Normal or not? Pregnant doe due today

[duckcreekfarm]

My rex doe is on day 31 today. She's got a big belly but I can't tell if I can feel movement because she isn't the tamest girl ever, and gets twitchy when I touch her. I *thought* I felt something, but can't be certain.

My cages have a wooden nest box built into the back. I put hay in it and she kept pulling it out, so I gave her a nest box (which seriously decreases the floor area of her cage.) She pulled all the hay out of it and keeps bunching it up underneath her, next to the nest box. She isn't haystaching or pulling fur, but messes around in her hay a lot. I get excited when she is bunching it up, thinking she might be nesting, but then she just finds a tasty piece of hay and munches on it. Up until about 4 days ago, she would bunch the hay under her to get it out of the built in nest box, then eat it. She never bunched it or messed with it like this.

Does this sound like normal behavior for the end of pregnancy? I think I am more impatient than I was when my *human* children were born!!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

They like to keep us guessing...LOL! Just relax, she will kindle when she is ready and that might be a few days after day 31.

 

[Marinea]

Yep, some nest early, some wait until it's time.

*fingers crossed for healthy kits soon*

 

[duckcreekfarm]

Thank you for the reassurance! I know I'm probably just overthinking things here and making it harder than it needs to be. This is a proven doe but my first time with rabbit breeding. I am really glad I purchased a proven doe because if it was her first time I think we'd all be a mess!

Her previous litters were on day 31 so I am just going to assume that my dates are wrong. The breeder I got her from keeps good records and said they had 4 fall-offs on Dec 27, but there is always a chance that her records were off by a day or two.

I gave her more hay and she added it to her big pile and is now sitting on top of it instead of next to it. Hopefully she is getting ready and not just trying to make me crazy. I suspect that she knows I'm excited and impatient, and is just doing this to freak me out. :lol:

 

[Marinea]

Day 31 is not set in stone. I would leave the nestbox in there until day 40 or so, to be sure.

Keep in mind that the doe has gotten a new home, and that may stressed her a bit.

 

[cmfarm]

I've got one that was bred on the 26th and have been waiting patiently. I just went and checked on her and saw a blood tinged wet spotted on the shredded paper in her nest box so hopefully she has them soon. I hope she isn't like her sister and that had babies a couple weeks ago, she didn't take care of them at all.

 

[duckcreekfarm]

Well... I think I've got a fat, not-pregnant doe on my hands.

I took her out of the cage and felt her belly - it feels like a normal belly. I would have to assume that on day 32 I'd feel some fullness at the very least.
Worse, every time I touch her, she flattens out and lifts. A beautiful, textbook lift..... GAH.

I will wait another week or so and then stick her in with the buck and see what happens.

 

[EnglishSpot]

A nice lift doesn't mean she isn't pregnant. How does she move? Does she move like her hindquarters are heavy? Is her center of gravity off? I could have swore the day before our rabbit kindled she wasn't pregnant. Didn't look it at all. The only give away for me was the way she moved.

Keep assuming she's pregnant!!

 

[Zass]

You can go ahead and re-breed her. If there are kits in there the mating behavior might help stimulate labor. If not, she can have a litter in a month. Mark the date in your records in case she wasn't pregnant but now is, and let her keep the nestbox...just in case.

 

[duckcreekfarm]

I just put her in and got 4 quick fall-offs. She went back in her cage and started nesting around. So basically she has me 100% confused lol. She's a nice looking doe with a really nice pedigree so we'll give her a few more chances to prove herself.