Pregnant Rabbit spotting?

Rabbit Talk  Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Both of our does stuck their heads in the nest box and appeared to be rearranging hay with their mouths. Not a lot of big head movements, just small adjustments. But what we thought was nest adjustments was actually labor. Caught us off guard in both cases. if she goes into labor while you aren’t sleeping and can observe it, watch for what we call “squirters,” kits that are born but slip out to the side and dont get noticed by the mama because she is starting to deal with the next delivery (ours all came in rapid succession). We’ve had this happen with both of our does.
lol I am hoping to observe but I work a LOT! As I know I have a 24 hr shift this weekend, I have decided to set up cameras to mind them and if there is a trouble call on my kindly but inexperienced neighbourette. She minds the dog when I am not home. So far the one doe seems to have strong instinct, the other one is full sister, maybe my breeder is right and she is just cooking a while longer. Today about 7pm would be exactly 31 days for Joy so I am hoping her babies come before Sunday! So then I just need to keep watching Hope for signs.
 
My doe goes 32 days so......hang in there.
LOL no choice but watchful waiting! The best laid plans of mice and men as they say... as I have a 24 hour shift every Sunday I literally tried to time it so 30 days for the girls was during the week! Here we are Friday, no kits, Hope is day 34 still no nesting behavior, Joy is day 32 and still no kits! Then it occurs to me, if they are born on the wire or another problem and my neighbour is here... and she helps... they don't know her at ALL will that do more harm then good and they will stomp the babies or something? ARGH! So now I am hoping the babies don't come until Monday!
 
LOL no choice but watchful waiting! The best laid plans of mice and men as they say... as I have a 24 hour shift every Sunday I literally tried to time it so 30 days for the girls was during the week! Here we are Friday, no kits, Hope is day 34 still no nesting behavior, Joy is day 32 and still no kits! Then it occurs to me, if they are born on the wire or another problem and my neighbour is here... and she helps... they don't know her at ALL will that do more harm then good and they will stomp the babies or something? ARGH! So now I am hoping the babies don't come until Monday!
I think you will have babies today.
 
I think you will have babies today.
Gosh I hope you are right! It is quite crisp and windy out there! They have wind protecton and no drafts but the trees are rustling! Maybe they wait until the still and quiet of the night. Trouble with that is I leave at 3:30 pm and get home tomorrow at 9:30 am so here is hoping they babies are born in the boxes!
 
I know you are nervous. I'm praying all goes well and God will deliver a bunch of happy healthy bunnies and a super caring mother.
Thank you, much appreciated! I believe very much in the power of prayer and know they are Gods creatures. Both does were pressed up to their cage doors this morning sunning their backs! So they are happy, at least!
 
Lol naturally as I feared Joy kindled while in on my 24 hour shift! She did perfect though clever girl! All in the nest none on the wire! I can’t wait to get home my new rabbits from USA also arrived today! I won’t peak at Joys babies until tomorrow morning but I will give her a cookie! (Oats)
 

Attachments

  • E5F95FD9-982C-4376-BB15-ACB133B41A01.jpeg
    E5F95FD9-982C-4376-BB15-ACB133B41A01.jpeg
    65.2 KB
Lol naturally as I feared Joy kindled while in on my 24 hour shift! She did perfect though clever girl! All in the nest none on the wire! I can’t wait to get home my new rabbits from USA also arrived today! I won’t peak at Joys babies until tomorrow morning but I will give her a cookie! (Oats)
that's great! Congrats. Question, how are the rabbits coming? UPS or something?
 
Lol naturally as I feared Joy kindled while in on my 24 hour shift! She did perfect though clever girl! All in the nest none on the wire! I can’t wait to get home my new rabbits from USA also arrived today! I won’t peak at Joys babies until tomorrow morning but I will give her a cookie! (Oats)
That's awesome! So excited for you and mama! Was Joy at 36? Or was she at 34? (Im too lazy right now to go back and figure out which was which.)
 
that's great! Congrats. Question, how are the rabbits coming? UPS or something?
No they were all picked up by a Canadian girl I know with beautiful silver fox abd brought to south Ontario then today another lovely rabbit lady I know brought them today to me outside montreal. Im in love! The beveren and blue silver fox buck I got are outstanding! Beautiful and friendly already even though I met them in the dark after lots of travel the past few weeks
That's awesome! So excited for you and mama! Was Joy at 36? Or was she at 34? (Im too lazy right now to go back and figure out which was which.)
Joy was day 30 on Thursday so she kindled yesterday sometime mid morning or early afternoon on day 33. I will go to count/sort kits and clean up the nest shortly. Hope was day 30 in Tuesday so as of tomorrow she is 7 days late! Apparently in this line of ladies 7 is the magic number for kits, so maybe she just wants to cook 7 an extra 7? At any rate my very handsome and friendly buck arrived yesterday, if Hope doesn't kindle she may get bred to him in the next few weeks! Now the hunt is one for a quality blue SF doe at the November NY show. I think just taking all my rabbits off the summer tractors has slimmed them down, they don't seem to have as much pudge as they did. Whoever thought grass was fattening.? Oh yes... wait... that Joel Salaten fellow wrote a book about that didn't he?
 
So Joy is a wonderful mom! She and her 5 kits are doing very well, and she doesn't like it but allows me to take her nest box out of her cage to inspect and handle her babies every day. So perfect, no broodzilla mom!

Hope on the other hand, no kits and no nesting behavior. So she was just maybe fat on pasture... she looks slimmer now. Today I am going to put my gorgeous and fabulous new blue buck Simon in a cage next door to hers and just tease her to see if she responds. If so, I will breed them and try again! They are full sisters, and I intend to test breed them 2 times each to make a decision of which doe I let go. I have a nice family waiting, and want to send them an easy and proven trio so they get started on the right foot. So Hope is more typey but Joy ticks all boxes.
 
So day 10 for Joys 5 fat little black wiggly kits! No open eyes yet, but they are getting there. Joy keeps the next box spectacularly clean, I don't know if it is the carefresh bedding and shopped straw but there is zero ammonia or wet in their bed. Kits are all clean, fat and glossy, so I am not worried about next box eye but have polysporin at the ready. She is a spectacular mom! I am thrilled. Hope however, I tried to rebreed Saturday and again last night. Zero interest and again she went after my beautiful and sweet new buck. Poor darling was so nice with her, she just looked disgusted with him and then very angry... at any rate, I decided we was not pregnant she was FAT from pasture. And still tubby... so I have decided she gets free choice hay and a 1/2 cup of pellet only every other day until she slims down and is hopefully less of a cow. If not, sad as it makes me... freezer camp. Maybe I get a nice quality doe from Joys litter to replace her with and cross with Simon the gorgeous new buck. If not, no worries I am looking for a nice new trio of high quality stock for next year.
 
Back
Top