rabbit Pregnancy HELP!

[paigemcgrory]

hi guys so my rabbits got with an escaped male on the 7th Feb and one of them has gone really fat and i can feel lumps kicks and movement and shes also built a nest however the other rabbit isnt so fat and i couldnt feel any lumps but shes built and nest AND pulled loads of fur today and last night but the other rabbit hasnt

any ideas??

thankyou!

 

[Bunnylady]

I would assume that both of these does are pregnant. The normal gestation period for rabbits is 31 days, plus or minus a couple; counting that out on the calendar tells me your does should be due about the 9th. The normal behavior for a doe is to start doing things like digging in a corner of the cage and carrying hay around a week or so before the babies are born. Most does don't pull fur until just before or just after the kits are born, though some will pull a little bit a few days before.

Those are the textbook scenarios; unfortunately, rabbits don't read the books (though they might chew on them). Each doe is different, and until you have some experience with a doe, you can't be sure what she will do. Some does will pull fur well before kindling; I had one that started a good 10 days before her due date, and was pretty much bald by the time the kits came. Most does develop a bit of a "baby bump" in the late stages of pregnancy, but a lot don't get much bigger, especially if they aren't carrying many babies.

This could be a doe with a false pregnancy - being mounted by another rabbit can cause a doe to experience one, even if the other rabbit was a doe. Does with false pregnancies may go through all the mood changes, etc, of a pregnant doe, and refuse to breed. Often, a rabbit will "end" a false pregnancy before what would have been the full term, but some will go to 31 days, build a nest, pull fur, and produce nothing. Though I have had does that kindled on day 28, they were carrying large litters, so my first thought with a doe that seems not to have gained any girth that is pulling fur is a false pregnancy.

But, like I said, this may be one of the oddball does that doesn't do things the "normal" way. I have had a lot of does that were carrying only a couple of babies that went well past their due dates (34 - 35 days); the babies are huge when they are born this late, and almost never survive the birth process. While fur pulling at 29 - 30 days doesn't really sound like this situation, I would just wait and see; if this doe doesn't produce something within a few days, I'd go with the "false pregnancy" diagnosis.

 

[paigemcgrory]

thankyou so much you have been a great help, the fate doe has still no babies but for some reason re did her nest but didnt pull fur and nothing from the smaller doe either hopefully there could be some babies tonight, will keep you updated

many thanks

Paige