is she pregnant? should I separate?

[reverie]

I got 2 does from a man(said they were from same liter, thought about 8mos old). He was very disorganized. He said he thought he put a buck in with these 2 does but didn't know when. one of them is plump, the other normal. Can/how do I tell if one is pregnant? Also, the 2 does seem very dependant on each other, can I leave them together if one is pregnant or should I sepparate and when?
thanks,
Kathryn

 

[mystang89]

To find out if the doe is pregnant you need to palpate her 10-15 days after she has conceived. Here is a link on how to do it. http://www.hlrsc.com/Articles/palpation.html The kits should feel grapes. It takes a few times to get the hang of it and to tell if you are correct in your diagnosis. I still haven't become 100% positive that I'm right.
I've never raised rabbits that live together colony like or anything so there are others who know better than myself but if it were me I would separate them. Hope this help.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

You should separate them,,, And watch for any signs.. Like hay mustache ect.

 

[BlueGiants]

Since they are used to being together, if you can give them a large enough cage or enclosure that they can establish their own territory (6' x 4') and provide 2 nest boxes/ nesting areas, they could stay together. If one kindles and the other doesn't, you may have to seperate them. (It would depend on their behavior). If you don't have a large enough area, it may be necessary to seperate them, but keep them side by side so they can see each other. They are at the age (and possibly pregnant) where hormones will become a factor, and that could make them suddenly decide they can't stand each other.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I would separate them now just to be safe, unless you are housing them in a large colony. As Blue Giant says, their hormones may cause them to be aggressive toward each other, and they may severely injure or even kill one another.

Mystang provided an excellent link describing how to palpate the does. If the does are very close to the end of gestation, you can often feel the bodies of the kits pressed up against the abdominal wall. Since you have no idea of the date they were (or were not) serviced, and there is an element of risk at certain points of gestation, it may be safest to skip palpating altogether and just wait out the 36 days.

I would be sure to have hay or straw in front of them at all times, and watch for them to start gathering it up or digging at the cage. My does go off their feed a day or two before giving birth- they eat only about half as much as they normally do.

Since some does will build their nest and immediately kindle, you may want to provide nestboxes before you see any signs of nesting behavior. Put it in the corner of the cage that the doe does not use as her potty corner. If she starts using it as a litter box you will need to remove it and hope that she starts gathering hay so you will know when to put it back in. If they are housed in solid bottomed cages with bedding the risk to the kits being overly chilled from being born outside of a nest is lessened, so I would wait until I saw signs of nesting and then put the box in to prevent the doe from developing poor nestbox habits.

Good luck! :clover: I hope you have a litter or two of healthy popples soon!

 

[reverie]

Thanks for the link (great write up) & the info. Looking like she is prob. just a little plumper than her sister. I've got a large cage I can split so they can be sepparate but next to each other. Can't wait to get that first litter! Are there things to look for that would lead you to believe you had a successful breeding? How often do breedings take vs fail?

 

[ZRabbits]

Not an expert regarding rabbit breeding at all, but did have my first experience with kits. Since I started with a First Time Mom (unproven) didn't know what to expect. Did see my buck fall off twice, but still didn't know if it "took". The number of falls per breeders, is 3. About two weeks after the bucks "fall", Luna started to dig constantly. Starting moving hay all over. I didn't really believe she was pregnant until the night she kindled. Saw my first Hay mustache. I know others palpate their does at 14 days to see if they can feel the kits. I didn't because I was nervous and didn't want to hurt the doe or her kits, if any were in there. But breeders do it all the time, so it really is just me and my nervousness.

I have found after reading LOTS of info, that all does are individuals and will either show signs (nest building) or will show no signs and you wake up to kits. There is no set rules for pregnant does. I think they just love to keep us guessing. lol.

With a short pregnancy (31 days to 36 days) it's not a long wait to see. But have to say, the first wait is very nervous, but truly exciting time.

Hope you get your first litter soon.

Karen