pregnant rabbit

[sarabeth]

Hi I am new here but I have a question. My New Zealand doe is pulling hair she is 10 days along. she has pulled the hair from under her neck and is making a nest. She has pulled so much fur that she has sores under her neck. She just started this this mornibg and i'm really worried about her. This is her forth litter, The first and second litter she did really good (beside's having the on the floor). But they all lived.The third litter she ate 2 and the rest all died the day after she had them. Has anyone else ever had this happen and know whats wrong with her?



Sara

 

[Numbat]

It sounds like she probably shouldn't have any more litters... but I'm no expert, I'm probably totally wrong! Good luck though. I didn't realise rabbits ate their babies.

 

[aurora369]

I moved this thread to the Rabbitry section so that the breeders can see your questions.

In my experience, if a doe is pulling fur so early in a pregnancy, it normally means she is not actually pregnant. She is most likely having a false pregnancy.

However, on the off chance that is actually pregnant, give her a nest box as planned several days before her due date.

Also, to the best of my knowledge, most mothers will not "eat" the babies unless extremely frightened. Some mothers over groom the babies, and can end up accidentally nibbling off ears or limbs and sometimes killing the baby in the process. But they are typically not out to eat the baby, they just make a mistake when cleaning up the baby and the placentas.

If a mother fails to care for her babies for more than one litter in a row, chances are she's not fit to be a mother any more. She should be retired from breeding so that she does not pass those poor mothering instincts on to her offspring.

You can clean the wounds with some betadine to prevent them from getting infected. It is completely safe for the bunny to ingest, and it's super cheap. I picked up a huge bottle at the pharmacy for $10, and it will most likely last me for years.

--Dawn

 

[BSAR]

I agree with aurora, it sounds like she is having a false pregnancy.

But she still could very well be pregnant. Are you sure she is only ten days along? Could she be farther?

 

[polly]

Hi Sara welcome to RO

FIrst thing that comes to mind is that she is having a false pregnancy. Is there anything that scared her or was different last time she had a litter? it is not normal for them to eat them unless like aurora says they are scared the only other time I have heard of it is if the doe has a vitimin deficiency or something similar.

 

[sarabeth]

I dont see how anything could have scared her. they have their own shed where nothing can get in there. I know she is only 10 days along i keep track of when they are bred.