Doe losing appetite when pregnant?

[dangerbunny]

Anyone have any ideas on what could be causing this? I'm stumped.

I have a year old Holland Lop doe, she had a successful litter for the previous owner. I bred her when I first got her, she took to the first breeding but stopped eating halfway through the pregnancy, got quite thin and had the kits almost a week early, kits were small, she didn't make a nest and kits were born on the wire, none made it. I thought maybe changes in feed or not drinking enough so swapped water bottle for crock. After giving her a couple weeks to gain some weight I bred her again, she's due on the 17th and now losing her appetite. Same feed she was happily eating a week ago, free choice hay.

 

[Zass]

Some of my rabbits have gone off feed during pregnancy like that. But, I have never had an early litter like you describe.

It seems to be most common for me when they are molting, and I wonder if it's related to wool block?

They will usually happily eat oatmeal, greens, boss or pumpkin seeds, fruits, hay and pretty much anything except pellets.
And then they return to their pellets as soon as the litter is born.

 

[Dood]

My does usually eat less a few days before kindling.

I have seen uterine scar tissue cause pregnant dogs and cats to loose appetite and/or abort litters. I would assume it can happen in rabbits as well.

 

[akane]

A couple of my Netherland does from the same breeder have horrible problems eating and maintaining weight. I had to wait 3 months after weaning to breed again. I put them on oats and boss with alfalfa hay halfway through pregnancy to several weeks after before putting them back on pellets nd they did a lot better. I already rebred the doe I kept who's offspring turned 8 weeks last weekend.

 

[Zass]

A couple of my Netherland does from the same breeder have horrible problems eating and maintaining weight. I had to wait 3 months after weaning to breed again. I put them on oats and boss with alfalfa hay halfway through pregnancy to several weeks after before putting them back on pellets nd they did a lot better. I already rebred the doe I kept who's offspring turned 8 weeks last weekend.

Hey Akane, do you remember that my house rabbit (a v-lop) was off pellets for all but the first week of her pregnancy?

The day after she kindled she started eating her pellets again as if she'd never stopped. :?

A Lilac doe did the same thing once, and so did a SF. She nearly died of GI stasis before I realized that it wasn't normal pre- kindling appetite loss.

It has to be something about me, and the way I feed, since the rabbits are so unrelated.

All I know for sure...is how to feed a doe who's being picky, since I've had so much practice.

 

[akane]

Mine continue to have weight issues through early nursing. I've had them stop lactating a few times which was helped with crushed nettle and dandelion but just giving them higher calorie food this last time kept things mostly good. I only kept the 1 doe and 1 of her bucks from that breeder's rabbits though. I don't want to deal with them. My chocolate doe that is the only one from another breeder near me also got somewhat skinny but nothing like those. The ones I got from chicago maintain weight fine but the buck has yet to sire a litter and the doe that just kindled that rainbow litter pulled her front legs, chest, and front half of the abdomen completely bald. She packed a medium nest box with fur. :lol: That's a much better problem to have.

 

[dangerbunny]

She is still eating but markedly less, she isn't interested in pellets, boss or flax at all, nibbling a little on oats and barley, very slightly interested in grass, dandelion and plantain. Not molting at all and nothing has changed except being bred, she is also the only doe to have become cage aggressive and bite me while being pregnant so maybe she is just hormonally weird? I'm really hoping to get a live litter out of her as she is a beautiful doe and has a sweet temperament, generally.

 

[akane]

Try small slices of banana in the peel. If you have a blender puree a banana or some berries (freezer section usually has cheap mixed bags) with some oatmeal or soaked pellets in to a mush. Not too heavy on the fruit or the poor digestion of the sugars can cause bloat and diarrhea. That's why you want the peel left on or mixed with the oats. Oats are also close to double the fat as pellets. You could also do the same with herbs, forage, or vegetables she will eat with less worry about including too much. Use them to flavor the more useful foods.

 

[dangerbunny]

Thought I would update, Diva built a nice nest and had four healthy babies right on schedule. I found rotating the foods helped keep her interested in eating.

 

[Marinea]

Congrats on the litter, Dangerbunny!