Could We Really Be Pregnant?

Hi everyone! I am new to the forum (1st time poster) and I am hoping someone can listen to my plight and weigh in. I am the proud Mama (well Grandma I guess since they are TECHNICALLY my daughters bunnies) of 4 lovely English lop bunnies. 1 Male / 3 females. The females and the male are housed separate from each other. HOWEVER, with that being said my male bunny had come in contact with one of the females around March 24th - ish. (can't remember EXACTLY) Their was mounting involved, however it was brief.

Fast forward to 3 days ago....my female bunny all of a sudden started pulling fur and "haystaching". She has quite a nest going. I of course assumed that this indeed meant that she was pregnant but as of this morning, still no kits. If in fact I am remembering the date correctly that would make her nesting day Day 31 and today as Day 34. It just doesn't line up, does it? Could she be experiencing a false pregnancy? I haven't palpated her because, quite frankly I have no idea what I'm doing and don't want to hurt her or any babies if they are there. I have tried to look for movement but she does not want to lay still. She was QUITE grumpy last weekend and bit my shoe and was growling around me and the other bunnies, which she doesn't typically do. Does fertilization take place on the same day as mating or does it take a couple of days? Maybe I am off by a few days?? I am SO sorry for firing all of these questions but I am anxious and worried for her. Plus, even though this was an unintentional thing, I can't help but be excited for little long eared babies!! Thanks so much for any input and for reading!

Hi PumpkinsMom

Welcome to RabbitTalk!

It sure sounds like your doe might be pregnant... and it's not unheard of for a doe to have kits later than expected (you'll hear recommendations to leave the nestbox in for 40+ days around here). It's always better to be safe than sorry, and most does that experience a false pregnancy will haystache and make nests much earlier in the process (think 2 weeks in).

If it makes you feel any better, one of our girls was stubborn about breeding this year so she got left with a buck off and on for a 2 week period. So I had a period of two weeks of potential due dates (my heart probably won't thank me for that stress), and she ended up having kits well past the expected due date of the very last day she was with the buck! :x

Just keep an eye on your girl and make sure she has everything she needs for babies on hand for a while. It's always better to leave a nest box in longer than necessary than not have one a day late.

Best of luck to you and the bunnies!

Hello Nymphadora,

Thank you so much for the reply! I have been obsessing over these potential babies!! :lol: Even though she wasn't intentionally bred, I am so excited for little ones.

They are outdoor hutch bunnies mainly (though they spend a fair amount of time in the house or in their play yard) , so I have been making frequent trips outside checking through the nest. I will continue my maternity ward duties for awhile and keep my fingers crossed!!

PumpkinsMom":3gbv8ksg said:

They are outdoor hutch bunnies mainly (though they spend a fair amount of time in the house or in their play yard) , so I have been making frequent trips outside checking through the nest. I will continue my maternity ward duties for awhile and keep my fingers crossed!!

Click to expand...

I wouldn't stalk her too obsessively (she'll want to feel secure and "safe" enough to have the kits), just check in when you normally would. If there's a window in the house you can peep out to the rabbits from, I highly recommend making yourself a cup of tea (or beverage of choice) and pulling up a chair and a good book if you have the time. I happen to have a decent view of our does cages from the living room, so I'll peek from there when I know they're close to delivery... I prefer not messing with them much the day of.

Also, I'd keep her separated from the rest of the bunnies, even female, for now (it wasn't super clear if they play together or separately from your post). Rabbits can be territorial even without babies on the way, but I'm guessing mama buns only get worse about space issues! Not to mention picking her up, getting her over to the play area, and bringing her back might just be too much stress for her right now.

Babies are always such a wonderful distraction!

True....you are right. I will try a more casual way of checking on her throughout the day and limit actual cage checking to morning and night.

My 3 girls were sharing a large hutch for the last year up until a couple of weeks ago when Pumpkin (suspected expectant bunny) started to become really hostile towards the other two ladies. So since I had a spare empty smaller hutch she was moved into there on her own.

great advise above , -- and good luck with "your" kindling...

Thank you!! Still nothing as of this morning. :shock:

In case she kindles, a few thoughts: check the babies and the nest box after she is done. Remove any wet/bloody nest materials and any dead kits. Check the babies daily to ensure they are being fed. Free feed the does, and consider adding a bit of black oil sunflower seeds a few times a week for her milk fat. Day 10 after kindling, change out all of the nest box materials for fresh.

Good luck!

Thank you for the tips and info!! still nothing yet!! I can't take this suspense of is she or isn't she? Lol <br /><br /> -- Sun Apr 29, 2018 10:11 pm -- <br /><br /> Well....I just don't think there is a pregnancy. Today would be something like day 36 or 37 and there's been nothing. Feeling her tummy area yesterday and watching her I didn't feel or see anything. This morning I noticed she had taken some of her nesting material out of her box. I don't know what the deal is....false pregnancy I suppose, but the timing seemed to be right. Oh well...I wasn't planning for a litter anyway... BUT...I am not opposed to the idea of it.

I remember how impatient I was for our first litter, and even still I get anxious and also watch from the window It could be either, a true or false pregnancy. It also matters what time of the day you bred her. If it was evening, then you would actually start counting from the following day. So she may not be as far off as you would think. For my girls and my experience, they all haystache and nest BEFORE day 20 for false pregnancies. While it can happen anytime, the late staching and nesting all points to actual pregnancy in my rabbitry. My guess is that you may have skewed dates or written it down wrong, or that shes just going a little longer than whats normal. Anyway, good luck, I suspect you will have babies soon, and all my fingers and toes are crossed for you! I am also easily able to see the babies kicking at this point for sure. watch her belly, sometimes it can take 5-10 mins before they are wild and really kicking, but it looks like little punches to her belly. Not a rolling movement (thats intestine). Also they will eat less just prior to kindling.