Hello. I am a first time rabbit owner. I have two pet bunnies, and until recently my hubby and I thought they were both female. Isis, my female rabbit, started digging in her cage, making what look like nests without a top to them. At first I put it off as the rabbit's natural instinct to dig, but when she kept at it I decided to do some research online. After reading some I decided that I needed to look at their genders myself, and quickly discovered that Basil is male. At first I didn't know what to do, I figured they'd be okay in the same cage until I read that Basil might hurt Isis and her kits, so I removed him as of four days ago. I've been watching Isis closely and paying attention to what she's been doing. She has relaxed in the four days that she hasn't been around Basil, and she even stopped making nests besides a perfect one that she has made. I check it every now and then but there still aren't any kits. Is this a phantom one or is she just getting ready? She had been "digging" or making nests for about three weeks before I separated them. I'm really concerned about my girl. Is she okay?
Help?
- Thread starter Kzbun
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:nope: may need to prepare for the pitter, patter........................
Imbrium
Jennifer
there's really no way to say whether it's a false pregnancy or a real one other than to wait for kits to show up (or not show up). it'll take 6-8 weeks for Basil's hormones to be totally gone and for him to stop being fertile after he's neutered, so he needs to be separated from Isis for two months post-neuter to be safe - gestation only lasts for around 31 days, so if he managed to knock her up, she'll have the kits long before they could be reintroduced.
it could easily be a false pregnancy... but then again, rabbits are induced ovulators (release eggs in response to having sex, as opposed to going into heat like most animals) and it only takes a few seconds for a male to do his "job"... so I would definitely read up on rabbit pregnancy and caring for the babies and make sure she's on a proper diet for a pregnant rabbit just in case she is.
it could easily be a false pregnancy... but then again, rabbits are induced ovulators (release eggs in response to having sex, as opposed to going into heat like most animals) and it only takes a few seconds for a male to do his "job"... so I would definitely read up on rabbit pregnancy and caring for the babies and make sure she's on a proper diet for a pregnant rabbit just in case she is.
ADVICE PLEASE!!!
I woke up this morning and looked at Isis. She has ripped a lot of hair out and it's all piled in the corner, not in her nest box. There are no kits yet, but I have a feeling that's coming soon! What do I do? I know that the kits probably wont live if they stay out in the corner of the box. Once she has them all, is it okay to move them to the nest box? I read online that it should be fine, but I want to know for sure before I do it. Is it okay to be in the room and watch her to make sure everything is okay? I shut the door to the room and made sure the cat wasn't in there. She might be Isis's best friend, but I didn't want her disturbing the babies! I'm either feeling panicked or excited right now, I haven't decided.
I woke up this morning and looked at Isis. She has ripped a lot of hair out and it's all piled in the corner, not in her nest box. There are no kits yet, but I have a feeling that's coming soon! What do I do? I know that the kits probably wont live if they stay out in the corner of the box. Once she has them all, is it okay to move them to the nest box? I read online that it should be fine, but I want to know for sure before I do it. Is it okay to be in the room and watch her to make sure everything is okay? I shut the door to the room and made sure the cat wasn't in there. She might be Isis's best friend, but I didn't want her disturbing the babies! I'm either feeling panicked or excited right now, I haven't decided.
I saw in your other thread, that Isis had her babies. Congratulations! I was just going to say that if you haven't already moved them to the nestbox, that it would be ok to do that. It shouldn't matter to the mom, and will keep the babies from wandering out of the nest and getting cold. I thought I would also mention that you will want to keep Isis and Basil separate from now on. Even while nursing these babies, she could still get pregnant. Isis sounds like she is being a good mommy. I always checked my does babies every day to make sure they were getting fed and that she was licking them so the would pee. At about 10-14 days they will start opening their eyes. And soon after that they start to wander out of the nest. At that point you can take the nest box out or turn it on it's side, and build them a new clean nesting spot in a corner, with hay to snuggle up in. They will also start nibbling on hay and food. I kept my does pellet dish up high so that it would be harder for them to get pellets until they were just a little bit older. I wanted thm eating more hay at first, to get them used to solid food before going to the pellets, cause pellets can be harder for them to adjust to and cause some digestive upset. So I wanted the pellet transition to be very gradual. Once they start eating solid food, you will want to check their little bums once a day, to make sure that no one is getting soft poops stuck to their bum.
You're going to love raising them. At about 3 weeks, they get all fluffy, and a lot more active. So much fun to watch little bunnies playing. Can't wait to see pics of them growing up
You're going to love raising them. At about 3 weeks, they get all fluffy, and a lot more active. So much fun to watch little bunnies playing. Can't wait to see pics of them growing up
Thank you! Yes, so far Isis has been a very good mother. The babies all have round little bellies and are staying nice and warm. I've noticed that Isis doesn't like me staying around the nest too long. She will allow me to count the babies and make sure they are all alive, but she doesn't like me spending much more time then that with them. I'm hoping that means she'll be a good mommy. I saw her feeding them last night when I was getting ready to go to sleep, so I know she's fed them at least twice now. I hope she keeps up with it, as I've heard that many first time mothers will not know what to do with their little ones, and that they might not take care of them. She has shocked me thus far.
Thank you also for the advice with the food! I'll make sure to raise the tray that Isis eats from so that they wont be able to reach it. I'm so excited to see them start growing, and I already have a pen that they can play in once they are big enough! I'll make sure to take lots of pictures and post them up once the little ones start getting more active.
Thanks again for all of the help! I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions as the kits get older, it's nice to know that I have some people who are willing to answer them!
Thank you also for the advice with the food! I'll make sure to raise the tray that Isis eats from so that they wont be able to reach it. I'm so excited to see them start growing, and I already have a pen that they can play in once they are big enough! I'll make sure to take lots of pictures and post them up once the little ones start getting more active.
Thanks again for all of the help! I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions as the kits get older, it's nice to know that I have some people who are willing to answer them!
I'm not sure if this is okay or not. The babies all seem fine, are being fed and are warm when I check on them, but I've noticed that Isis isn't covering them back up after she feeds them. If I cover the nest back up, when I go to peek in on Isis and the babies the nest is partially uncovered again, enough so that I can see the babies without moving anything. Should I keep covering them back up, or is it fine to keep them uncovered? My house is kept between 68-70 degrees F.
It actually is probably the babies doing it. If they are cold, they will burrow down into the fur to stay warm, but if they get too hot in there, they will come up out of the fur to cool off. As long as the fur is in one general area and not all spread out, the babies will pretty much decide where it is the most comfortable for them. Except when they decide to go wandering far from the nest in search of mom, then they do need a little help getting back
