Day 33, Nest Built, Milk Flowing, No Labour

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

Hello All! I'm sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong place, but I'm hopping from foot to foot with impatience at the moment.

I've bred English Angora rabbits for the past 5 or so years, I got out of it briefly when I got married but recently picked it back up accidentally as I felt compelled to save this gorgeous French Angora sable doe at auction, and then of course, had to save the lilac tort buck as well.

I put them together Feb 8th. About 4 months after bringing them both home, clearing out the excessive ear mites [ssd:] and getting them both back up to a healthy weight, as well as introducing them to fresh fruits and vegetables along with vitamins to help with the coat dandruff [I'm seriously steaming mad thinking about the situation I picked these two out of]

Anywhoooo...I waited until they were fit, healthy and settled in to their new deluxe hutch and had thoroughly investigated all corners of their daytime run!

They went 6 times and I separated.

In the past, my English does were self sufficient. Never a problem, they always kindled right on time and were excellent mothers...This, being my first litter with actual pet bunnies, I've been less than patient about the upcoming kindling.

Today is day 33 and I am starting to worry. They were bred late afternoon on the 8th of Feb, so I expected kits the morning of day 32 but so far NOTHING.

She pulled hair and built a nest on Day30 so I assumed kindling wouldn't be so far behind.

I pulled her out today to palpate and didn't feel any movement [other than the intestines rolling about in there] but she is producing milk....

Then I put her with the buck, figuring, if she's pregnant she won't let him on her, if she's not, well....I might as well get the breeding done today since it was gorgeous! She actually tried to mount him....aggressively...so I assume she's pregnant.

SO...I figure if she doesn't kindle tonight or early tomorrow AM, I'll be calling my vet for oxytocin. I HATE the thought of using drugs to induce, but I don't want to wait and possibly end up with worse complications.

Does anybody have any suggestions? [Although I feel like by typing this all out, I've kind of answered my own question lol]

But really, anything at all to calm my nerves would be much appreciated.
Thank you!

 

[BlueMoods]

She may kindle tonight, often breeding them again will trigger labor if they are due or a bit past due. If she doesn't kindle by tomorrow afternoon, I'd call the vet since the weekend is coming.

 

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

Thank you Bluemoods. That's kind of my game plan at the moment...I'm hoping we don't have to go that route.

I just ran out to check everyone [as it's kind of windy here tonight and I have baby chicks in the grow out pen and won't sleep unless I know they're safe] and she's still just hanging out in the outdoor part of her cage.

Ugh. I hope tonight is the night.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Hey, MuddyAcres

I'm in the same position with one of my does, it's day 32 nearing the end but she's made no nest or anything. Late day 29 she was picking up hay and moving it to her favourite corner as well (But I cleaned the cage as it was needed.)

The kits are awful active too, kicking furiously. At the moment she's digging below her feed bowl, I'm not entirely sure what she's doing either. She's eating nonstop which isn't a good sign when it comes to labour. I'm just as worried as you probably are! I'm hoping she has them tonight as well but I have a feeling she won't. Oh dear.

 

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

Still no kits. I was really hoping they'd be here this morning. Momma has been hopping in and out of the nesting box every couple of minutes, I'm going to offer her some vegetables and see if she's still eating or maybe today is the day.

How about yours, Hindle? Any progress?

 

[HiddlesKenway]

That's no good.

Nothing. She's just laying around getting up every now and then to munch on hay or her pellet chaff mix, I picked her grass a few times and she ate it ALL. Didn't leave one piece! Her belly feels a bit hard and kit movement has dropped quite a bit, I'm hoping she has them soon but she's eating and eating and that's not a sign you want to see when due date passes. It's only 8:30pm here at the moment so I'm hoping that later on I see some signs.

As for your doe lactating one of mine started 24 hours before she kindled, it was a shock really, I didn't breed her myself.. I suspect my niece was behind that surprise. One time she got one of my young does out of her cage and stuck her in the feed bin, lucky it was almost empty and that she was found!

Here's hoping for healthy does and kits. I wish you and your bun good luck.

 

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

Thanks, I'm waiting for my vet to call me...she's not a huge fan of the oxytocin so I'm trying to get her to compromise with me....I'll bring her in, if she palpates her and feels kits, then we'll do oxytocin, if not then we'll leave it alone a few more days.

I was able to talk to her last owner [he happens to be on the same barn-facebook page as I am] and he said her only litter with him, she went two days late...I didn't think that kindling late was an all the time, every litter thing though...I assumed it was a fluke, but if she's going to kindle late each time, I'm going to have to get a stock of herbs and see if that helps.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

No I don't blame her, I would be trying the more natural route first but there is a few ways to bring on her body's natural oxytocin.

It can't hurt to try this at this point, if mine doesn't litter down tonight I'll be giving this a shot.

Get the buck and the doe together and let the buck mount her but hold your hand over her genitals so he isn't doing anything let him do that a few times because her oxytocin levels should go up and induce labour and since she's over due it's not going to harm her or the kits and if it doesn't work you've got your vet.

I agree, I plan on making a small herb garden soonish and I will definitely be planting some of these miracle herbs.

I suppose it depends on the doe I guess. I mean my mum could never deliver naturally and we all came two weeks early, I wouldn't imagine it'd be any different with animals.

 

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

I just went out and offered her some celery [one of her favorites] and she turned it down completely. She's also built a new nest in the other corner of the nesting box so I'm hoping it's real soon if she's off her feed and digging.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I offered her some fennel seeds [can help bring milk in does] and right after she ate some is when this behavior started...not sure if there's any correlation there but I hope!

 

[HiddlesKenway]

That's good to hear, I hope my doe stops eating for the same reason too but I bet if I gave her more grass she'd eat it all again. I might do that but it's near midnight and it's getting cold!

I should probably just sit up on the other end of the house for the night and see if the only reason she hasn't kindled is because I'm always down that end of the house make loud noises with my TV!

I hope to hear that she's had them and hopefully they aren't DOA.

 

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

Nothing.

Just went back out and she's eating again. I put her with the buck just to see and she wouldn't lift her rump for him...she wouldn't so he was just going to town on her back, I'm hoping that gets the oxytocin flowing for her and she has them soon.

I've got to just leave her alone, but it's difficult because I want to know what's going on!

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Don't worry me too! I gave my doe a quarter of a pear and she ate a little of it normally should would of gulped that thing down in two seconds flat! And she was stretched out and had made a indent in one corner of her cage, evidently the side she has been avoiding for the past week and a half, normally that side would be riddled with wet newspaper and poop that had fallen from the clean top to the bottom but upon inspection it's clean and untouched. Not unusual behaviour for one of my does when pregnant they avoid one side of the cage or the indoor part (depending on the cage.) it was exactly a nest but it looked like an attempt at one.

 

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

Gosh, this is like waiting for summer vacation or spring break...I am just SO ready!

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Tell me about it, it's nearly 2:00am and I'm to anxious to sleep.

 

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

Tell me about it, it's nearly 2:00am and I'm to anxious to sleep.

Ha! Day 31, I was up checking every two hours...I was so tired the next day!

I sure hope one of us gets kits out of this! lol

 

[HiddlesKenway]

I totally agree. We need like a rabbit version of a foaling alarm.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Totally, it's exhausting. We need a rabbit version of a foaling alarm.

 

[ladysown]

you picked these animals up at auction?

So you knew it was a risk right? Bringing them home.. this may have been why she was at auction in the first place.

Generally speaking Most rabbits will kindle on their own given sufficient time to do so. I've had rabbits kindle day 35 with fully furred kits alive. Hopefully your doe is one who will do so.

She may just be having a really bad false pregnancy as well (I've had young does go through that.. including producing milk). It's just a tad odd when it happens. Unless you have been with her 24/7 she may have given birth already to a singleton born dead and she's cleaned it up well but is now producing milk.

it's hard to know exactly what's going on with her.

Time will tell for sure.

 

[MuddyAcresHomestead]

you picked these animals up at auction?

So you knew it was a risk right? Bringing them home.. this may have been why she was at auction in the first place.

Generally speaking Most rabbits will kindle on their own given sufficient time to do so. I've had rabbits kindle day 35 with fully furred kits alive. Hopefully your doe is one who will do so.

She may just be having a really bad false pregnancy as well (I've had young does go through that.. including producing milk). It's just a tad odd when it happens. Unless you have been with her 24/7 she may have given birth already to a singleton born dead and she's cleaned it up well but is now producing milk.

it's hard to know exactly what's going on with her.

Time will tell for sure.

Yes, I picked them up at a livestock auction. Of course I knew the risks, which is why I rehabbed them for a quarter of the year before putting them together. The doe is tattooed and came with her pedigree paperwork, the male is not, but are both obviously French Angora's.

It's always a risk to pick up animals at an auction, but at a meat auction such as this one, I figured since I have the appropriate quarantine procedures in place at my farm, there was nothing to lose by saving them from someone's dinner plate and giving them a chance to be well loved, well spoiled pets.

I'm leaning towards false pregnancy rather than a disappearing act as for the past 3 nights I've been up every two hours doing night checks and with my menagerie of animals, I am usually out in the yard for a good portion of the day and have been keeping an especially close eye on her since her since Sunday

 

[HiddlesKenway]

I have good news! She's started nesting. I went to my room to grab something and she was plucking fur and grabbing hay like a mad woman although I accidentally scared her.