Preventing Babies

[trujft]

Hello! So I have two rabbits, one male and one female and I had believed they were too young still to be sexually mature but the male’s balls have dropped and he is constantly humping the female. I dont know if shes capable of breeding but I really don’t need babies their neuter and spay have already been scheduled but they're still a month away. Is there anything I can do to keep her from being impregnated besides separating them? I will if it’s the only option but it’s really hard to do with where I currently live so I want to try alternatives first if there are any. If not then I’ll suck it up and be a good bun mom!
Thank you!!

 

[dogwoodblossoms]

The best way for you to prevent mating is to alternate roaming times (from your post I understand they are free-roam?). You would need to keep one locked up in a crate/cage for some time and then switch with as little contact between the two as you can get. And make sure the crate/cage isn't in an area the other can get to.
A female CAN be sexually mature around 4 months old, so you would be surprised!
If you have the space you could also lock them in separate rooms.

 

[John Wick]

All it takes is 3 seconds of successful humping to breed (I've heard commonly reported online), so no, the most effective way is to separate them.

 

[Watermelons]

Shes probably already pregnant.
Either move up their appointments or get ready for babies.
They need to be kept seperate for at least a solid month after they have been fixed as well.
Thereis no way to keep them together. They shouldnt even be allowed to touch between bars because he can still get her pregnant through a cage. So no contact at all.

 

[Preitler]

How old are they?

 

[trujft]

The best way for you to prevent mating is to alternate roaming times (from your post I understand they are free-roam?). You would need to keep one locked up in a crate/cage for some time and then switch with as little contact between the two as you can get. And make sure the crate/cage isn't in an area the other can get to.
A female CAN be sexually mature around 4 months old, so you would be surprised!
If you have the space you could also lock them in separate rooms.

They are free roam, yes! And I have decided to go ahead and keep one in the smaller attached room and rotate them. They have no way to touch each other now so there will be no more shenanigans lets hope she hasnt already been inseminated

 

[trujft]

How old are they?

I would have guessed around 3 months but i dont know with absolute certainty. I THINK shes still too young to be impregnated but I have no way to be sure so I have decided to separate them til they get fixed

 

[trujft]

All it takes is 3 seconds of successful humping to breed (I've heard commonly reported online), so no, the most effective way is to separate them.

Makes sense, I have decided to utilize the smaller room thats attached and rotate their free roam times until they’re clear to be together. If I had known they were this close to being sexually matured, I would have scheduled their appointments sooner

 

[trujft]

Shes probably already pregnant.
Either move up their appointments or get ready for babies.
They need to be kept seperate for at least a solid month after they have been fixed as well.
Thereis no way to keep them together. They shouldnt even be allowed to touch between bars because he can still get her pregnant through a cage. So no contact at all.

Oh boy I got the earliest appointments available so there’s no way they’re being moved up. That being said, I have now separated them to where they cannot touch except for sniffing under a door so no more funny business. I hope she’s still too young but what would be the signs that she is pregnant so I can look out for that and prepare? Thank you!

 

[JBun]

3 months seems pretty unlikely for her to be mature enough to get pregnant, though nothing's impossible. I would be more concerned if she was over 4 months.

The earliest sign might be a sudden change of behavior; like a doe normally really sweet, becoming really grumpy. Or a doe normally grumpy, becoming very sweet. Though this could just be the onset of normal hormones and teenagehood. A vet could palpate at around two weeks, to see if she's pregnant. It's not recommended to palpate yourself unless experienced, as if done incorrectly, the babies could be harmed. Or ultrasound/xray sometime around 2 weeks. Or about 3-4 weeks from when you think she could have become pregnant, she may start looking to have a bigger belly, you may see slight movements in the belly, she might become hungrier, or she could start frantically trying to build a nest.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Pregnant_rabbits#Taking_care_of_a_pregnant_rabbit_and_her_litter
If she does start showing any signs that she could be pregnant, you may want to contact your vet, or find a different experienced rabbit vet that you can get into sooner, as that young of a rabbit being pregnant could pose a significant risk to her health.

https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[trujft]

3 months seems pretty unlikely for her to be mature enough to get pregnant, though nothing's impossible. I would be more concerned if she was over 4 months.

The earliest sign might be a sudden change of behavior; like a doe normally really sweet, becoming really grumpy. Or a doe normally grumpy, becoming very sweet. Though this could just be the onset of normal hormones and teenagehood. A vet could palpate at around two weeks, to see if she's pregnant. It's not recommended to palpate yourself unless experienced, as if done incorrectly, the babies could be harmed. Or ultrasound/xray sometime around 2 weeks. Or about 3-4 weeks from when you think she could have become pregnant, she may start looking to have a bigger belly, you may see slight movements in the belly, she might become hungrier, or she could start frantically trying to build a nest.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Pregnant_rabbits#Taking_care_of_a_pregnant_rabbit_and_her_litter
If she does start showing any signs that she could be pregnant, you may want to contact your vet, or find a different experienced rabbit vet that you can get into sooner, as that young of a rabbit being pregnant could pose a significant risk to her health.

https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

Okay perfect, thank you! Yeah, I always joke that they’re still babies themselves I’m just hoping I split them early enough so that it wont be an issue

 

[FoxyJ359]

Ooof I feel ya. We thought we had two females, turned out one was a male. I now have too much bun lol (they are close to ready for rehoming, the male is separate but they can see and sniff each other still, hard to get a vet appointment where I am though so neutering is pending, I let them roam at separate times) they were indeed 4 months old when the ooops was discovered, and Nutmeg really didn’t change behaviour much or really look fat like a cat or a dog would. you miiight be ok (I’m not an expert) but keeping them separate is the safest bet. Best of luck!

 

[FlopsyBunnies4]

I would agree I feel like 3months is just at the start of her being able to get pregnant so probably unlikely. I’ve heard 12wks is when males and females should be separated. Definitely keep them separate and keep an eye on her for any changes in behavior and be prepared in case as that young age if pregnant could have a difficult birth.