8 year old doe accidentally pregnant

[Greeenie]

So my boyfriend has a doe that's about 8 years old. She's had a litter before but not for a few years. I recently moved in with him and brought my 2 year old buck. Well his doe somehow managed to break into his cage over night. I don't know the exact day this happened, it was a few weeks ago. Since she has displayed signs of pregnancy (ripping out her fur, and using it to nest). We know that there isn't anything that can be done at this point but we are very concerned for her. I am aware that this pregnancy could very well kill her. We have since put my buck in a room elsewhere and have given her everything she needs to have her babies (Nesting box, water, food). I have never bred bunnies before (though I do have experience with dogs) and am not quite sure how to handle the situation. Is there anything I can do for her to help things run smoothly? What are the chances she will survive this litter? Will I have to do anything for her during her labor?

 

[Maleficent]

Only thing I can suggest is to monitor her, maybe check out this thread I wrote up on another forum.

https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/rab ... sa.453797/

I touched on a few necessary things in that thread and the one thing I would really be concerned about is her having trouble giving birth due to fat deposits and her uterine muscles not being as strong. Also kind of curious how she got into the bucks cage? I must also ask if you have plans to breed your buck or if he is only a pet? If he is only a pet I would highly suggest getting him fixed to prevent such a thing from happening again. Once fixed and you wait a month for any viable sperm left to die off they can actually become a bonded pair and play together without worry of such a thing happening again.

 

[Dood]

Yeah, not much you can do but minimize stress

Make sure you don't limit her exercise as she'll need those muscles for pushing

You might want to try and induce labour around day 28-32 by letting the buck visit as a late delivery means the kits are bigger and more likely to get stuck

I had a Netherland Dwarf that had her last litter at 8 years old and she lived to 14, so don't worry too much

 

[Greeenie]

Also kind of curious how she got into the bucks cage? I must also ask if you have plans to breed your buck or if he is only a pet? If he is only a pet I would highly suggest getting him fixed to prevent such a thing from happening again. Once fixed and you wait a month for any viable sperm left to die off they can actually become a bonded pair and play together without worry of such a thing happening again.

My cage is an open top cage with a divider in between their two cages. Of course the first night I set it up she jumps the divider (Quite impressive, Its a really tall cage. Goes above my hip). I do not plan to breed, and we already neutered the buck on 8/18. We actually scheduled the appointment before this happened, as soon as we realized that neither of our buns were fixed. We hoped it would have prevented incidents like this.

You might want to try and induce labour around day 28-32 by letting the buck visit as a late delivery means the kits are bigger and more likely to get stuck

Unfortunately I cant remember when exactly I put the cage together, so I dont know how far along she is.

 

[Dwc77]

I looked up rabbit years to human years it said that she is in her 70's. I wouldn't worry because it doesn't help anything. I once had a cow that was over 19 when she died and had a calf every year and was even pregnant when she died. Slipped on some ice I tried everything to keep her going and not just because that calf was worth some money! Looked up cow years said she was in her 80's :x Good luck!

 

[Nyctra]

I'm not sure if pairing her to the buck to kickstart labor would be such a good idea? Because what if she's not really pregnant, and just having a false pregnancy? :?

Does within days of kindling, I can usually palpate their bellies gently while they're relaxed and lounging, and feel the lumps n bumps of kits, sometimes a kick. I learned not to go by watching the rolling motion of the belly; most of it's actually just digestion, not kits moving.

 

[Maleficent]

Also kind of curious how she got into the bucks cage? I must also ask if you have plans to breed your buck or if he is only a pet? If he is only a pet I would highly suggest getting him fixed to prevent such a thing from happening again. Once fixed and you wait a month for any viable sperm left to die off they can actually become a bonded pair and play together without worry of such a thing happening again.

My cage is an open top cage with a divider in between their two cages. Of course the first night I set it up she jumps the divider (Quite impressive, Its a really tall cage. Goes above my hip). I do not plan to breed, and we already neutered the buck on 8/18. We actually scheduled the appointment before this happened, as soon as we realized that neither of our buns were fixed. We hoped it would have prevented incidents like this.

If the tips of a rabbits ears can pass the divider while they stand up to para scope they can jump the divider, you will be surprised by how high they can jump if motivated. They can also breed through the divider surprisingly.

 

[Greeenie]

Update: So I just remembered I could look at the date the cage was delivered to determine the night they spent together. August 1st was the night she jumped into his cage. So she would be due September 1st I'm assuming? She goes into the nesting box daily, and rips a little more of her fur out. I feel a lot better now knowing that she not overdue and when to expect them. I tried palpating her bellly but I couldn't find anything. Maybe she could be having a false pregnancy but I don't know why else she would be ripping her fur out, burying it in the litter box and refusing to use the litter.

 

[CapellaFarm]

@Greeenie, I am interested to hear how this turns out. There are probably plants that can induce labor but I am not that into herbal remedies for humans let alone rabbits. Also, it could cause more harm than good to interfere. For example, I had heard that mint could cause miscarriages or prevent pregnancy. I have no idea if that is actually true. Sorry not much help. I think the best thing is just to let the girl do her thing and try not to stress her further.

 

[Greeenie]

As of right now I am not trying to induce labor. I am 100% confident about the date she conceived, (assuming she did) so she wouldn't be due yet anyway. I am fairly certain that she is pregnant though, because according to my boyfriend shes behaving exactly the way she did last time she had her babies. I have been giving her TUMS daily hoping to build up her calcium before she births her kits because I heard that often helps. Other than that I am giving her plenty of extra pellets and just letting her do her own thing. I have been opening her cage to let her run around but she seems uninterested in doing anything else other than laying down, eating, or ripping her fur out. Shes gotten extremely lazy the past few days. This worries me slightly, fearing that she might get lazy when its time for her to go in labor. But i suppose that is what the tums is supposed to help with. Nothing to do from here on except continue what Im doing and wait it out. I will make sure to keep you updated.

 

[Maleficent]

Greenie, when my Maleficent was nearing that last week or so of her pregnancy she got really lazy herself and preferred to lay down vs run and hop around. Since you speculate her birthing or conceiving on the 1st its not unheard of that she would become more sedentary at this point. She would only be 5 days away from day 31 her speculated due date. The babies would be pressing on her lungs and other organs making things hard for her.

 

[Ozarkansas]

I honestly wouldn't worry too much about her. It is perfectly normal for a doe to be more lazy during the last half of pregnancy. Also, I think if she was fit enough to get pregnant her first time with the buck, she is probably fit enough to have babies.

 

[CapellaFarm]

Sounds to me like she is acting exactly like I would if I were to have another baby when I'm in my late forties or early fifties (dear lord I hope that doesn't happen to me). She is probably super uncomfortable. In the ninth month of a human pregnancy it can be pretty darn uncomfortable even when we are only having one baby--not 6+. She probably feels like she is going to burst at any moment so she is just taking it easy and may be a tad stressed. I totally get it.

 

[Greeenie]

Just thought I'd give a quick update. Nothing has happened yet. Im expecting she will pop in a few days. I have been putting a few tums in her cage every day. Shes still lazy, but shes still eating a lot, so I guess she isnt quite ready yet. Other than that, Im just waiting. opcorn: opcorn: opcorn: <br /><br /> -- Sun Sep 03, 2017 1:42 am -- <br /><br /> Update, no babies yet. Yesterday is the day I expected her to have the kits. We're starting to think that maybe she had a false pregnancy, or miscarried. She is acting like she's uncomfortable, but she hasnt gone in her nesting box at all, even though she usually likes to dig around in there. I have given her tums, that didn't seem to have any effect. I guess I'll just wait and see what happens tomorrow.

 

[MaggieJ]

A few thoughts . . .

Leave the nestbox in for the next week at least, just in case . . .

Usually false pregnancies are over long before the due date arrives . . .

The TUMS are to prevent a calcium deficiency, which can lead to problems in kindling. You will not see a result. A "few TUMS" every day may be too many. The rabbit may be eating them because they taste sweet rather than because she needs them. You might want to look into this further.

 

[Maleficent]

I would do what Maggie said and cut back on the tums. My current mother bunny only gets half a tum one to two times a week. Never more except when she first gave birth she got a whole tum. I would suggest investing in fresh raspberry leaves they would be better and can help ensure when she does give birth she doesn't retain placenta. If I can find the link there is a whole page on herbs and how they can help your bunny.

 

[Greeenie]

I have left the nesting box in her cage. She digs in it a lot, but I don't think she's preparing a nest anymore, just digging for tums. I have stopped her tums and will start looking into raspberry leaves. She still seems touchy and kinda lazy, but other than that she shows no signs of going into labor anytime soon.