Possible Pregnant Doe - Possible Complications

[Nela]

Bleh. MyGiggles is nesting. I've asked Jeff and he has no idea if it was there before today or not. I do not know myself because I have had to stay away from the bunnies. This would be day25 for her.

The bigger issue is I have been told that she's about a year old. We don't know for sure that she has been bred in the past. We will try to find a vet but the other vet told me they don't spay females so I am concerned about the safety of the anesthesia. I'm not sure if it would be more dangerous to take her to a non rabbit vet or let her deal with a possible pregnancy.

Of course, I guess all this could be a pseudo-pregnancy as well... We were there when it all happened and they didn't have much time together. Then again, not sure how many minutes it took for us to realize they actually were together...

Other signs have been:

- increase in appetite

- grunting at me

- generally more calm in my arms

Like I said, maybe it's a false alarm. I sure am hoping it is! However, if there may be issues I would like to know of any signs of trouble. What should I know?

Iwish I couldpalpateher but when my foster had 6 babies, I couldn't feel a thing. I still can't tell. :expressionless

 

[jcl_24]

BUMP*

Could some breeders give Nela some advice?

 

[Nela]

Thanks, I appreciate it. However,I think I dug myself my own hole and I respect it if no one wants to help Thank you though:rose:

 

[mistyjr]

I would try and check to see if she haves any babies in there first... And put a nesting box in there just incase.. Then they stop eatting,ect that can be a sign just before having them..




My aunt is having about the same issue.. She got 3 dutch doe's from the show and the guy said they might be pregnant but doesnt know for sure. I have checked them but I dont know yet either.. Sorry cant be more help:hug1

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Hi Nela, I read this thread the other day, and would have responded then, but I didn't really understand what you were asking...Guess I missed the " What should I know?" piece.

If she is nesting, make sure she has a nesting box, just in case she is pregnant.

What breed is she? How much does she weigh, and how much does the buck weigh that possibly bred her?

The increase in the appetite & grunting are some signs that she is pregnant (not sure if these are the same signs in a psuedo-pregnancy, as I've never dealt with one before.)

Some signs of trouble would be straining during the birth, pushing but no babies coming out. Does can take up to 2 days to deliver all the babies, some breeders say it's not good when that happens, but other time it's perfectly normal. What you want to watch for, is if she's having trouble. If she is, then it's most likely a stuck kit, and you'll want to get her to a vet quickly. If she is in labor, but not straining, etc. and it takesabout 48 hours for her to have them, and they look good, and so does she, then she'll probably be ok. It's pretty rare that they will be in labor that long. Usually it's pretty quick, 30 min. or less.

Another sign might be blood - there will always be blood, but if it looks like she is losing a lot, then that's not good.

Just keep a very close eye on her as she gets closer & closer to her due date. If you start to notice anything off about her, I would watch her more intently and be prepared to take her to the vet.

The easiest way to prevent illness/injury in rabbits is to know their normal behavior; that way you can tell what isn't their normal behavior, and you will know something is up. It has helped me quite a few times.

Emily

 

[Nela]

Thank you Misty.

Thank you Emily. You answered what I was looking for. I was not sure when to know if it's normal labour or straining. I'm still a bit confused but hopefully I will understand it if it happens. Was unsure about the length of time for a normal labour as well. So anyway, thank you.

Yeah, I am loading up on every med I have and then I will be bringing her inside. Probably tomorrow.

Thanks for answering.

 

[Nela]

Just wanted to update...

Giggles will not be coming inside. I would not be able to live in the house with them for the whole weaning period and decided bringing them back outside would be too much of a climate shock. Instead, Jeff had proceeded to shutting the shed windows. He is building a proper nestbox as we speak because Giggles is insisting on making her own nest out in the open. I will not let her have the babies there as they will surely get chilled and die. I will be using fleece at the very bottom but covering it with lots of bedding and hay. I will also be covering the hutch to shield them from drafts and provide a dark environment for her to feel safer. I've gotten a ton of hay though I am still looking for alfalfa.

Jeff's mother and sister will be here to look after all the pets. If ever, for any reason the babies need to be handfed, Jeff's sister will be taking over until I get back from France.

As for now, if the amount of kicking and movement is any sign, those babies are quite healthy. The good thing is Giggles has come to trust me enough to be comfortable with me handling her. She simply nestles into me and closes hereyes.

Smores will beneutered while Giggles is busy. He will have the time to heal and get rid of that baby-making stuff he so desperately wanted to use. After that, I will house them together in one single of the hutch (it can be two singles, or one large double). The babies will be split by sex and then one sex will get the other single and the other will either get the playpen or Maybelle's hutch until we can find them proper homes.

Of course, that's if everything goes well... Everything we can do, will be done.

 

[Momto3boys]

I have my fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly for Giggles!

What kind of bunnies are they?

 

[Nela]

Giggles is a japanese harlequin mini-rex and Smores seems to be a tri-color english spot mix

 

[Jaded]

Check the nest to see if there any babies in there
palpate her
check her teats, give them a little gentle pinch to see if she has milk.

Hope this helps

 

[TinysMom]

I'm not on much anymore - I'm so sorry I'm just now seeing this thread or I would have replied before.

I know you're concerned because she is a year old - but I think she should be fine.

You've already gotten some great advice - the only thing I can add is to make sure that Jeff knows how to get on here in case he needs any help while you're gone. (France...wow! Lucky...I've never been out of the U.S. except for Canada).

Also - don't be surprised if she leaves behind a bit of a placenta...or she hasn't cleaned it up cause she's been busy. That's normal - don't freak out over that.

After she gives birth though - maybe a couple of hours or so afterwards - pick her up and check her privates just to make sure she's not still bleeding, etc.

I'm sure she'll do great if she's got enough instinct to make the nest!

 

[Nela]

Thank you Peg, I just saw this reply.

Jeff will be with me in France. We are going to his father's house (I'm meeting him for the first time). We've been wanting to go for months but something always came up and now the tickets are purchased :expressionlessI had never really traveled and then poof, lots of traveling! His father owns a beautiful property and even hasdonkeys. I'm really happy to be going. Jeff could use the vacation. He hasn't really had a break this year.

I will be bringing my laptop though. His sister wants to stay in touch for the bunnies and I want acccess to here as well.

His sister and mother will be coming everyday. His sister has already offered to take the bunnies if there is need though I am really hoping there won't be. I'm reeeeeally wanting Giggles to give birth today so that I can see how they are doing before leaving.

Anywho, yeah you think it's okay that she's a year old? That's been my main concern really. On the other hand, it's also very possible that she's already been bred in the past. Thanks for the bit about the placenta. I surely would have freaked. Of course, it's something I should know but I seem to forget everything when it's my own rabbit involved so I know I would have thought something was wrong. I'll make sure that she is checked regularly.

Hoping momma does well... Thanks again Peg and everyone who replied here. I'vemade note of everything mentionned here and I have been reading up as well.:rose: