Puzzled about mating behavior

[Jaken]

Last thursday I look out my window and I see Ruby bringing grass into the hutch. Later I got outside to look, and it looks like she's building a nest. There was fur and everything. The next day I noticed Max following on and off allday, but Ruby isn't interested.And she's also constantly digging. From what I've read this is all a sign of pregnancy. (I've been trying to collect the money for a neuter.) I was starting to get a little worried.

Then yesterday morning I let them out to burn off some energy. Then I notice Ruby on top of Max. So now I'm verry confused. I havn't gotten around to sexing them agian. They were young when I got them.

So what is going on?

After building a nest how long till the young ones come?

 

[juliew19673]

Wow! Two un-fixed buns playing together when they are sexually active is a pregnancy waiting to happen..

Buns I've read can get pregnant and give birth within 3 weeks; when the female gives birth she can get pregnant "right" away - thus the saying "breeding like rabbits"..

You HAVE to fix BOTH - not ONE as the other will have issues and even if not, be responsible with being a Pet owner. What if someone allowed you to "RUN" around impgrenating any person you saw.

Check out the 'Rescue Me!" thread on this site and think about what you are allowing.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Oh dear. May I ask why you allow them to play together when not fixed? You may very well have a pregnant bunner on your hands. Will you keep the babies? Please separate them and keep them separted until one of them is fixed. If you neuter the male, he needs be kept separate from the female for 2 months after for the hormones to die out completely.

From day of pregnancy, birth is (I think) 31 days after. You should get them sexed at the vet to make sure what you're dealing with, as sometimes if young, will mount for dominance alone, but, I don't think that is what is happening.

We can move this to the Rabbitry when you find she is indeed pregnant.:?

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

juliew19673 wrote:

Check out the 'Rescue Me!" thread on this site and think about what you are allowing.

:yeahthat: and every shelter/rescue in the states and beyond that are overrun with buns because of this very thing.:sosad (We don't mean to be harsh, just looking out for the buns.) There are just way too many that need homes as it is...

 

[juliew19673]

Jaken didn't mean to sound "harsh" but bunnies will populate like "bunnies' so keep yours separate until they are BOTH fixed (one fixed will make the other angry and then you will have a "different" type of Vet bill).

Do not feel afraid to post the aftermath, it can only help another in your same situation and hopefully before any mating is done. Also you will need help in the birthing and raising - so again, RO is here to walk you through certain trials and tribulations.

Wishing you the best of luck!

 

[Pipp]

Jaken wrote:

Last thursday I look out my window and I see Ruby bringing grass into the hutch. Later I got outside to look, and it looks like she's building a nest. There was fur and everything. The next day I noticed Max following on and off allday, but Ruby isn't interested.And she's also constantly digging. From what I've read this is all a sign of pregnancy. (I've been trying to collect the money for a neuter.) I was starting to get a little worried.

Then yesterday morning I let them out to burn off some energy. Then I notice Ruby on top of Max. So now I'm verry confused. I havn't gotten around to sexing them agian. They were young when I got them.

Mounting is a sign of establishing dominance, so everybunny mounts everybunny. Only girls build nests -- ones going through true pregnancies and false pregnancies. I'd separate them immediately just in case it's the latter.

However, given Max's behaviour,Ruby is probably pregnant. (Boys are slower to mature than girls, although they're probably both old enough by now). Having a litter this young isn't good, and the brother/sister pairing is worse, they can have all sorts of faults and health issues. I'm not sure I'd want to pass that on to anotherfamily. If you're not up for an emergency spay,hopefullyshe'll survive the birth, the litter will be small and you can havea everybunny fixed and live with youhappily ever after.

Babies are born 31 days after mating.They usually pull fur a few days before the birth, but a mother that young and inexperienced couldbuild a few nests over a week or more. But be prepared for a litter very soon just in case, and make sure you have Max FAR away from her. She can get pregnant again immediately after giving birth.

If you're from afarm family, you probably knowwhat a bad labour looks like. Rabbits should only take a matter of minutes to deliver. After 20 or 30 minutes of it, she'll likely be in trouble.Watch for her to go pale or cold, any excessive bleeding, etc.

She may also push the kits out of the nest or stomp on them.

She should have a nest box -- you can put the nest in it and she should leave it there, although she may build a new one. It should be high enough to keep the kits in but not so high that she has a long jump to get in it, you don't want her landing hard on the kits.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

Good luckfrom the left coast! :goodluck



sas :clover:

 

[juliew19673]

Listen to Pipp.. She's giving you "useful" advice and instruction to follow.. Hoping the best for you and yours truly..

 

[gentle giants]

Assuming that she really is pregnant, I would bet you have babies already. They usually build the nest within hours of giving birth. If you could post pics of your bunnies, we could help you figure out what kind they are. Also would be good to know how old they are, that will tell us a lot about what to expect for the birth. You will want to separate the bunnies now, as the buck can get her pregnant again the very same day she gives birth.

 

[Jaken]

I was going to spay one of them, but until October money will be pretty tight. I am currently looking for a temporary cage for Max. In my previous post I think someone said that they could get pregnant at about 3 months. They aren't much older than that. But then I remembered the person who sold them to me said, they'd be mature this fall. So I figured he was right because he's the one that bred the ones I have.

Thank you Pipp for your information.

I checked on Monday and there was still nothing. I havn't checked today yet.

Gentle Giants - They are both a dutch mix, and are between 3 and 4 month old.

 

[Jaken]

I was going to spay one of them, but until October money will be pretty tight. I am currently looking for a temporary cage for Max. In my previous post I think someone said that they could get pregnant at about 3 months. They aren't much older than that. But then I remembered the person who sold them to me said, they'd be mature this fall. So I figured he was right because he's the one that bred the ones I have.

Thank you Pipp for your information.

I checked on Monday and there was still nothing. I havn't checked today yet.

Gentle Giants - They are both a dutch mix, and are between 3 and 4 month old.

 

[gentle giants]

Neutering the buck will be cheaper, but you will still need to keep them separate for eight weeks after the neuter or he can still get her pregnant. You aren't letting them out together anymore now, are you?