Brat, or Bred?

[Kathleen]

Kona, my blue tort English Angora, spent today removing all of her hay from where I tuck it into her second door and carrying it around her cage. Whenever I took out the strewn hay and replaced it with fresh, she'd repeat the process.

I attempted to breed her on February 3rd, but she never lifted and the buck never fell off. Indeed, he kept pursuing her with no success that I could see until I put a stop to it. This was her first breeding.

I believe that it would be much too early for her to be building a nest. I wish that she were bred, but I'm almost certain she's not. Is this a rabbit game, like a toddler hurling his toys? Or is she just taunting me?

 

[MaggieJ]

The timing is right for it to be a false pregnancy. The doe received some sexual stimulation and her body thinks she is pregnant. Mind you, she could indeed be pregnant and her nesting instincts are kicking in early. But I think the false pregnancy is more likely since it has been 18 days since the attempted breeding and that is typical timing.

 

[Kathleen]

Maggie, my only experience with a false pregnancy is with a dog - milk leaking, a fixation on a squeak toy that she perceived to be her baby, etc. Is there anything that I need to do? Should I stop taking apart her "nest?" I was going to wait until the first of the month to try to breed the does again. Is that too soon? Too late?

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Brody]

+ 1 agree with maggies suspecting false preggos - my mind was there before I finished the post

and let her be .. rabbits recover from false preggos faster than dogs IME .. she'll build the nest and be done mostly likely - she may let down some milk but she may also simply be bred on schedule

 

[MaggieJ]

I agree with Brody. It's pretty common with rabbits, especially youngish ones, and it soon passes. Likely she will have got past it before the beginning of March. Let her make her nest and be silly... it won't likely last long.

 

[Kathleen]

Thanks, Maggie and Brody. I'll leave her in peace. I'll maybe give her some straw to play house with, though, because I'd rather she ate the hay

 

[ladysown]

it could be either.

I find that false pregnancies tend to start bang on 15 days. whereas early nest builders start day 18 on.

I'd give her a nest box. She may build a nest and then ignore it. I'd leave it until days 35 post delivery date, and the rebreed at that point...unless you are good at palpating, or are able to sit and watch her around day 27 or so...you'll see "swimmers" if you sit long and still enough while they are resting. see no swimmers... probably not preggers at that point... see a swimmer like I did this morning and you'll go YAHOO!!!!

I JUST HAD a doe kindle...seven days ago or so. Exposed to a buck twice NEVER lifted, never saw the buck fall off, all I had was a young doe crying with her butt stuck in a corner. BUT we have five happy healthy kits from the first time she was exposed to him. Go figure...

 

[MaggieJ]

Hmmm... maybe you better listen to Ladysown. Better safe than sorry.

I have to admit I have no first-hand experience with false pregnancies. I don't know what it is with my rabbits but none of them seem to do the crazy things that other people talk about. They're so boringly normal! (Thank goodness)

 

[Kathleen]

Thank you for your thoughts, Ladysown. It certainly couldn't hurt to put in a nestbox. I'll add one and some straw tomorrow. If it starts to look serious, I've also saved bits from grooming the rabbits, in case she doesn't pull any fur.

I can't imagine seeing anything moving in her though - I really did try to trim both does before the (unsuccessful?) breeding attempt, but probably didn't get their wool short enough. I sort of wimped out. I didn't want to cut anybody.

I wonder if I should think about giving the older doe (the one who cried in the corner) a box, too? Perhaps Mozart is a stealth breeder

 

[ladysown]

sorry...missed the angora part!!! My bad...

who knows...I know I was shocked by my young doe.

 

[Brody]

around the right time it never hurts to gove them boxes ... better safe than sorry

 

[Kathleen]

If she IS bred, can I continue to groom her on the regular schedule, or is the clipping (which I did inadequately,) meant to make grooming while bred unnecessary, in addition to safeguarding the kits from entanglement?

 

[Anntann]

Just keep working with her as usual. Even after she kindles, if she does. You'll probably need to remove some mats from any afterbirth. She'll pull wool from her tummy area for the nestbox. She'll probably also take every scrap of hay in the place for her nest. If you put a nestbox in, you'll be prepared for anything...just watch that she doesn't start using it as a litter box.

I had 2 angora does kindle at the same time in the colony. ONE nestbox. Worked well, surprisingly. Neither one had been plucked, so they could have easily pulled really long wool...but they didn't. Both were first timers, btw.

I didn't trim them at all...but I understand WHY people do. It certainly won't hurt anything.

 

[Brody]

keep grooming