Doe nesting extremely early! New record?

[KenoshaRabbits]

Hey guys I have more of an anecdote; not really a question. I got some new rabbits on 2/13 and the lady I got them from let me breed one of the proven does (three previous litters / great mom) I bought with a buck of my choosing. Three days later she started to haystache. I threw in a nestbox and hay to see how far she would take it; and the next day she had built a nest and pulled fur. I've heard of building a nest early but four weeks early is ridiculous!

I saved the fur and pulled out the nestbox. Over the next few days she returned to normal. No questions just an interesting story.

P.S. To head a few comments off at the pass. 1) I didn't have an existing herd so no need to quarantine. 2) The breeder kept meticulous records (which she was kind enough to let me see), so I highly doubt she had bred the doe and forgot about it. 3) When we bred the doe she didn't display any signs of being pregnant and readily lifted. 4) She wasn't next to a buck so "breeding through the bars" isn't a concern. 5)In the subsequent 4/5 days she hasn't displayed any nest building behavior. 6) If I actually thought it was a possibility the doe was already pregnant I would have kept the nestbox in there.

 

[2CrazyFools]

Just a thought, I had a doe build a nest and pull fur around week 2 of "pregnancy" and got really excited. Turns out it was a false pregnancy and she didn't take though her body was telling her that she did, hence the fur pulling. After creating the nest and pulling fur for a few days she ignored it. Then we freaked out in 2+ weeks when she "retained her kits". AKA, never gave birth since she wasn't ever pregnant, lol. She is also a proven doe.

I'll cross my fingers your doe took and she's just being.. weird and decided to prepare early.

 

[shazza]

a general rule of thumb is if she's trying to nest before i think it's day 21? it's almost always a false pregnancy. after a few days the hormones subside and they'll abandon the nest and return to normal. fortunately a false pregnancy is prime time to rebreed for a real one, so if you can call up that breeder and try again you'd most likely get a success

 

[2CrazyFools]

I am curious about that Shazza, I was reading in Commercial Rabbit Raising that "Does which become pseudopregnant are unable to conceive until the false-pregnancy period, which lasts 17 days, is over. After 18 to 22 days, the doe may give evidence of the termination of false pregnancy by pulling fur and attempting to make a nest. When false pregnancy has terminated, doe will resume normal reproductive activity and may be bred."

Which sounds like false pregnancy is restricted to 17 days, give or take. While what Kenosha is describing to be only 4 days between possibly being bred and making the nest and pulling fur.

I'd think it's not that strict, and false pregnancies can be earlier witnessed, but the book sounds pretty cut and dry about the timeline.

 

[shazza]

yeah in my search to remember how many days it should be before they start nesting i found something similar, that they'll be totally unreceptive to a buck when they're in a false pregnancy. however i've heard dozens of other people say that they're very receptive during or right after a false pregnancy, and myself have had a very reluctant doe lift for a buck right after building a nest a week after breeding then forgetting about it. the book you quoted seems to suggest that the early nesting is the end of a false pregnancy, which may be why they are so receptive afterwards? however kenosha's account doesn't quite fit this as her doe started nesting only three days after breeding - if she'd already been in a false pregnancy, which apparently lasts about 17 days, shouldn't she have refused?

i have also read stories of rabbits that begin to nest very early after breeding (within that supposed 17 day limit,) and have seen suggestions that they had reabsorbed the fetuses, which apparently can also trigger the nesting instinct. i'm not sure how scientific that is, but it could also be a reason why rabbits are receptive after an early nesting fit if the dates don't line up to a false pregnancy cycle. it seems fairly plausible considering kenosha's rabbit was bred then immediately moved to a new area which could have stressed her a bit too much.

either way, it still seems that once a doe is done building her early nest and forgets about it, that's a pretty good time to try again.

 

[Lowstorm]

My flemish giant doe made a nest about 2 weeks before kindling, had 9 babies. Her mothering skills were lacking and I lost 2 before fostering the rest to another does litter, but that's a totally different story. Her nest was HUGE by the time she had the babies. It seriously looked like she had pulled enough hair for 2 full rabbits. She kept on pulling hair even after she kindled, so it is possible.

 

[cameron06]

Hey guys I have more of an anecdote; not really a question. I got some new rabbits on 2/13 and the lady I got them from let me breed one of the proven does (three previous litters / great mom) I bought with a buck of my choosing. Three days later she started to haystache. I threw in a nestbox and hay to see how far she would take it; and the next day she had built a nest and pulled fur. I've heard of building a nest early but four weeks early is ridiculous!

I saved the fur and pulled out the nestbox. Over the next few days she returned to normal. No questions just an interesting story.

P.S. To head a few comments off at the pass. 1) I didn't have an existing herd so no need to quarantine. 2) The breeder kept meticulous records (which she was kind enough to let me see), so I highly doubt she had bred the doe and forgot about it. 3) When we bred the doe she didn't display any signs of being pregnant and readily lifted. 4) She wasn't next to a buck so "breeding through the bars" isn't a concern. 5)In the subsequent 4/5 days she hasn't displayed any nest building behavior. 6) If I actually thought it was a possibility the doe was already pregnant I would have kept the nestbox in there.

hi there, I’m experiencing the same thing with my doe. Did yours end up having bunnies? or was it a false pregnancy. My anxiety is going through the roof atm. This is only my second time breeding rabbits.

 

[hotzcatz]

hi there, I’m experiencing the same thing with my doe. Did yours end up having bunnies? or was it a false pregnancy. My anxiety is going through the roof atm. This is only my second time breeding rabbits.

No need for anxious, you'll know if it took or not in about thirty days. That's not really all that long at all, consider folks who's livestock can only be bred once a year!

 

[cameron06]

No need for anxious, you'll know if it took or not in about thirty days. That's not really all that long at all, consider folks who's livestock can only be bred once a year!

great point! I guess I’ll just have to be patient aha. Fingers crossed it’s not a false pregnancy!