How to tell if Cutie is pregnant?

[Danijoel]

How do I tell if one of ourbunnies is expecting? (We don'tknow if she was bred or not because we've only had them for a week. But,the fur on her neck area has grown inquite a bit and hubby thinks sheis pregnant.Not sure if this is possible to tell, or if I just wait to see.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Becca]

Will move this to the Rabbitry section for you; you'll get more replies there

 

[irishbunny]

What signs is she showing that makes you think she might be pregnant?

The best way to tell is by palpating, basically feeling her stomach to see if you can feel the babies, but if your not used to doing that it can be hard to know what exactly your feeling and if not done right could cause harm to the mother and babies but if you want you could bring her to a rabbit savvy vet to have it done.

By the end of a rabbits pregnancy their bellies can be quite hard and round and sometimes you can feel movement but movement is not always a good indicator as it could just be peristalsis (normal gut movement).

If none of the above tells you she is pregnant then you could just play the waiting game, have hay in her cage all the time and if you see her start to make a nest with it (they stuff their mouth with hay, rearrange the hay and pull out their fur), then you know she is about to have babies and you should give her a nestbox to build a good and secure nest in

 

[Jenson]

Is she showing any other symptoms? The fur on the neck (I think you mean her dewlap?) isn't a huge sign of pregnancy on it's own. It could just be better diet.

The best way for you to tell is to take her to an experienced breeder who can palpate her for you (a good vet will also be able to do this). If she's having a nice size litter you will be able to feel the kits moving and kicking in the last week of her pregnancy if you put your hands on her abdomen.

Otherwise it's just a waiting game! If you see her making a nest give her a nest box and plenty of bedding, besides that just peace and quiet and keep a close eye on her!

EDIT : irishbunny had everything covered!

 

[Danijoel]

Cutie has not started to make a nest, but she had fresh hay every day, so if she wants to make one, she can. I'll do some reading here to see if she needs anything else for a nest.

She has a few spots on her hind quarters that look like she's been pulling it out. I think the thickening of the dewlap is why my husband thought she was pregnant. She has put on a bit of weight, but her diet and situation have been improved, so that could be the cause of her weight gain.

I'll keep an eye on her and maybe even run her to the vet with Romeo when he goes in to be neutered later this week.

I am just so pleased with the quick responses from all of you guys. You folks have already been a tremendous help!

Thank you!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Sometimes when they shed out (which is likely with her moving to a new environment) they will get spots of shorter hair...... like a molt line.

 

[BlueGiants]

Just wanted to mention, gestation for the rabbit is (on average) 31 days. Larger breeds can go 35 days. So once she has gone 35 days without having babies (and without being exposed to a boy!). You can be sure she isn't pregnant.

Please keep in mind that after Romeo gets neutered, he will still have to be kept seperate from Cutie for up to 8 weeks. (Even though his lil "nad's" are removed, it takes a little while for the sperm to die off.)

 

[irishbunny]

Jenson wrote

EDIT : irishbunny had everything covered!

Lol
Missing her fur in spots on her hind quarters might not be pregnancy as they mostly will pull it from their chest/dewlap area and around their neck, plus she would usually pull fur when making a nest and like you said she hasn't done that.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Jenson wrote:

EDIT : irishbunny had everything covered!

I was able to feel the marbles in the doe.

I've seen the rabbits gather hay in their mouths and stashing it away. Some of the pregnant rabbits became quite grumpy, and would start attacking and nipping your fingers if you reached into the cage. I heard some of them becoming quite vocal too.

 

[irishbunny]

Sometimes though if you haven't done it before it can be hard to know what exactly your feeling, like you said they should almost feel like marbles but some people can mix up poop and what not for babies.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

irishbunny wrote:

like you said they should almost feel like marbles

Marbles that kick and move around.

A breeder waswith me showing me her pregnant does.

 

[irishbunny]

Oh now I get what you mean, I thought you ment like at the start of pregnancy, sorry

 

[BlueGiants]

Palpating is best done at 12-14 days after breeding. It can be difficult to feel the babies after that. The uterine horns get pulled up higher in the does abdominal cavity and it's very hard to "feel" anything. The last few days before kindling, sometimes you can see the babies moving along her side if the doe lays just right. (Didn't Zin post a link to pics she took of a Cali before kindling?)

That being said, I've had does that never gained an ounce or showed a THING until they delivered!