I have a little boy and a little girl, both dwarf rabbits and Ive been noticing my boy has been a little... frisky
Hes only about 3.5months old though and shes about 3months, is it too soon for anything to actually be happening? Im not sure if they\'re actually doing anything or not. How can I tell if my little girl is pregnant? and how do i look after her if she is? How long are rabbits pregnant for before giving birth? I heard that the first litter is smaller than the ones after that. About 3-4 in the first and around 10 after that. Is this true? I\'m new to this whole rabbit thing so all information is greatly appreciated! thank you so much!
I hope you\'ve separated the bunnies by now.
Yep, conception could happen, but I certainly wouldn\'t recommend it at this age. I palpate my does at 10 - 14 days post breeding to feel for developing embryos. I would recommend you find a vet that can help you.
Does carry their kits for about 31 days. A nest box needs to be provided on day 28. (well bedded with shavings and grass hay). 3-4 is about all I\'d ever expect from a Dwarf. You really don\'t see litters of 10 until you get to the medium and large breeds.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
they arent seperated yet, i have another cage but its an outdoor one... and ive heard mixed things about moving an indoor rabbit outside.
Ive been checking her a lot to see if shes changing at all, shes always been a little chunkier than him so i havent noticed anything really. I was thinking about taking her to a vet and get them to feel there, but theyd probably charge me. I\'ll find out eventually anyways.
I heard rabbits pull out their fur to make a nest for them, is that right?
When should I take the babies from the mom? I have cedar shavings, but what is grass hay? ... dried up grass? Doesnt it have to be a certain time for rabbits to breed? thats another reason im not completely sure if she is or not. I dont know if its that season for her.
Rabbits pull fur to make the nest.they dont have a heat period like dogs.breeding induces ovulation.usually they will breed every few days.I would not allow them to breed ,if a dwarf doe thats too small gets bred she may have serious complications sometimes requiring a C section.this is very expensive.bluebird
Dont use cedar shavings for rabbits.bluebird
You sound like you need to really research things out before you get into breeding. Think of the welfare of the animals you are putting through this! They are still babies! To me it just seems like you have to many questions for yourself that you need to figure out answers to before you go breeding anything! Another question would be if you have limited cage space, where will these babies go? And if a vet is to expensive just for palpation then why do you want to breed more mouths to feed? Tony Artist, Artist Rabbitry, South Bend, IN
Rabbits only live around 10years so they do start breeding young. They are low on the food chain therefore they have to breed a lot and thats why they have so many babies at young ages. Its natural at this age. Would you rather me NOT ask questions and do this all wrong? I already have a ton of numbers people have given me for when she gives birth. About 10-15people want babies so far and shes only a few days pregnant. I wont have trouble finding homes. Im not having money problems, i just dont see the point in paying someone to tell me whether shes pregnant or not, it doesnt matter either way and i\'ll can find out for myself when she starts to get a bit of a belly. In my opinion its a waste of money. I did research and have friends that breed rabbits, i just want other peoples views and opinions on things. I have 2 huge outdoor cages and 2 indoor cages, space isnt a problem.
But thanks for your concern.
bluebird- my little girl is bigger than the boy, shes a good size. And theyre both very healthy, so im sure the babies will come out fine, as well as the mother. I\'ll show pictures on here when she gives birth and tell me what you think
Thanks
I wish you the best. I know being a Netherland dwarf breeder that a lot of even old enough first time mother\'s have a hard time. And they are not even considered adults until 6 months of age. If something should happen like a baby getting stuck in the birth canal are you prepared and ready? It can tear and cause damage to the doe, even infection. Just being a concerned breeder trying to help. Tony
Was this an accident or did you plan on it? I\'m guessing you planned it. Seperate them now, and just wait to see if she has babies.
Getting her palpated isn\'t a waste of money if you think about it. What if she had a stuck kit and you missed the signs and you just assumed she wasn\'t pregnant?
I would seperate them and wait until she is 5-6 months old to try to breed again if she\'s not pregnant.. It\'s not fair for her to be bred at three months. It may be natural, but if possible wait until they are a bit older. At this age the risks are higher, you probably won\'t have much sucess at a first liter and her being young may not know how to take care of them.
On information about how to care for them just incase here\'s a few tips. Give her lots of exercise to keep her healthy, minimize the handling, or avoid unless necessary (can be uncomfortable later on in the pregnancy). Keep her in a quiet room, or if she\'s somewhere now keep it as calm and peacefull as possible. Try not to fiddle with her too much, this could irrate her. Give her lots of hay for nesting materials. Make she she is drinking lots of water and do not increase her food for now.
You have to ask yourself a few questions now. Are you ready to deal with a possible emergancy if something happends to the doe? Are you prepared to see maybe half eaten kits? Are you ready to take care of a fatal peanut baby if she has one? (They cannot digest food and usually don\'t make it so it\'s advised to get rid of it early on so the mother can focus on the healthy kits, they are also common in the dwarf breeds). I\'m not trying to be negative, I\'m just trying to prepare you for what can happen. Also, keep in mind that sometimes the mother doesn\'t take care of the babies on first pregnancies, and considering she\'s so young this adds to the risk.