Signs a doe is ready to kindle?

[Cottie]

I posted pics of Ginger in another thread. I'll add them again here for reference.


I'm pretty sure from her behavior and heavy belly she's pregnant. She's been getting steadily rounder for 2 weeks.

Now she just kind of sits there. She looks tired all the time and gets extremely irritated when I try to touch her. She tries to run, but her belly is too big. =( She spends most of the day sitting on top of a box. Another doe who has already had a little kind of dotes on her constantly.

I'm quite worried about her. What should I be looking out for? What can I do?

 

[Ptbunny8087]

You should be looking for is

Digging in the corner of her cage
Throwing hay around
Relaxed
Eating more than normal
Pulling out little of fur

The best thing you can do is put in a nesting box. Put about 2 inches of wood shaving in the nesting box, Then but half of a flake of straw in the corner of her cage. She will make her nest herself. There is no need to worry unless you know something is really wrong but from what I hear you rabbit seems fine.

 

[Cottie]

She has a nesting area. She and two other does live in a colony. She doesn't seem interested at all in nest building, but her behavior is getting alarming. I may be a little too nervous about it since none of my other doe's first litter made it.

I'm considering removing her from the colony to an indoor cage until she kindles. If she kindles. But that would defeat the whole purpose of the colony. Ugh.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Firstly, do you know when she was bred, or does the buck live in the colony?

Most of my does kindle on day 30 or 31.

You will probably see her carrying large mouthfuls of hay around, and hopefully putting it in her nest. Being in a colony setting, she may decide to build in a corner somewhere.

I personally feel the kits are safer in a box, so I would pick up her nesting material and place it in the box, and set the box where she is building.

Digging is common as well.

If the weather is getting pretty warm she is probably feeling the heat a bit more than the other rabbits which is why she seems lazy.

 

[Cottie]

I don't know when she was bred (or if she was bred, honestly, we're just guessing). She was housed with her "sister" - we didn't know "she" was a he until a few days before we started the colonies. We were trying to determine the sex of the mini lops, and rechecked everyone else for comparison. Then we discovered "MaryAnn" had a penis.

Long story short, it would have had to have been 21 or more days ago.<br /><br />__________ Tue May 28, 2013 11:26 am __________<br /><br />Still chunky. Still no kits.

I gave her a proper nest box yesterday since I noticed her fiddling with her dewlap. She ate all the hay out of it then tipped it over.

Her vulva is very swollen and enlarged. No blood. I don't know if that's a sign she's going to deliver or if she just got fatter than everyone else. I've been palpitating her belly and don't feel anything in there.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Her vulva is very swollen and enlarged.

I happened to check a doe's vulva on the morning of the day she kindled, and it was enormous and very purple. I'm talking at least the diameter of a dime... :shock:

I have a couple does who are on day 29, so I will take a look at them in a little bit and let you know what they look like.

 

[Cottie]

Thanks! Her's was huge. And not a deep red. When I pressed back, it kind of had a bluish tint to it and looked like the end of a jumbo slushie straw. Made me remember wive's tales my OB had told me about judging a woman's nearness to delivery, lol.

 

[Ivory]

Don't worry, go shopping, do anything to take your mind off the doe.

Just make sure she has everything she needs.

1. Fresh food and water.
2. Nest box that she likes and is comfortable in.
3. Space to nest build OUTSIDE the nestbox if that is what she prefers.
4. Nesting materials, hay, straw or shredded paper.
5. Enough space to get away from the other does.
6. Time to just hang out without human interference.
7. Let her get on with it.

She will do what she wants to do when she is ready.

Example: I have two does bred on the same day. One was exceptionally fat but showed no signs of being ready to kindle, when I got up on Sunday morning she had a big nest in the corner of her pen, she loves to just hang out in her nest box, but chose not to kindle in there, for whatever reason he bunny brain wanted the litter in the corner.

The other doe has had a nest prepared for over a week, straw, fur, the whole works, but still no babies as of yesterday. I'm beginning to think she may not be pregnant at all!!

 

[Cottie]

I think she's not pregnant. I think she's just meatier. I have been on kit alert for a little over a week. No interest in nesting and her belly isn't growing. Nothing when I palpitate. Her teets are erect and more prominent, though.

What should I do at this point? She's 4.5 months old. 6 pounds. Maybe I should just wait until she's 5 months old and breed her purposely.

 

[Ivory]

The first thing you should do is stop worrying.

If she's pregnant she'll have kits, if she isn't she won't, it's as simple as that.

Give her AT LEAST another ten days before you try and breed her.<br /><br />__________ Thu Jun 06, 2013 10:44 pm __________<br /><br />Any sign of kits?

 

[Flemishstar]

now im curious lol

 

[Cottie]

This was the doe we had to cull. She was heavily pregnant when we culled. She had no chance of delivering. Graphic warning: graphic-warning-twisted-and-possibly-infected-uterus-t15383.html

 

[Flemishstar]

you did the right thing, sorry abiout that,,,very good pics....a twisted uterus WOW I wonder if thats ever happened befoe. good luck in the future