Greeaaat.

[Pipp]

I think the line of thought here is that the males will have a strong desire to mate again IMMEDIATELY after she gives birth, and seeing as you have aproven escape / releaseartist, a snip sooner than later would be prudent. Or at least a secure boy bunny jail!

I didn't realize she was that far along. Were you around for the first litter? (And has she had more than one?) Her poor pelvic bones may not be too flexible if she's had a long birthing break and not a lot of litters, and given her age, so the size may be more of an issue than it was. (And that boy is a bruiser, isn't he?)

You should know what to expect if you were present for previous births, but it should be very quick (10 minute?) and at her age, any longer than 20 or 30 minutes would be alarming and worth a vet visit I'd think.

As mentioned previously, watch for too much straining, and keep an eye on the color of her skin and gums. (Check the color pre-birth so you know what's normal). I have no idea if a rabbit's temperature changes during birth, but I don't imagine they should feel cold, that's another sign of shock.

If you haven't already done so, research vets, facilities and hours is a good idea.

If she build her nest a week ago, is is still clean? Or has she been rebuilding it?

I don't remember any offhand, but I know different herbs and leafs are recommended.And a shot of something can be given by a vet to help with labour?Hopefully more info will be forthcoming by those more knowledgable.

(Unfortunately our search engine is busted, so I'minfo-challenged).

:goodluck

sas :clover:

 

[BlueGiants]

Raspberry leaves are generally very good for promoting Uterine contractions. If she goes too far overdue, the vet should be consulted and an injection can help her expel the fetus'.

A neuter takes 6-8 weeks to be "final". A buck can still impregnate a doe for weeks after the surgery. So they will need to be kept apart for quite some time. As mentioned, the sooner the better, since Emmymay be "preoccupied" with caring for any babies (if she is pregnant). But she will want to breed again, right after the babies are born. (Hormones!)

If she doesn't deliver within 5 days of when you "think" she is due, I'd take her to a vet, for several reasons. If she has kits stuck inside her, they need to come out. If she is NOT pregnant, and you think her belly has swollen, as an unspayed doe, she is at an age where Uterine Cancer can start. She is also at risk for Pyometria (severe uterine infection). Any of these situations would be fatal. And ironically, a spay would fix all of them (if caught early enough).

Here's hoping she has a healthy normal litter with no complications. Nothing like baby bunnies!

 

[Almi]

Pipp wrote:

I think the line of thought here is that the males will have a strong desire to mate again IMMEDIATELY after she gives birth, and seeing as you have aproven escape / releaseartist, a snip sooner than later would be prudent. Or at least a secure boy bunny jail!

I didn't realize she was that far along. Were you around for the first litter? (And has she had more than one?) Her poor pelvic bones may not be too flexible if she's had a long birthing break and not a lot of litters, and given her age, so the size may be more of an issue than it was. (And that boy is a bruiser, isn't he?)

You should know what to expect if you were present for previous births, but it should be very quick (10 minute?) and at her age, any longer than 20 or 30 minutes would be alarming and worth a vet visit I'd think.

As mentioned previously, watch for too much straining, and keep an eye on the color of her skin and gums. (Check the color pre-birth so you know what's normal). I have no idea if a rabbit's temperature changes during birth, but I don't imagine they should feel cold, that's another sign of shock.

If you haven't already done so, research vets, facilities and hours is a good idea.

If she build her nest a week ago, is is still clean? Or has she been rebuilding it?

Well, it shouldn't be a problem; he's a brat, but it's my fault that he escaped. I underestimated him and used small binder clips to close the doors, but now I have LARGE binder clips and have the doors overlapped, so he cannot escape. Even if he did, he won't be able to open Emmy's cage.

Emmy is going to be the first to be fixed. Unfortunately, I don't have a crapload of money to throw around all at once, so I will have to deal with the higher priority neuters and bunny problems firstover the low priority ones. As of now I have a spayed female, a pregnant female, and two unneutered males in separate rooms. I have funds if Emmy needs an emergency vet visit or something, but I wouldn't necessarily have that if I was paying to get boys fixed right now. Besides, the place that is going to do them is booked for the next two weeks, so it wouldn't matter anyway.

I didn't see her give birth to the first litter, no, but I've had her since she was two months old, so I was "around" for it. She had that first litter when she was three years old, and now, almost exactly three years later, this will be her second.

I guess I don't exactly know "what to expect," but I think I have pretty good intuition; I'll be able to tell if something is wrong, and she'll be going in regardless if she doesn't have them by Thursday.

I already have vets as well as emergency vets that I will be able to contact and see with little to no notice.

She hasn't been doing anything with her nest...she hasn't soiled it or anything, but she hasn't done much with it. :/

BlueGiants wrote:

A neuter takes 6-8 weeks to be "final". A buck can still impregnate a doe for weeks after the surgery. So they will need to be kept apart for quite some time. As mentioned, the sooner the better, since Emmymay be "preoccupied" with caring for any babies (if she is pregnant). But she will want to breed again, right after the babies are born. (Hormones!)

If she doesn't deliver within 5 days of when you "think" she is due, I'd take her to a vet, for several reasons. If she has kits stuck inside her, they need to come out. If she is NOT pregnant, and you think her belly has swollen, as an unspayed doe, she is at an age where Uterine Cancer can start. She is also at risk for Pyometria (severe uterine infection). Any of these situations would be fatal. And ironically, a spay would fix all of them (if caught early enough).

Here's hoping she has a healthy normal litter with no complications. Nothing like baby bunnies!

This I know; in any case, an already spayed female will be put with Ollie eventually. Emmy will be paired with Blue once they are both fixed. And Emmy will go first. So no worries.

I know for a fact that she has babies inside of her because I can feel them. I am quite good at palpating and anatomy, even though I'm not an expert on rabbit birth. I am also aware of the reproductive problems that females are susceptible to - and especially at her age. I am very lucky that she has not had any problems, and she will be spayed once it is the right time...which brings me to ask - what IS the right time? Should I wait until the babies are weaned? A month after?

 

[jcl_24]

I hope all goes smoothly with Emmy's labour

Jo xx

 

[BlueGiants]

Almi wrote:

...which brings me to ask - what IS the right time? Should I wait until the babies are weaned? A month after?

I prefer to wait one week after weaning. Gives her time to dry up and hormones subside.

 

[gentle giants]

Did you say you have a cloth in there for her to nest in? You might want to try and use hay/straw or something like shredded newspaper instead. Threads from fabric can get wrapped around babies, or even an adult. A friend of mine who adopted one of my rabbits gave her buck a sweatshirt to lay on, and he has gotten a thread wrapped around his leg and injured himself.

 

[Almi]

Hmm, well, it's fleece cut up into little squares. I tried giving her some little crinkly strips of paper, but she completely ignored them.

In any case, I brought Emmy to the vet today, and it turns out she has indeed experienced a false pregnancy; she is not pregnant!

She must've been swollen, and what I was feeling is uterine horns or something. Who knows.

 

[BlueGiants]

Well, that is good news! Good for you . Poor Emmy! Give her time. (Now to keep those little escape artists from trying THAT again!)