Are you sure she is not pregnant?

[Big Tom]

For those of you who palpate your does, if you think your doe is open do you breed her right away? Are you at all concerned that maybe she was bred and breeding her again may cause 2 pregnancies?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Are you at all concerned that maybe she was bred and breeding her again may cause 2 pregnancies?

No, but it is a good idea to provide a nestbox just in case. I will recheck does at a later date, but I have been surprised a time or two by a litter that I never felt.

In most mammals the progesterone secreted during gestation inhibits oestrus and the pregnant female refuses to mate, but a pregnant doe may accept mating throughout the gestation period. Indeed, in the second half of pregnancy this is the most common behaviour (Figure 10).

A breeder cannot therefore use the sexual behaviour of does as an indication of pregnancy. Mating occurring during gestation has no dire consequences for the embryos. Unlike the phenomenon observed in the female hare, superfoetation (two simultaneous pregnancies at two different stages of development) never occurs in rabbits.

http://www.fao.org/docrep/t1690E/t1690e05.htm

 

[Big Tom]

In most mammals the progesterone secreted during gestation inhibits oestrus and the pregnant female refuses to mate, but a pregnant doe may accept mating throughout the gestation period. Indeed, in the second half of pregnancy this is the most common behaviour (Figure 10).

A breeder cannot therefore use the sexual behaviour of does as an indication of pregnancy. Mating occurring during gestation has no dire consequences for the embryos. Unlike the phenomenon observed in the female hare, superfoetation (two simultaneous pregnancies at two different stages of development) never occurs in rabbits.

http://www.fao.org/docrep/t1690E/t1690e05.htm

Thanks for the info.

I just started doing palpations and was amazed how easy it was to find that "grape" on the first few I did. Now I have a doe that I can't find anything at 13, 14 and 15 days and I'm wondering if I just can't find it or if she is open.

 

[dangerbunny]

I check a doe at two weeks and if she is open and looks receptive I will rebred her, I do mark both matings down and provide a nestbox just in case she took to the first breeding but so far I've been pretty reliable with palpating.