Not so False pregnancy

[Flashy]

Cathy beat me to it

An overweight buck might have what appeared to be a dewlap.

 

[delusional]

Yes Cordie is a girl, and I can pull the fur off her dewlap and nipples so that means she's gotta be mum right? (Raspberry has no loose fur anywhere..)

 

[BlueGiants]

delusional wrote:

Would a boy bunny build the nest? Cordie has a big dewlap too...

I will check her anyway just to make sure.

Cordie could have just thought "he" was helping out, pulling fur off Raspberry... Check closely... any little "bits" showing? Otherwise, who has Cordie been around? Any one get loose a month ago?

 

[BlueGiants]

Check Raspbery again. Move the "vulva" to one side and look for any testicles.

 

[BlueGiants]

Does Cordie's vulva look slightly swollen? Reddish?Any blood?

 

[delusional]

Yeah Cordie's does look more red than the usual pink. No blood there at the moment though.

I really can't see anything on Raspberry either.. there's not even the little pink skin bit where the testicles would be if "he'd" pulled them in..

The only unaltered males in the house are Harvey and Nigel (talk about extremes of the size scale). Harvey got loose a load of times recently, Nigel never escaped. But the "girls" have never escaped either.

 

[BlueGiants]

They can "do it" through the wire... where there is a will, there is a way... Harvey sounds like a good candidate!

OK, at least you have the right momma with the babies. She should feed them twice a day. Over the next few days, increase her pellets/feed rations. She will need it to produce enough milk to raise 6 babies!

 

[delusional]

Flashy wrote:

Do you think the mum will feel safe with the other bunny so close, even if they are separated? Some mum's might not, but you know your buns better than us

I only split them because I know buns can get stressed if they're separated from their bondmates and I didn't want to stress her more. She doesn't seem to worried by Raspberry being there..

Do you think I should put Raspberry in a different cage altogether?

 

[BlueGiants]

"Raspberry and Cordie were brawling..."

This commentstands out. I think it indicates that Cordie doesn't want Raspberry's help. I'd leave them seperate for now... I'd rather deal with re-bonding issues later on than dead babies or injuries from fights now.

 

[delusional]

But if they can do it through the wire then it could be either because the girls play in the living room where Nigel lives at ground level.

Actually the girls cage is elevated in the bedroom where Harvey lives (and escaped) and it would be really hard for him to reach them. Though I suppose not completely impossible.

Oh gosh Harvey's babies could have killed her couldn't they, if they're his?! :shock: (Harvey is a continental giant, Cordie is a 4lb lop..)

 

[BlueGiants]

I guess we'll see who the daddy is as they grow up. Nigel could be little "dandy" when you're not looking.

 

[delusional]

Oh I wouldn't put them back together, I just meant would they be better in completely separate cages or as they are with a split down the middle of their usual cage?

 

[JadeIcing]

I would split down the middle and see if they are ok like that.

 

[BlueGiants]

You know your bunnies best. If you can do that, try it first before you put them in seperate cages. :thumbup

 

[delusional]

Okay so I'll leave them as they are for now.

I've been reading loads of stuff while we've been chatting, but it's a bit conflicting.
Some places say to check on the babies and make suer they're all alive and okay and being fed, and others are saying she'll kill them if I touch them.. So.. do I check them or not?

 

[BlueGiants]

She will NOT kill them just because you touch them... A mothers instinct to take care of her babies is stronger than any smell you will leave on them.....Check on them at least once a day. Make sure they are all alive and squirming. Make sure the nest is being kept clean and dry. Make sure the babies are getting fed. Their little bellies should look like they swallowed a ping pong ball.

 

[Flashy]

It's a myth that she will kill them. It is far better to check because that way you can know if there are any problems if any arise. Some mum's are a bit tetchy, which is expected, so you can treat her and also a dab of vanillajust aboveher nose will stop her from realising they have been handled/checked and by the time it wears off they will smell like her again. You can also stroke her first and, if you are really worried, hold them in hay so that you don't actually touch them. Hopefully she will be ok though.

Sorry I caused confusion with my comment about them separate and where they should be, I was just thinking outloud

 

[delusional]

Okay. Should I check them now? I don't want to stress Cordie out any more, but if any of them were born dead I don't want to leave them in there do I?

 

[Flashy]

Were they all moving when you moved them into the nest box?

 

[BlueGiants]

Did you put them in a box? Did you check them then? If not, take them out and do it now. Give them all a good going over and put them back. You can also distract Cordie with a treat of parsley of something else special...