we bought 2 female rabbits from a pet shop at the same time but now they are about 5 months old they have mated and we think 1 is pregnant. we have looked and 1 is definat|y a buck. trouble is now we dont know what to do. we know we need another hutch to separate but havent a clue about the care the expectant mother needs. we also dont know how to tell is she is definately pregnant. we also dont know if they are siblings as they were bought at same time from a large pet store. can this cause problems?
The mother needs a nest box.You can buy those at feed stores.Does can be palpated but it takes a bit of practice.after she gives birth check for dead babies.i use a layer of wood shavngs pine,and straw or hay for bedding in the nestbox.bluebird
Breeding siblings can cause problems.you may get birth defects.Good luck.petstores rarely sex the rabbits correctly.keep the buns seperated because she will rebreed immediately after giving birth.bluebird
make sure you get them apart, if he tries to re-breed her she may end up with another litter when the first is due sadly the 2nd litter will be stillborn-a doe has \"horns\" in it\'s uterus and each horn can carry a litter so becareful, also, 31 days from conseption is when you will know for sure if she has been bred.
she will let you know as well by pulling fur and gathering hay or straw to line her nesting box, when she does this it won\'t be long before the big day. (It\'s fun to watch her do this as well)
she will do everything herself for her kits-all you will need to do is sit back and watch...just peek in from time to time to see if everything is ok.(ie. no bare cage floors or stillborns-pull them out)
she will (should) feed once in the morning and evening other than that she may not go near them.
good luck,
Frenchlopman
Without palpating, you won\'t know fore sure until, as
French Lop Man puts it, \"...31 days from conception...\"
Provide a nest box on
day 28 following when you
think she was bred. Use the bedding material
Bluebird outlined.
Good luck.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
I can relate to this story well! When I was young I bought 2 mice and they had 12 babies in a few weeks. My Mom wasn\'t too happy about that and took the babies back to the store. I think they fed them to the big fat snake that was sitting in the corner window! Yikes!
Your bunny will be fine. They normally have the natural instinct to do what they are supposed to. Usually its us stupid humans that get in the mix and mess them up! LOL
Provide her with what she needs ...nestbox, straw, shredded newspaper, plenty of fresh water...and just wait it out. You will notice her eating a bit more if she has controlled feedings. Thats one thing I don\'t like about those feeder hopper thingys -you fill them up and can\'t tell what wasted or eaten. She may stop eating when the time gets close. Good luck!
thank you everybody for your advice the rabbits are separated and the female is pulling fur so it wont be long now. due date is 6th of september.
Your doe is pulling fur very early, but really too late if it was a false pregnancy. Hopefully the doe will carry those babies to term.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
the rabbits definately mated on 6th august. the doe had escaped and that is the day we caught her. the other rabbit was a little too pleased to see her thats when we discovered that he was a buck. the escapee was living in the bushes ouside the back gate. i dont think there are wild rabbits around. she started pulling fur over a week ago so i am worried now because you say that is early. i have checked every day and there are no babies so far. do some rabbits pull fur early?
Once in a while does will pull fur early. In false pregnancy, does start pulling fur on day 17 following a sterile mating (or even being ridden by another doe), but no babies ever materialize. Did the doe make a nest? Some does will make a rudimentary nest with a bit of fur pulled early on, but really get down to business on kindling day.
It wouldn\'t matter if wild rabbits were around. Wild rabbits in the US and domestic rabbits are of two different species and cannot produce young.
If the doe was pulling fur in response to early labor pains, you most likely would have seen evidence of a miscarriage or premature birth. Since you haven\'t, chances are she\'ll kindle on the due date.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com