Wierd Situation

WildWolf · May 18, 2012

This evening I went out to the bunnies to give them their greens. I found that my bunny Blackavar- thought to be a boy- had pulled a LOT of fur and made a nest. So, we flipped "him" over and saw that "he" was actually a girl.

We have recently extended Blackavar's hutch so it backed up against her sister's hutch. Blackavar's sister, Bigwig, is a little dominate. I figured that Bigwig had put on a dominance display for Blackavar, and now Blackavar thinks she's pregnant. Is that possible? Is there anything else that could have happened? They haven't been in the run together in a long long time.

I wanted to flip Bigwig over so that we could make sure that she was a she. However, she does not like to pick picked up at all. She kicks and kicks and kicks... Anyone have any tips about getting her used to being handled and flipped?

Thanks in advance! I'm so glad I found this form- i'm a beginner who hasn't bred or anything. :roll:

MamaSheepdog · May 18, 2012

Welcome to RabbitTalk, WildWolf!

The "Sex Change Fairy" came to visit, eh? LOL! It happens!

I have only been breeding rabbits for about a year, so don't have much experience with the "odd" stuff. It may be possible that Blackavar responded to Bigwig's display, but there is another possibility, though slim, that BigWig is a buck and he bred her through the wire.

I would give her a nestbox just in case, and put the existing nest into it. You should probably leave it for a week or more- some does start nesting earlier than others. I personally have never had one start more than 5 days in advance.

I'm sure you will be hearing from others more experienced than I that may have other insight into the situation.

MaggieJ · May 19, 2012

You're going to have to flip and sex Bigwig, I think, so that you know what is possible in terms of Blackavar's "pregnancy". With two people it shouldn't be that difficult. One person flips the rabbit and cradles it. The second person restrains the hind feet so the first person can check the sex. You'll probably get a few scratches, but that goes with the territory. If Bigwig is a doe, Blackavar must be experiencing a false pregnancy. If Bigwig is a buck, Blackavar may indeed be pregnant.

WildWolf · May 24, 2012

Thanks, I never thought that I could move her nest. And I'll have to try flipping Bigwig over myself because I'm the only rabbit person home right now... I've checked her nest and haven't found babies, so I'm still hoping that Bigwig is a girl.

I'll post as soon as I know!

LilFish_JWQueen(: · May 24, 2012

When flipping the rabbit make sure you are holding the ears really good. You have a lot of control that way.
Also if they start kicking try blowing in the rabbit's nose. It helps calm them down.
And it does seem like the sex changing fairy has arrived lol

WildWolf · Jun 20, 2012

wow, there seem to be a lot of little tricks. Such as, blowing in their nose, stroking their forehead, and holding their ears. Thanks everyone!<br /><br />__________ Wed Jun 20, 2012 4:19 pm __________<br /><br />Sorry I haven't replied and said what happened. It turned out that both bunnies are does.

Miss M · Jun 20, 2012

I have two does housed together. Fluffy, the big NZW, has had litters, so there's no mistaking she's a doe. Nibbles, the other doe, has never been bred because she's little. That didn't stop her from pulling a bunch of her black fur and gathering paper and hay for a nest recently, though. So Fluffy must've provoked a false pregnancy in her with a dominance display a while back. :roll: