Should I breed her now?

[rabbitgirl]

One of my does who just weaned a litter is pulling fur, and carrying hay around, building a nest in the back of her cage. I was planning to breed her in about a week. But I'm wondering if she would be more receptive if I bred her now. Do you think I should breed her now, or just wait until when I was planning to?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Are you sure she isn't bred already? Maybe you forgot to make a note of it? I would give her a nest just to be safe.

 

[rabbitgirl]

No, she couldn't have been bred already. I know because she's a real pain to handle, and I have so few rabbits I would remember. I'm thinking it's probably just a false pregnancy.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

yes, If you know for sure she isnt pregnant then go ahead and breed her.

 

[avdpas77]

Her actions are unusual. I would try to breed her, but if she goes ape and tries to attack the buck, get her out. I would put a nestbox in the cage, just to be sure in this instance. Most of us who have raised rabbits for a while have had an instance of where we simply forgot breeding a doe, or housed one for a couple of hours with older kits while we were cleaning out a cage or something.

A false pregnancy usually occurs when we have tried to breed a doe, and she is not really pregnant. It usually occurs about two weeks after she was put with the buck.

 

[siddsaysgimmie]

I had a doe that did exactly what you described. She wasn't pregnant. Feel her tummy to see if there's anything in there. If you're sure there's not and she seems ready to breed with the buck, go for it.