Why is there such a thing as a "false pregnancy"?

[jimmywalt]

In the past few months we have had about 3 or 4 false pregnancies from various does. That made me wonder......... Why are there "false pregnancies"?

It seems odd that a doe which doesn't have a calendar or know how to count days, why she would start digging in her cage at about day 24, build a nest in the nest box around day 29, pull fur like crazy on day 30 or 31.... and then not have any kits. If she's not pregnant then why would these things happen.

For instance if a woman and man do the dance and the woman doesn't get pregnant....... she won't be asking for pickles & ice cream 8 months later...... Because nothing is happening.

So why does an rabbit that doesn't have kits ready to be born do that stuff? It seems that the buck must have done something to trigger her "clock"?

Of 7 breeding attempts this year (with 5 different does) only 2 times did we have kits. I sure wish there was an EPT test that we could do with these does on the day following breeding so that we wouldn't be sitting around for 31 days just to be let down.

Anyway..........Why do the does dig, build nests, pull hair if they really aren't pregnant?????

 

[Bandits Bunny Farm]

Hormones. I agree its weird. Theres a lot in the rabbit world that's weird

 

[SA Farm]

Rabbits absolutely do have false pregnancies. Hormonally they do have a calendar and know when to start nesting. They can just randomly have a hormonal spike or it can be caused by being stimulated by the actions of either a male or female rabbit.
If they have a false, breed back a few days after the fur pulling since does are typically very fertile right after kindling - even fake kindling!

 

[Homer]

It's just another one of those "games
bunnies play". To learn about all of them have a look here Jimmy; http://rabbittalk.com/games-bunnies-play-t1122.html Good luck and don't give up!

 

[akane]

Many animals can have false pregnancies. I've seen it in dogs. Animals have different hormones and reproductive schedules than humans. It's comparing apples and oranges. If something triggers a female animal's body into thinking mating happened the hormones can mimic pregnancies. The schedule is often off though. Some go the full length of gestation but it's probably more common they nest at around 2 weeks.

 

[Dood]

I had a spayed Dalmatian have a false pregnancy and actually start lactating!!! whenever I had a litter of foster kittens or puppies to raise

A rabbit has no control over their hormones and if they decide to trick the doe into thinking shes pregnant then she'll go through the motions.

 

[squidpop]

Of 7 breeding attempts this year (with 5 different does) only 2 times did we have kits. I sure wish there was an EPT test that we could do with these does on the day following breeding so that we wouldn't be sitting around for 31 days just to be let down.

If you got really good at palpating does you might be able to tell if the doe is pregnant or not on day 13-15.

If your does are missing a lot you might want to look at their weights, because being fat seems to be one of the main culprits when a doe is infertile.

 

[ladysown]

your record
seven does bred. 2 kindle. 5 do not. You didn't specify how many had a false pregnancy.

Sometimes it's the doe being infertile (had one once, loved the boys oh my, but never conceived).
Sometimes it's the buck... trying hard to do his job and just being unpredictable in his output being successful or not (just replace the buck).
Sometimes it's the doe.. just not ready to breed, or off by a smidge.

Sometimes (and most often) it's management
1. not checking if doe is receptive
2. not maintaining rabbits in good form
3. wrong time of day/night.. for instance breeding in the afternoon on a hot day.
and such like.

You'll need to examine your rabbits for good health, check for readiness, keep great records and see if you can winnow down the cause(s).