Pregnant or false pregnancy?!

[Jadetrott23]

Hi I bred my 2year old on 16-04-17 she is a lion head cross, she started building small nests of hay in the corner of her cage from about days 18 and 19 then around day 20-21 she started pulling fur, she has also become very aggressive even biting, it's now day 23 and she has started carrying hay ariund in her mouth building a nest, i felt my bucks tummy area and it was soft and squidgy then gently did the same to my doe and hers was very rounded and low compared to usual and also felt firm, her nipes are also quite petruded but to be honest I'm unsure how a rabbits nipples normally feel. I am at a loss and my question is is it a false pregnancy or is she actually pregnant? She has never had a litter before, she lives with another female rabbit until 3weeks ago when that rabbit sadly died none of my female rabbits have ever had false pregnancies before? :bunnyhop: thankyou guys

 

[macksmom98]

I have had both false and actual pregnancy numerous times. All buns are different but here is what I have experienced. If mine builds a nest and pulls fur before day 20 its false. But they will go thru that quickly and I rebreed about day 21-22. If it is false they are not still working on it on day 23, they are done. So my first indication of your situation was it looks like probably a false pregnancy, but when you said shes still haystaching on day 23 I think that points more towards actual pregnancy at this point. I can never feel too much and false pregnancy can bring on some physical symptoms too, so that's not a good indication to me. What I have learned to look for is movement. It may be just a bit early, but usually in the last week I can see quick, jolty bunny kicks if I watch moms belly for a bit. You don't want a rolling movement, that's just her intestines and happens all the time even with the Bucks, so practice watching on them to know the difference too

 

[LittleFluffyBunnies]

Rabbits do start haystaching at 3 weeks, so if she still as at 3 weeks there is a good chance she is, although the fur pulling is quite early. I agree with Macksmom. after a few more days start to watch for sharp jolts, which is kits kicking.

 

[Jadetrott23]

Thankyou for your replies, it's now day 27 and I went out today and she's built another nest next to her nest box and pulled more fur, she lives in a two tiered hutch but only seems to be using the bottom part since being bred, she's also lying around slot and is eating veg but off her pellets, she's confusing me still lol

 

[SableSteel]

My does all build a nest around day 21-22, then completely forget about it and don't bother with nesting until about half an hour before the give birth

 

[Jadetrott23]

Thankyou for our reply, in still convinced is a false pregnancy as she started building her first nest like a week after being bred then started pulling fur at days 18 and 10 but she's still doing it now on day 37, does anyone know how long after being bred a false pregnancy starts? And how long they last? Thanks <br /><br /> -- Sun May 14, 2017 12:39 am -- <br /><br /> Sorry that was meant to say started pulling fur on days 18 and beyond and is still doing it on day 27 lol

 

[shazza]

from what i understand they can start at any time, but they usually are over within about 17 days - the last stages is usually building the nest, pulling fur, then forgetting about it. is she a first time mom? hormones are weird and first time does are running solely on instinct and can do some funny stuff. i would leave the nest box in with her and see. keep a close on her sides when she's laying down, if you see kicking you know! i usually can't see kit movement til about day 26 or 27 anyway. sometimes you an palpate gently and feel heads as well.

 

[Jadetrott23]

Yes she would would be a first time mum, she's worrying me a little ATM though as I've noticed she hadn't eaten any pellets in 5 days, she seems to be eating hay and veg mainly kale and broccoli though, her furs all loose due to the false pregnancy and I've noticed since last week she's lost weight but her stomach is protruded. She would technically be due to kindle on Wednesday on day 31 but she's not built a nest or pulled fur since yesterday <br /><br /> -- Sun May 14, 2017 11:09 am -- <br /><br /> To be honest she's lost weight on her body in general but her sides are certainly looking full and sticking out, I've tried to look for kicks but can't see a thing and can't feel anything h it was whilst feeling for kits that I noticed she'd lost weight as I could feel her ribs but not severely, you can't usually feel her bones

 

[shazza]

as long as she is eating she is probably fine. i have some does (one in particular that always gives me at least 10 kits a litter,) that will stop eating pellets a few days before kindle, but she'll still eat hay and forage. i'm guessing the pellets are "heavier" and fill up the stomach more, and when you have 10+ babies in you heavy food isn't desired. you can try giving her a little fruit too - not too much, you don't want her to get diarrhea, but the sugar may help her keep weight on. it's not terribly uncommon for does to lose condition during pregnancy and while nursing because so much more of their nutritional resources go toward caring for their kits rather than themselves. a handful of rolled oats and black oil sunflower seeds will help her keep her condition up and help make plenty of milk should she actually be pregnant.

honestly to me it sounds like she may be truly pregnant. if she's still wanting to nest/pull fur and if her belly is feeling firm and round, those are all signs i look for when i doubt a doe's status

 

[Jadetrott23]

She lost her bonded female companion the day before she was bred to kidney failure so I'm worried she's also going down the same road but you have reassured me so thankyou xx

-- Tue May 16, 2017 3:38 am --

Well my girl gave birth to a litter of 6 this morning, sadly two died I think they froze as they were scattered across the nest box as if she'd thought she'd finished giving birth then had two more, do you have any advice on how to keep the newborns warm? They live outside in a hutch it does have a cover for night time but it still gets cold, should I add more hay? Also what should I feed mum? Will she need extra food? What could I give her to keep her in tip top condition? Thankyou so much <br /><br /> -- Tue May 16, 2017 4:40 am -- <br /><br /> In fact looks like my girl had s litter of 7! Just discored another baby in the nest box, so we heve 5 live ones for now x

 

[shazza]

as long as there's plenty of fur in the nest they'll be fine, even in below zero weather.

as for what to feed her, i give my mothers handfuls of BOSS and oats with their pellets for the first week or so after kindle to boost their milk production and regain some of their condition that may have been lost. they're also free-fed pellets - as much as they like - until the kits are weaned. some people also give their does a little calf manna too with their pellets.

congrats!

 

[macksmom98]

Yay!!! Congrats on an actual pregnancy and birth