon for that to happen. First time mothers are not experienced like mothers who have had 3 or 4 litters. So it’s not unusual that all died.

Your kits may have come out malformed possibly due to mutations, nutrient deficiency, the age of the rabbit, or inbreeding. Of course, there’s multiple factors and those examples definitely may not be the cause of the malformed kits. It may just be an unknown cause. Some rabbits with the dwarf gene (both doe and buck, which New Zealand’s do not carry the dwarf gene) breed and some come out as peanuts, which unfortunately do not survive, and this is not the fault of the breeder but rather certain circumstances that cause this to happen. If you have another buck, you could try breeding him to this female. Or you could try again with the same pair and see if it was just a rare occurrence the first time, which definitely could be the case!

As for breeding the doe again, I would breed her within these next few days. You could breed her today or in a couple days. So if I were you, I’d breed her today. Does are very fertile for a few days after giving birth, are usually receptive and litter size is usually higher. I would definitely breed her ASAP! I wish the best for you and your bunnies!

 

[Tre3hugger]

My amchin just lost her first litter this week. 5 fully formed kits born on the wire. It seems very common for first time moms. I rebred her that night (she accepted willingly) and am crossing my fingers for next time.

 

[RDchicken99]

I’ve got another update.
I went ahead and bred her again, and it was very successful! I had gone to close up the rabbit barn and she had had five more kits on the wire. All stillborn, two were partially developed, and three others were just balls like the first time. She had an excessive amount of blood on her hindquarters. I have no clue what is going on with her. I think hormones from breeding her made her expel the other babies. We’re all a bit freaked out. Today’s episode was particularly gruesome.

 

[HorsesRMe123]

I’ve got another update.
I went ahead and bred her again, and it was very successful! I had gone to close up the rabbit barn and she had had five more kits on the wire. All stillborn, two were partially developed, and three others were just balls like the first time. She had an excessive amount of blood on her hindquarters. I have no clue what is going on with her. I think hormones from breeding her made her expel the other babies. We’re all a bit freaked out. Today’s episode was particularly gruesome.

Oh wow. I’ve never heard of something like that happening. Yeah, I would just wait and see what happens with this next litter. Only a month away now!

 

[cassie]

I don't think breeding her made any difference. See what happens next time.